Regional food moves better together
Buyers want more local BC food, yet shipping is expensive for small and medium producers when they work alone.More buyers want food from this region, and small producers can’t afford to ship it alone.
Grow & Connect puts producers, buyers, carriers and storage in one shared space so they can discover new opportunities.
- Driven by an association of regional non-profits across BC
- Enables business to business growth and network communication
- Always free for producers.
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Small Shipments, long roads, and everyone working alone
Schools, hospitals, grocers and food hubs across BC are asking for more regional product. But freight is priced for full trailers, and most producers here ship a few pallets at a time. Carriers won’t add a stop for just a few cases, and the buyer who wants your product might be four hours away.
Meanwhile there’s empty cold storage in one valley and a producer in the next with nowhere to put a harvest.
The pieces are already here. They just can’t see each other.
Ship alone, or ship together
Producers.Producers.
Together: you combine loads and reach buyers hours away at a freight cost that works.
Alone: high shipping costs on small loads keep your margins thin, or your market close to home.
Buyers.
Together: you can see who produces what within reach, making it easier to source from your region.
Alone: you fall back on the suppliers you already know, missing local options.
Carriers.
Together: you find loads along your route and turn return trips into paying runs.
Alone: you run home empty without earning on the trip.
Storage.
Together: producers and hubs find your available space, helping you fill it in through the seasons.
Alone: your space sits empty because people don’t know it’s there.
Small loads that travel like full ones
Three producers split one delivery run to Kamloops. A carrier heading home from Nelson brings back a backhaul instead of returning empty. More food moves, less of the cost lands on any one business, and each trip works harder for the region.
01
Set up your profile.
Tell the region who you are and what you do. Wear more than one hat? producer that also runs a farm stand can easily list both.
02
Post what you need and what you have.
A pallet that needs to get to Cranbrook by Thursday. Room on a reefer that’s already making a trip. Spare freezer space for the summer.
03
See who's out there.
Search the directory, check the load board, and follow the businesses you already work with.
04
Work it out directly.
Message the other business, agree on terms and make it happen. Deals and payments stay between you; Grow & Connect enables it.
05
Expand your network.
Join or start regional and sector groups to tackle shared challenges and act on opportunities no single business could take on alone.
What gets in the way, and what helps
Three producers split one delivery run to Kamloops. A carrier heading home from Nelson brings back a backhaul instead of returning empty. More food moves, less of the cost lands on any one business, and each trip works harder for the region.
“I don't know who's out there.”
Directory. A searchable listing of producers, buyers, carriers and storage operators. Filter by what they do and where they are, then reach out.
“No truck will stop for a few cases.”
Load board. Post a shipment that needs moving, or space you're offering on a route you already drive. Producers see trucks already headed their way. Carriers see freight they'd never have heard about otherwise.
Matching. When a posted load lines up with a route someone is already running, the load board helps you discover it. As more carriers join, we're working toward suggesting those matches for you.
“Coordinating a delivery takes twenty phone calls.”
Messaging. Private, one-on-one conversations with anyone on Grow & Connect. Settle a rate or confirm a pickup window without having to trade phone numbers - with everything traceable along the way.
Forum. An open conversation for everyone on the platform. Ask who's heading to Vancouver next week, or quickly source a co-packer in the Okanagan.
“We could do more as a group.”
Networks. Regional and sector-specific groups you can join or start. A grocer can tell every producer in the group what they're looking for this season, and producers can post what's coming before it's harvested or processed.
Built for everyone who touches regional food
Farms, ranches, processors and makers. You know your product. Getting it to buyers two valleys over is the hard part. Find carriers already running your route and split deliveries with neighbours shipping the same way. Buyers looking for what you make can find you too.
Find producers who already deliver near you, then message them directly. Tell a whole group what you’re looking for this season. Sourcing local gets less dependent on who you already happen to know.
Institutional kitchens want more food from the region but can’t take a dozen small deliveries a week. Grow & Connect shows which producers can supply what, and makes it easier for them to group orders into fewer, fuller drops at your loading dock.
See freight you’d never have heard about, and fill your backhaul on trips you’re making anyway. Small loads add up when they’re headed the same direction, sometimes enough to justify a new route.
List the space you’ve got, for a week or a season. Producers and hubs looking for somewhere to hold product can find you and message you directly.
Food banks, community food networks, and food access groups can find local producers, share storage, and coordinate deliveries alongside the businesses already moving food in your area.
Across BC, starting in the Southern Interior
Help shape what comes next
Grow & Connect is in open beta, and it’s free for everyone taking part. We’re refining our tools with our beta participants, so what you tell us about how they work for your business goes straight into the next round of updates.
We want people from every part of the food system using it. Producers and buyers, sure. Just as much, the carriers and storage operators whose capacity makes the rest of it possible.
Already know you want in? Create your free account and set up your profile in just a few minutes.
Founding Partners
This project is funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, and is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Grow & Connect has also received funding from the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program, the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior, the CN Rail Community Fund, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, and the Regional District of Central Kootenay. It draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Mitacs.
FAQ
What does it cost?
Nothing during these early stages, and it’ll always be free for producers
Who can join?
Any business or organization in BC that grows, makes, buys, moves, stores or coordinates food. That includes producers, processors, grocers, restaurants, food hubs, institutions, carriers, storage operators and community food organizations. If you do more than one of those, list them all.
Do you handle orders or payments?
No. Grow & Connect helps you find each other and coordinate. What you agree to, and how you get paid, stays between you and the other business.
Who can see my information?
Your profile, load board posts, forum posts and group posts are visible to other members. Messages are private between you and the person you’re talking to. Our Privacy Policy covers the details, and users can edit all of their privacy settings within the platform.
Can I remove my information?
Yes, any time. Email privacy@growandconnect.ca and we’ll remove your account.
I used the Kootenay pilot. Do I need a new account?
No, your account carries over. Log in at beta.growandconnect.ca, our new address, with the same email and password, or reset your password if you’ve forgotten it.
Grow & Connect helps producers, buyers and the people who store and transport food find each other and work together. We are a shared online space for building connections and getting more regional food moving.
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