Mountain Farm Community Grocery fills the need for a nonprofit grocery in McDowell County, WV to ensure a grocery is present, combat the local food desert and junk food swamp, and support local and regional farmers and value-added producers.

1. Mountain Farm
and Friends
nourishes the community and our mountains through food, farms, and friendship

3. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/c
ommunity-owned-grocery-
stores-revitalizing-food-deserts

4. Original concept in Kimball.
Mountain Farm Community Grocery--still in Kimball.
Raised $134k for it. Need to raise $20k as a revolving
fund. Must draw down this money by Sept. 2021 or
lose it.
OPEN to locating the other planned pieces elsewhere-
-not about our running them but about research that
shows the need”
● Aggregation and value-added center
● Hospitality training
● A non-alcoholic entertainment pavilion

5. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/community-owned-grocery-stores-revitalizing-food-deserts
Why a community grocery store?
McDowell County, WV lost its large major retailer (Walmart) in 2016. It is a food desert both in
terms of producing food, and access to food. A food desert originally meant the following:
“U.K.-based public health researchers Steven Cummins and Sally Macintyre coined the term
in the 1990s and described food deserts as low-income communities whose residents didn’t
have the purchasing power to support supermarkets.”
Mountain Farm Community Grocery builds on a two-pronged market model of
sales to Hatfield and McCoy Trail tourists, whose yearly income averages over
$100k, and, the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid model, of local consumers
also deserving access to nutrient dense foods at affordable prices and for purchase
also through EBT.
Mountain Farm Community Grocery is the first part of a three part complex or connecting
entities slated for McDowell. It sells produce and other goods from the region (first), then
other local goods, and also serves as a training and aggregation facility for other local
productions.

6. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/community-owned-grocery-stores-revitalizing-food-deserts
Why Mountain Farm and Friends?
Phase Two and Three of the larger Mountain Farm and Friends project includes
expansion of aggregation, training, and hospitality.
● An aggregation, training, and production facility with equipment for local
producers to process value-added vegetables and produce, process honey and
maple products, freeze-dry products, pack, and distribute. Focused on
logistics.
● A hospitality complex that focuses on food truck entrepreneurship, and
development of a local community-based non-alcoholic entertainment venue

7. Mountain Farm and Friends
nourishes the community
and our mountains through
food, farms, and friendship

8. The solution =
Mountain Farm
and Friends
Economic sector
development happens through
bricks and mortar institution
building as a place for
community development
Mountain Farm Community
Grocery changes the
trajectory for local food, farms,
community development, and
friendships (connection).

9. Mountain Farm and Friends Milestones
Where Mountain Farm and Friends is in the process and what’s left to tackle
March 2016
Volunteers meet
Summer 2018
Receive first grant-- WV
USDA Rural Business
Dev.
Summer 2019
Focus on Kimball site and clean up.
New compliance regs slow process.
Spring-summer
2020
Covid delays community classes, so EDGE switches gears to training--
partner with Coalfield Dev. Tartt & Bandy run program.
Fall 2020
Assess, move again on
Community Grocery
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

10. 10
Already Underway:
● Mountain Farm fand Friends facility in Kimball
● Training Collaboration
● Product Pilots
● Six County Maple Sector Feasibility
● Meat Goat Production
● SEEDH Producers Cooperative Aggregation and Producer Support
● Orchard and Vegetable Production
● Apiary Design
● Full scale budgets developed
● Partner seeking
WORK ON THE GROUND!!!!

11. Revenue model:
Social
enterprise
Retail
Donation
Trainings
Consumer/Donors
Venue
farmers/producers/trainers/
community tax base

12. SEEDH, EDGE + = collaboration
Southeast Economic and Education
Development Hub
Cooperative Corporation &
EDGE--Economic Development Greater East
Based in research
Revealing possibilities
Renewing the community
Piloting the programs 12

13. SEEDH = Model for Ag Sector Upgrowth in McDowell and in region
Producers→ Physical
essential
sector
infrastructure
→
Creators/
Product
Development→
Aggregators→ Educators→ Marketers and
Consumer
Education→
Appalachian
Harvesting
Spirits Producers
Textile Producers
Maple Syrup
Dehydration
Cold Storage
Inspected kitchens
Processing Facilities
Education facilities
Warehousing
R & D facilities
Invention labs and
kitchens, packaging,
etc.
Cuisine Education
Value-added
training rooted in
expertise
Incubation
R & D
Invention and after
market invention
Appalachian
Harvesting =
wholesale
Southeast Sugar =
aggregation
HEROIC = veteran
created or managed
Producer
Value-added
Cuisine
Apprentice
Policy and
advocacy
Managerial
Certifications
Consumer climate
PR
Niche
Trend creation
Trend anticipation
Product purchase
Product experience
Venues for product
experience
Tourism← Export← Export← Export← Leaders/Advocacy/Legal
←
Cross sector,
recreation
Across region and
abroad
Food, spirits, textiles,
design, aftermarket
inventions for these
Sales tracking
Trend tracking
Product creation
Educational needs
Inventions needed
Policy, government,
facility management
13

14. Q & A
Return on community investment
Economic Impact
Community Impact

15. Principals
Jason Tartt: former Department of Defense contractor, now farmer in Berwind, WV (T & T Organics). High
tunnels, fruit orchards, maple production pilot
Dr. Crystal Cook Marshall: researcher, consultant, farmer, master goat herd
Amelia Bandy: health advocate, addiction prevention specialist, beekeeper
EDGE Trainees: 9 trained 980 hours in mountain farming and entrepreneurship in 2020
9 more start November 2020, local to McDowell and Tazewell Counties
EDGE Board, see: http://www.edge-us.org/people--contact.html

16. Support and get involved:
● Support financially
● Volunteer and get involved
● Be a Mountain Farms and Friends Partner or Advocate