The Quad City Food Hub had received a $100,000 grant to expand. The grant is from the Department of Agriculture and the money will be used to create the Food Hub Market. The market will go in between the "Fresh Deli by Nostalgia Farms" and "Front Street Brewery."
"We thought it was the right step to bring the connection of farm to fork to the community," says Fresh Deli by Nostalgia Farms Owner Ed Kraklio.
The Fresh Deli has been in the Quad City Food Hub for 8-months. The deli fits with the Food Hub's model of locally grown, locally produced. Kraklio says with the market going in next door the food hub will grow.
"If we unify together to help bring this whole Food Hub concept into to play, then we can continue to develop and grow," adds Kraklio.
Front Street Brewery recently set up a second location at the Food Hub and the owner hopes the market will bring in more foot traffic.
"More businesses and more people just do the math," says Front Street Brewery Owner Steve Zuidema, "If we get more people here, we get more people at the food hub and we'll get more people at our place and vice versa."
The $100,000 grant will build a daily market that will be a grocery store. It's an extension of the popular Freight House Farmers Market.
"I actually started to tear up. We dedicate so much work and so much time, and we were finally seeing the fruits of our labor," says Carla Jaquet, President of the Quad City Food Hub.
Locally grown produce, meat and other food will be available. People and businesses will also be able to order food online and pick it up at the market. However, that's not all the grant will be used for. Equipment will also be bought for a community kitchen.
"The kitchen will be a location for education, area residents and growing entrepreneurs who are producing local food," adds Jaquet.
The idea behind the community kitchen is people can learn to cook healthy or work on building their food related businesses, which can lead to more jobs.
"Let the community get behind them to build their businesses together, because it truly takes community support to build a business," adds Kraklio.
Work has already started on the Food Hub Market. Construction will be done by May and it will be up and running by next summer.
The development of the Food Hub does not affect the Freight House Farmers Market. The farmers market is held every Tuesday and Saturday, all year long.
