In a struggling economy, I believe (call me crazy) that starting with the lowest-hanging fruit is how you rebuild. Our local food movement is booming with more farmers’ markets, more new products on the shelves and restaurants committed to sourcing as local as possible. It’s happening fast and could grow even faster, creating more products and jobs. This could be exactly what we need to rebuild our economy.
The Rio Grande Community Development Corporation (RGCDC) is asking the New Mexico Legislature for $1.4 million over four years (HB56) to build a food-related economic development infrastructure across rural NM, using the proven Mixing Bowl model. The Mixing Bowl, a kitchen incubator in the heart of Albuquerque’s culturally rich South Valley, works with 250 potential entrepreneurs every year. It has 120 businesses currently in the development phase, 60 businesses currently selling products, and another 40 that have graduated from the process over the last six years. With an annualized cost per job of $3,200, the Mixing Bowl has proven to be one of the most cost-effective job-creation programs in the country, and a crown jewel of RGCDC’s programs. After consulting with startup incubation programs around the country, it was presented to standing-room-only audiences at the National Conference on Business Incubation.
Using the Mixing Bowl model and providing greater access to markets through Delicious New Mexico (a statewide network for food entrepreneurs, with over 50 members already in its first year), this funding will generate 120 new companies, 298 new jobs and $5.485 million in gross business impacts across multiple rural NM communities over the next four years.
“Studies have shown that for every dollar that goes to local agricultural producers, $1.80 is circulated in the local economy,” said Tim Nisly, chief operating officer at RGCDC. “The jobs created by local food and agricultural economic development should be supported by all levels of government.” This is a local food system in action. It’s about celebrating the best of NM’s food businesses and investing in them now so they may become the state’s employers and training grounds for future generations of foodies.
Through HB56 we can connect these NM foodies to each other and give them better access to business skills and markets. We can celebrate local on a level that it has yet to be celebrated. This is about connecting all corners of the state, and every square mile in-between, to the food system. Delicious New Mexico has made great strides in its efforts to reach out statewide in an effort to elevate the NM food economy, but cannot do it alone. Partners, kitchens, business groups, local leaders and dollars are all necessary to keep a network going. HB 56 stands for a food economy like no other we’ve ever seen in NM. It supports a networked group of underutilized commercial kitchens statewide that will help build local food producers—those who are turning family recipes into business enterprises, or taking a great idea to pair local goat cheese with local herbs in a product you might not have seen on your store shelf yet. These are the food entrepreneurs of NM who will benefit from an appropriation to support commercial kitchens, the scaling of locally owned businesses and access to markets.
The food movement is a grassroots movement, but until it is supported by the leaders at the top of our State government, it will continue to be “your-favorite-products-available-only-for-a-limited-time-at-a-Farmers’-Market-near-you” movement. Investing in our local food entrepreneurs all across the state means supporting the very entrepreneurial spirit that makes NM great, and investing in the recipes that we love to share and enjoy with our friends and family. An appropriation of this size means a commitment from our state that says we are the creators of good jobs, keeping NM’s traditional and most innovative food ideas alive.
For information on The Mixing Bowl, visit www.mixingbowlnm.org and Delicious New Mexico at www.deliciousnm.org
This article first appeared in the February issue of Green Fire Times.
