Food hub growth : a case study of the Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative

Food hubs are businesses that market, aggregate, and distribute origin-identified agricultural product for groups of regional growers and food manufacturers, and typically provide buyer convenience through single point of purchase, invoicing, and payment. This Extension publication describes the history and current status of the Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative, a food hub operating in western Washington State. Additionally, information is provided on the hub s formation and growth, including current and projected hub sales and expenses, the hub s historical background, business type, organizational structure, governance structure and procedures, hub products and services, market channels, characteristics of producers and suppliers, a description of key buyers and marketing strategies, and reflections on lessons learned and future plans. This publication is part of a series of three case studies on food hubs in Washington State, which also includes Food Hub Adaptation: A Case Study of Local Inland Northwest Cooperative Foods (Bramwell and Sitaker, forthcoming) and Food Hub Establishment: A Case Study of the Southwest Washington Food Hub (Bramwell and Sitaker 2022).