Food Hub opens this week in the new Ag Center

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Food Hub officially opens Thursday, May 28, at the Agricultural Center, 1880 US 64 E., Asheboro.

Lindsey and Robert Poe are running the Food Hub, having been given the go-ahead by the Randolph County Board of Commissioners in January. The commissioners voted to provide the Poes, who started a nonprofit called NC Rooted Community Agriculture (NCRCA) to operate it, with $74,099.50 to help with the first year of organizing the service.

Explaining what the Food Hub is, Lindsey said, “It’s an online marketplace where local farmers can showcase their products to the community for purchase.” She added that farmers from Randolph and surrounding counties can be involved.

Starting at 8 a.m. on May 28, customers can go online at ncrooted.org to shop and place orders. But first, they must create an account with an email address and password. Returning customers can just log in and start shopping. 

Farmers and producers should also apply on the website.

The site shows products by category and by producers. The Poes are starting out with about 20 farmers and will add to the list as they become more comfortable with the process.

Orders are taken from 8 a.m. on Thursdays until 6 p.m. on Sundays. Farmers/producers then go onto the website to check the orders so they can harvest or prepare products. They deliver to the Hub from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and customers come to pick up their orders between noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.

When the orders are delivered, the Poes package them for the customers, keeping them in the proper temperatures using a commercial refrigerator and freezer. They also keep up with the payments, using software programmed for food hubs. Customers use debit or credit cards to pay for their orders. They’re working to become SNAP certified.

Robert Poe, who is an information technology (IT) specialist, said the program they’re using is “very renowned software. It’s topnotch.” He said he will be available to anyone who needs help creating an account or ordering products.

There are no fees charged to either the customers or the producers.

Lindsey Poe said she’s excited about the variety of products available, from fruits and vegetables, to meats, to dairy and eggs, to bee products, flowers and prepared goods.

“There are a lot of amazing farmers growing fantastic products,” she said. “We wanted to create access to fill the (local food) gap.”

Robert clarified that “products must be grown on farms within a 100-mile radius and the farmers must produce what’s on their applications.”

“We’re not in competition with farmers markets,” Lindsey said. “This is another avenue for the customer and farmer.” 

She said many of the farmers will continue to take their products to farmers markets. But with the Food Hub, they’ll know what’s being ordered and will harvest accordingly without fear of waste.

Asked how they chose to manage the Food Hub, Lindsey said, “We were watching (development of) the Agricultural Center and wondered how to get involved, something to help alleviate problems with farmers. We heard about the Food Hub and submitted the proposal. They accepted it.

“My background is public health,” she said, “and my concern was food access. And we want to help farmers have the best sales possible.” 

“I’ve wanted to be a farmer since I was a little kid,” Robert said, noting that he grew up in a rural area running around woods and fields. “When we got married, we were living in a city and we had raised beds in our backyard” to grow vegetables. “We bought our farm 12 years ago,” starting out with pasture-raised beef before converting to a commercial flower farm near Liberty.

Lindsey said she grew up in the Farmer community and “as a girl I ran around the family farm.” Now she and Robert are teaching their three teens how to farm.

“We wanted our kids to experience country life,” Robert said. “They help with a lot of chores.” They’ll also help out at the Food Hub, he said.

The Food Hub, Lindsey said, “will help farmers of all sizes. They just need to be able to provide consistently.

“Agriculture here in the county is strong,” she said. “We want to get (products) into the hands of customers. Local tastes better and is fresher, and they’re supporting local farmers. We want to keep all the food dollars here local.”

She said their nonprofit is partnering with the county, Cooperative Extension and a number of other organizations.

NC Rooted has a Facebook account and will offer updates and features of local farmers.