The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services partnered with Ingles Markets to make the connection from farm to grocery store for a group of food bloggers on a tour held in July.
“As food bloggers, this group has an audience who is interested in food, and that also includes how food is grown,” said Heather Barnes, a marketing specialist for the department. “Many of these writers had never been to a farm, but they have all been to a grocery store. This tour was an opportunity to connect the dots between the farm and grocery shelf.”
Leah McGrath, Ingles Markets’ corporate dietician, worked with the department to coordinate the tour. “I felt it would be a unique opportunity for the bloggers to see some of the aspects of the food system they may not have seen or experienced before,” McGrath said.
During the three-day tour, bloggers visited Harvest Farm in Marion. Participants harvested grape tomatoes and planted cabbage, giving bloggers a new perspective on the job of farming itself. “This is the hands-on experience I wanted to have that reiterated how hard our farmers work day in and day out to provide the food for our meals,” said one blogger in a post-tour survey.
The group stopped at New Sprout Organics in Black Mountain, which sources certified organic produce from regional farms to pack, market and ship under their label. Bloggers toured the office and pack house before meeting in the field with one of the company’s partner farmers.
Bloggers also learned about beer from hops to can at Pisgah Brewing Company; visited Salisbury’s Fading D Farms, the state’s only water buffalo dairy herd; and attended Ingles’ “Taste of Local” event and toured the retailer’s distribution warehouse.
The local theme also carried over into the meals and lodging. Executive Chef Sam Stachon of Highland Avenue Restaurant in Hickory prepared a dinner showcasing the restaurant’s use of local foods. Members of the Asheville Bed and Breakfast Association provided accommodations for the bloggers. Another dinner featured dishes prepared by the innkeepers using locally sourced foods.
Bloggers planted crops at New Sprout Organics in Black Mountain during a farm tour organized by NCDA&CS and Ingles in July.
Barnes said the bloggers have had a positive response to the tour, continuing to post hundreds of photos and videos on various social media networks. In addition, several have written blog posts about the experience, including recipes featuring the tomatoes they harvested.
“It’s about making the connection between the people who grow our food, the people who eat it and all the steps in between,” said Barnes.
The July tour is part of an ongoing series of blogger tours organized by the department. Previous tours have taken bloggers to berry farms in Eastern North Carolina, Christmas tree farms in Western North Carolina and fishing operations along the coast.
Contact:
Heather Barnes
NCDA&CS Marketing Division
Tel: 919-707-3127