"Ninety-six percent of the population still buys food from stores," said Michael Rozyne, codirector of Milton-based nonprofit Red Tomato. "So the question is, how do we get locally grown food to the masses?"
Rozyne founded Red Tomato to bridge the gap between farmers and supermarkets, orchestrating a supply chain to connect the two. It was born out of Equal Exchange - Rozyne's former project on fair trade - in 1996.
It didn't get off the ground, though, until 2006, when Rozyne noticed a "huge growth in public awareness." Now, more than 40 East Coast farmers call Red Tomato their marketing agent, and last week, Rozyne was named a finalist in the first-ever Growing Green Awards, presented by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Selected by a panel of judges headed by food writer Michael Pollan, Rozyne is being recognized for business leadership in sustainable agriculture.
"We oversee the entire process, from interesting the customer to working on development of a particular product, to branding, labeling, insurance, and billing," said Rozyne. "The moment we can connect a local grower to a particular store, we're unwinding a global supply chain and replacing it with something more regional."
Red Tomato is aiming for the growing ranks of localvores, who support food production outside of mainstream channels while remaining mindful of agriculture's effects on the environment, the economy, and human health.
But for better or worse, food is a commodity. To compete with big agribusinesses for shelf space at places like Whole Foods Markets, small farmers need to persuade buyers to invest in their products.
Historically, that part is tricky, and sometimes mired in tension and distrust.
Small farmers typically require an up-front contract that ensures their product will be purchased. Because it requires a large initial investment to cultivate crops, farmers are forced to rely on the buyer - regardless of how the crops turn out.
"Supermarkets call you up and want to have 100 boxes of cabbage tomorrow," said Chris Clegg, owner of Four Town Farm in Seekonk. "That's not the way it works for small farms - we need a buyer ahead of time."
Many small farmers feel they've been burned in the past.
