Food Hub opens new cold-storage facility

WAUPACA — The Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative opened its new cold storage facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 10 at their location on E502 State Highway 54 in Waupaca.
The new facility represents a major milestone in the Cooperative’s work to build a more efficient and resilient statewide food system. Expanded cold storage capacity will help Wisconsin-grown food move more reliably from small and medium-scale farms to schools, food pantries and community-based food programs throughout the state.
“This ribbon cutting represents far more than the opening of a new facility,” said Tara Roberts-Turner, Manager of the Food Hub. “Cold storage is a critical link in a statewide system that helps Wisconsin farmers reach dependable markets while ensuring that schools, pantries and community organizations can access fresh, nutritious food more efficiently. We are deeply grateful to the USDA and our philanthropic partners for investing in the infrastructure needed to make this possible.”
The new facility will support the continued development of the Regional Transportation Cooperative, or RTC, a regional hub-and-spoke transportation network created by the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative. By coordinating routes and making fuller use of available truck capacity, the network is designed to reduce transportation costs by as much as 25 percent while decreasing duplication, fuel consumption, labor costs and food waste.
The initiative also provides essential infrastructure and market access for Wisconsin’s small and medium-scale farmers. The statewide system has supported 108 farmers, reached all 72 Wisconsin counties and facilitated the purchase and distribution of approximately $4.2 million in fresh, Wisconsin-grown food.
“This investment allows us to serve both sides of Wisconsin’s food system,” said Brad Igl, President of the board. “It gives farmers the resources and transportation support they need to reach new markets, while helping organizations serving people in need receive food more consistently and cost-effectively. The result is stronger farms, stronger communities and a stronger Wisconsin food economy.”