West Michigan FarmLink is the second stage of a multi-pronged process designed to connect small and mid-size producers of good food products to those that desire them. In FarmLink’s case the connection is to schools, restaurants, hospitals and other institutional buyers.

The first step was realized with the creation of the West Michigan Co-Op. The Co-Op is one of the first “online farmer’s markets” in the country (www.wmcoop.com). Envisioned by Jerry Adams, brought to life by Paul DeLeeuw and nurtured by a host of volunteers, the Co-Op has grown from a handful of farmers handing off their bounty to about 20 families in the back of Alger Heights SuperMarket to a non-profit serving over 300 families on a monthly basis with goods from some 40 producers from the 9 counties surrounding Kent County.

The next step will be to make a deference everywhere with the creation of Food Stand, set to open in May 2011 at www.co-op-inc.com. Food Stand’s mission will be to facilitate the spread of our model worldwide by offering the software for free to those capable of managing their own site. For those without the support, know-how or inclination, Food Stand will manage sites for a percentage of their sales and no up-front costs. We already have interest from other locales in West Michigan, the United States, the Congo, Gambia and Sweden. A portion of the proceeds will be used to impact food systems in other ways, e.g. startup stipends, community gardens, educational grants and the like.