Farm to Table connects customers with locally grown foods

GRINNELL — Grinnell Farm to Table is an online marketplace were area residents can purchase locally raised fresh, healthy foods once a month.

The nonprofit business has 36 mostly local farmer producers who offer everything from fresh vegetables to all kinds of meat. Beef, pork, bison, goat, lamb, poultry, grains, dairy, eggs, honey, jams, salsa, popcorn, berries, herbs and spices, fruits, various types of flour, nuts, breads and cakes are available to consumers through Farm to Table.

There are also bath and body products, goat milk soap, fresh tofu, cheese, garlic, live plants, flower bouquets and home and garden supplies.

The majority of the food products sold at the business are raised, prepared and packaged within 25 miles of Grinnell.

The business is under the direction of executive director Tommy Hexter and a 12-member board.

According to Hexter, the farmer producers and market managers who participate in the Grinnell Farm to Table outreach believe that local food is good for the land, for farm animals, for the environment and biodiversity, for the local economy and for the health and well-being of all the customers.

Farm to Market was originally founded in 2011 as a limited liability corporation by Grinnell College students.

“The idea was to collectively purchase food from local farmers (and offer them to the students and community),” said Hexter.

The business has gone through a handful of changes in ownership. Hexter is the fourth director, taking the position in September 2020.

In 2020, the business had 14 farmer producers and generated $20,000 in sales. In 2023, the business generated $60,000 in sales from 36 farmer producers.

Currently, the business is serving 80 families a month.

In addition, with the help from a USDA Grant called the Local Food Purchasing Assistance program, Grinnell Farm to Table was able to donate $95,000 worth of free food in 2023 to food pantries in Grinnell, Brooklyn, Montezuma and Malcom.

“We pay the farmers for all the food we sell and give away,” said Hexter.

In January 2023, Grinnell Farm to Table merged with the Local Food Connection, an organization founded in 1999, and the two entities now operate as a nonprofit business.

Local Food Connection used donations to produce boxes for the Community Supported Agriculture program and delivered them directly to families with limited financial means in Iowa.

“They provided food and recipes to the families to help them prepare delicious and nutritious meals with local produce,” said Hexter.

The benefit of being a nonprofit, said Hexter, is that the business can receive more support from community foundations like the GreenState Foundation and United Way of Grinnell and can receive government grants from the USDA to allow the business to purchase food from local farmers to donate to schools and pantries.

In June 2023 the business moved into a building at 1032 Main St., just north of McNally’s Foods. Prior to that, the business operated through the Drake Community Library with a local pickup location.

Hexter said the idea is to provide customers with locally grown foods in one location rather than having to drive to each farm.

“The goal is giving access to good Iowa-grown food to everybody,” Hexter said.

There is no fee to become a member of Farm to Table and no requirement to buy.

“Just check out our local food offerings each month and order what you want, when you want,” said Hexter. “If you want a small quantity of something — one pound of corn meal, say, or one bag of greens — that’s all you order.”

Farm to Table is part of a larger movement of Iowans growing food for their families and neighbors, Hexter said.

“When you see a family start to make a living by growing their own food it gives us hope in the future of small town Iowa,” said Hexter. “It’s small farms making a difference.”

Hexter is a native of Crozet, Virginia, a small community near Charlottesville. He grew up wanting to be a farmer.

After visiting the “Field of Dreams” site in Dyersville at age 12, Hexter fell in love with Iowa. He followed in the footsteps of his mother and attended Grinnell College, graduating in 2021 with a degree in food systems.

Hexter was a junior at Grinnell College when he purchased the Farm to Table business. Hexter said he would like to expand the business hours and to offer food items for walk-in customers.

In addition to serving as executive director of Farm to Table, Hexter works with the Iowa Farmers Union as a rural organizer for farm issues.

Visit grinnellfarmtotable.locallygrown.net to create an account and start ordering food.