Partner: Denver Public Market
Members: Joe Matta
According to the National Good Food Network, a regional food hub is “is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and/or marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand.” In Colorado, the Sun Valley neighborhood of Denver has been identified as an EcoDistrict and is primed for a massive, thoughtful, and equitable redevelopment. As a part of the redevelopment, Adam Schlegel, founder of Snooze: an AM Eatery and Chook, is working to develop and build a new food campus in the district to serve as a regional food hub for Colorado. The hub is expected to be called the Denver Public Market (“DPM”). DPM will provide local and regional producers with invaluable infrastructure to distribute, store, process, and bring their products to market. The vision is to have DPM serve as the foundation for revitalizing rural economies in Colorado, supporting local agriculture, improving food security, improving food access and health, and cultivating a new regional food economy in and around Colorado. The project will entail researching and mapping the Colorado food system and value chain, conducting a supply-demand analysis of the regional food system, developing an appropriate strategy and business model for the market, and working alongside the project development team to ensure the progress and success of the project.