Schnuck Markets, Inc., in partnership with Foodshed.io, is celebrating its most expansive local produce season since it was founded in 1939.
For the 2021 season, more than 50 varieties of fresh, local produce are featured in all 111 Schnucks stores, ranging from tomatoes to watermelons to fresh herbs. Foodshed.io draws from 15 farms in the four states where Schnucks operates (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin).
“Buying from local farms helps us support our local neighbors while providing a higher quality product for our customers,” said Schnucks Vice President of Produce and Floral Mike Tipton. “By reducing the time it takes from the farm to our stores, we are able to get the freshest produce - our customers can taste the difference!”
Through its partnership with Foodshed.io, now in its third season, Schnucks has not only been able to expand its local produce offerings by 173% year over year, but the Foodshed.io platform is responsible for ensuring that the produce is available for customers while giving local farms the stability they need to plan their seasons.
“We are excited to offer our local greenhouse-grown specialty lettuces and salads to Schnucks customers and are excited to grow our farm and business working with Foodshed.io and Schnucks,” said Mark Schneider, owner of The Farmer & Co in Strawn, Illinois.
“The commitment Schnucks has made to its communities and its farms are second to none,” said Clare Sullivan, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, Foodshed.io. “Our technology provides a consistent experience our customers can count on and makes it easy for farmers to do what they do best - grow food for our communities.”
Through its work with Foodshed.io, Schnucks is also helping our environment and creating a more resilient local supply chain in the region overall. All partner farms are encouraged to use regenerative practices that ensure our land is able to feed our region for generations to come.
“The local produce season is far from over,” said Tipton. “More items can be found at your local Schnucks continuing year round with a big fall season yet to come!”