Page 51 - Hillview_book

Chef Shawn from Savory Creations picking local organic ingredients for an upcoming wedding. Community Hunger Solutions workers harvesting in the fields.
BUSINESSES Many businesses in La Crosse and
the surrounding area promote and support the local food system, including the following:
Festival Foods is an Onalaska- based company that makes an ef- fort to put local food in its grocery stores, and its stores feature large organic foods departments. It
also promotes healthy eating with recipes from registered dietitians and the NuVal Nutritional Scor- ing System to help shoppers make good choices. Festival is a com- pany grounded by its roots, which run deep in the community. Every year Festival is pleased to hold and manage the Holmen and Onalaska farmers markets in their parking lots. Festival also raises thousands of dollars annually for the Hunger Task Force (HTF operates the Kane Street Community Garden and co- ordinates the Food Recovery Pro- gram) through Festival’s Food for Neighbors Program and through their Seeds for Hope icon sales.
People’s Food Co-op is a neigh- borhood grocery store that belongs to the greater community with well over 7,500 member-owners, and thousands more nonmem-
ber shoppers each week. Nearly one-third of store sales are from products supplied by ranchers,
farmers, or producers within a 150-mile radius, and the store is also a Community Supported Agri- culture (CSA) drop-site. PFC works hard to elevate the importance of locally grown food through cook- ing classes, cooperative education, community involvement, and collaboration. The Co-op partici- pates in many community events like the La Crosse Earth Fair, and supports dozens of local non-profit organizations, including work-
ing closely with groups such as Hillview Urban Agriculture Center, Downtown Mainstreet, Inc. and Coulee Partners for Sustainability.
Fifth Season Cooperative, lo- cated in Viroqua, brings together producers, producer groups, pro- cessors, distributors, buyers and workers to make decisions that are best for the community, the en- vironment, and their businesses. Created in 2010, it covers com- munities within a 150-mile radius of Viroqua. Its goal is to develop long-term relationships between growers and buyers that lead to fair pricing and fair treatment
of all members in a local food system. Fifth Season promotes food that is raised or processed with practices of preserving land, water, and air, and minimal use or nonuse of chemical pesticides.
The Food Enterprise Center,
owned and managed by Vernon Economic Development Asso- ciation, is a 100,000-square-foot multi-tenant facility in Viroqua that provides infrastructure for food- or wellness-related busi- nesses in the region to start up
or expand. The center welcomed its first tenant in 2010 and today houses more than 10 businesses employing at least 45 people, with plenty of space for more tenants.
Farmer-owned Organic Valley, headquartered in La Farge, is the largest and most successful organ- ic cooperative in the nation. Also known as Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool (CROPP), Organic Valley has 1,834 farmer-owners located in 32 states. The farmer- owners produce organic food that is sold under the Organic Valley brand to grocery distributors, retailers, food manufacturers, food services, and restaurants. Organic Valley supports many local events. Many restaurants and caterers in the area support local foods by including them on their menu.
Savory Creations provides full-service catering and cooking classes with the use of local and sustainable organic products when possible.
HillviewUAC.org
49
PHOTO: Sue Noble