Food As Medicine Landscape Analysis

Olathe, KS

Kansas State University Olathe Innovation Campus (K-State Olathe) will establish a research initiative focused on food as medicine and community health. The initiative will build upon programs established at K-State Olathe in urban food systems, food safety, public health, etc., that work closely together and in collaboration with other K-State researchers, and several other research institutions to provide interdisciplinary research from farm to consumer. The project will assess the current field of study and application of food as medicine nationally to identify opportunities for K-State Olathe to lead and collaborate in transdisciplinary research and development within the university and with external institutions. New Venture Advisors will provide the development team with a landscape study of how food as medicine is being researched and applied in academic, industrial and governmental sectors to inform the implementation plan for The Food as Medicine and Community Health Initiative at K-State Olathe. (2024)

Evanston Grows

Evanston, IL

Evanston Grows is a collective that grows organic produce and shares it with food insecure residents in underserved neighborhoods and provides educational and workforce development programs aimed at healthy eating. In support of its mission, Evanston Grows is refining plans for a community food center that will make the local fresh food system more equitable, sustainable and equipped to respond to future food emergencies. The center might include a shared aggregation, cold storage and distribution space for local fresh food producers and businesses, a professional kitchen to produce value-added products, education and event spaces, and a health center with information about how fresh fruits and vegetables can enhance the health of visitors. All of this would be aimed at reinvesting in the communities in Evanston that have been historically underserved and with very little access to healthy, fresh food.  New Venture Advisors will assist Evanston Grows in validating the Community Food Center concept and creating a plan for its development. (2024)

Oneida County Dairy Processing Study

Rome, NY

Mohawk Valley EDGE (Economic Development Growth Enterprises Corporation) is a private, not-for-profit, regional economic development organization with a mission to strengthen and grow the Mohawk Valley economy. While the region boasts a large presence of dairy farms, local processing capabilities are limited. EDGE hypothesizes, with input from dairy producers, that to improve processing capacity they need to establish a new processing facility with good proximity to dairy farms, and/or  increase the capacity of existing processors nearby. New Venture Advisors will conduct a dairy processing industry assessment and site suitability analysis to determine demand for a new dairy processing facility in the region – ideally in Oneida County where the dairy industry is a key economic driver. (2024)

Muskegon Food Club

Muskegon, MI

Access Health, a nonprofit in Muskegon County, aims to improve health outcomes by partnering with community organizations, local government agencies, business entities, healthcare providers, investors, and community members. Together, they strive to collectively transform how healthcare is delivered and received in Muskegon County, Michigan. The goal is to improve healthcare access and enhance the quality of life for all residents. To address food insecurity among low-income individuals, Access Health has convened the Muskegon County Food Club Workgroup. This initiative aims to establish a member-based grocery store modeled after the Community Food Club of Grand Rapids. The model emphasizes dignity, allowing members to select their own foods in a traditional grocery store setting while incentivizing nutritious food choices. New Venture Advisors will conduct a Needs Assessment to evaluate the food club model and identify potential sites within the county. This assessment will be crucial in determining the feasibility and optimal locations for the Muskegon County Food Club, ultimately increasing food security for residents and contributing to overall community well-being. (2024)

Renew Moline Community Food Center

Moline, IL

Renew Moline is a nonprofit organization leading redevelopment projects to restore vibrancy in the downtown riverfront area. Moline is a multicultural community that actively welcomes immigrants from around the world. New Venture Advisors is part of a team exploring the redevelopment of a historic building in the riverfront district to serve this community with a business incubator, as well as a food hall, shared kitchen, indoor farm, rooftop restaurant, and the potential for a surrounding food district – concepts that emerged from a recently-completed feasibility study and a riverfront master planning process underway. New Venture Advisors is refining the concept based on input from the community to confirm market, operating and financial viability. (2024)

Prison Farm to Institution Feasibility Study

Norton, KS

Norton Correctional Facility operates a 10-acre farm that grows 50,000 lbs. of produce each year. Approximately 20 inmates work on the farm during the growing season, learning skills in greenhouse propagation, transplanting, and harvesting produce. The local hospital and school district have strong demand for local food that cannot be met by growers in the area. The prison farm could expand to meet this demand and boost supply for the prison food program, while increasing workforce development opportunities. New Venture Advisors is working with the Norton Regional Health Foundation to design a prison farm-to-institution program that will benefit institutional buyers and prison residents alike. (2024)

Wisconsin Food Banks Grocery Card Study

Milwaukee, WI

To give neighbors more access, choice, and fresh food, two Wisconsin food banks are exploring alternate payment systems so neighbors can purchase food from their local grocery stores and other retailers, especially in rural communities. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin have been awarded a grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation for the project. The tool would be implemented across their combined 35 counties and ideally scale statewide across Wisconsin, and beyond. New Venture Advisors is assisting in discovering feasible technologies and partnerships for this ambitious venture. (2024)

Food Network Project Feasibility Study

Newark, NJ

The Newark Alliance and its Members work collaboratively to cement Newark, New Jersey’s status as one of America’s most diverse, prosperous, exciting, and equitable cities. An aspect of its mission is to promote inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, quality job development, better health and environmental health outcomes through the food sector. The Alliance has a vision to create a central hub that anchors many of the functions needed for a thriving and equitable Newark food system, with additional locations that meet the needs of the communities in which they reside, and that support new and improved family-sustaining jobs. New Venture Advisors Is conducting a feasibility study to determine the most strategic approach to this development in terms of its components, facilities, programs, partners, and operating structure. (2024)

International Public Market Feasibility Study

King County, WA

The Port of Seattle and King County are exploring the potential development of an International Public Market in South King County. The market would be a central retail location where independent vendors can sell food and other products, often with a cultural relevance, in stalls, booths or shops, supporting entrepreneurship for growing businesses, and creating gathering spaces for locals and tourists alike. This facility has the potential to advance King County as a leading tourism destination while providing nearby communities with economic opportunities and access to culturally representative foods. The Port and County partnered with New Venture Advisors to conduct a feasibility study to determine if the concept is the right fit for the community and region. (2024)

Download the report.

Santa Clara County Community Food Hub Feasibility Study

San Jose, CA

Veggielution partnered with NVA to assess the feasibility of opening a food hub and determine the location, operating model, and components that could best serve the diverse groups of food entrepreneurs and farmers in the region surrounding San José. The project led to dual outcomes, supporting Veggielution in developing a plan to build additional assets at their park location and supporting Veggielution in collaborative work with regional partners to identify the structure and long-term objectives of a true regional food hub. (2024)

Southern Illinois Mobile Market Feasibility Study

Chicago, IL

Faith in Place empowers people of diverse faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. The organization has a history of working with sustainable food systems throughout the state of Illinois and is leading an initiative to develop a network of mobile markets in the southernmost 17 counties to assess the feasibility of a mobile market. The program will be a collaboration with Food Works and LEAF Food Hub to improve access to food while also supporting local food producers in these rural areas of the state. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to assess the needs, partners, and locations necessary for this mobile market network and  created a plan and toolkit to support the expansion of the network. (2024)

Winchendon Grocery Development

Winchendon, MA

Growing Places and HEAL Winchendon are nonprofit organizations working to improve the health of residents in Winchendon through healthy food access and the food system as a whole. The town has not had a full service grocery store since IGA closed after a dollar store, convenience store and drug chain moved in nearby. New Venture Advisors recently completed a feasibility study that found strong community support, several viable distributor models, and the potential for sales to sustain operations, depending on occupancy costs and other factors that ultimately determine how well a particular store performs. A promising site has been identified downtown, and NVA evaluated the facility’s suitability, generated sales projections, and supported initial concept designs. Since the site offers potential, the next steps include developing a business plan and conceptual design to invite investors to help the community bring a full service grocery store back to Winchendon. (2023)

Community Food & Gardens Center Feasibility Study

DeKalb County, IL

Through a novel partnership led by Rooted For Good, a new community campus will be developed that will foster well-being through food, healthcare, social services, and connections. Rooted For Good – DeKalb will be the first of its kind in Northern Illinois. The multi-acre campus will feature commercial spaces including expanded Rooted For Good farm operations (both cultivable land and greenhouses), garden retail center, food hub, and kitchens, as well as programming promoting food access, nutrition education, civic engagement and social services. New Venture Advisors has supported multiple phases of outreach with partners and community members to validate the campus components, operational and financial modeling to identify sustainable operating targets, and is developing updated business plans for the campus’s new location and design. (2024)

The Food Mill Food Infrastructure and Ag Corridor

Columbus, GA

The Food Mill and its partners are developing a small corridor of food-focused facilities and properties along the 2nd Avenue corridor in downtown Columbus. The focus of these projects is to enable the expansion of food-access and agricultural programming (which they currently operate) into a diversified network of food enterprises including medically tailored meals, a shared kitchen, an incubator program, increased agricultural growing and community growing sites, food truck and food retail vending spaces, and outdoor recreation spaces. New Venture Advisors has supported the Food Mill in developing market space and operations  since the expansion of their original facility in 2021, and is currently assisting The Food Mill in defining the concept for this collaboration, its partnerships, operating model, and facilities design through a phased development process funded by a 2021 Healthy Food Financing Initiative grant. The Food Mill is working collaboratively in Columbus with key partners like Open Door Community House, Mercy Medical, and others to support this ambitious development project. (2023)

Barry County Blue Zones Initiative: Community Food Center Feasibility Study

Hastings, MI

Blue Zones Activate Barry County is part of the global movement that has improved health and well being for entire communities and cities. Barry Community Foundation has joined in the effort to make Barry County a healthier place to live, work, grow up, and grow old. The community prioritized changes it would like to see in the food environment with a majority of community members assembled at a summit voting for a food center and opportunities to prioritize health and nutrition education. Other ideas included a location for a year round farmers market and a kitchen incubator. Local leaders saw an opportunity to integrate these programs into a Community Food Center, and have identified a promising development site in Hastings, MI. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to determine if the proposed combination of components is viable, the best mix of food programs and enterprises to meet community aims, and the potential of various locations to serve as the site partner. NVA continues to support development efforts guiding the project through development with a construction partner, and finalizing design and modeling to support its sustainable operations. (2023)

Food Bank Council of Michigan Senior Food Access Pilot Program

Lansing, MI

Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) is the partner state association for the seven Feeding America-affiliated food banks across the state of Michigan. FBCM’s mission is to create a food secure state through advocacy, resource management, and collaboration among stakeholders and Michigan’s unified food bank network. The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated that many seniors experience barriers to food access because they have limited access to transportation or are located in remote areas. In partnership with its partner food banks, FBCM seeks to increase food access to seniors and test a model whereby fresh food and shelf-stable groceries can be home-delivered to residents throughout the state. New Venture Advisors assisted in designing a pilot program in southern Michigan to demonstrate the viability of this model, in partnerships with local food banks, partner agencies, and last-mile delivery partners. (2023)

Food Bank Collaboration for Northern Michigan

Flint, MI

Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and Feeding America West Michigan teamed  up to explore the feasibility of a shared warehouse and resource center to increase distribution through their nonprofit partner agencies in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Both food banks are challenged to navigate logistical challenges and the high cost of procuring and shipping food across the span of rural, northern counties of Michigan.  Seeking to address hunger in every community, the joint project also looked  to increase the number and depth of relationships with local agricultural producers to provide a variety of nutritious, fresh products to neighbors facing hunger.  By exploring additional warehousing and distribution capabilities in the state’s northern region, the food banks worked with NVA to seek out potential solutions to address the gaps in service that contribute to the high food insecurity rates in these remote geographies. New Venture Advisors examined the impact that a jointly-operated facility might have in improving service to these northernmost counties and developed a business model to explore its optimal location and project model for the partners. (2023)

Crow Innovation Center Feasibility Study

Crow Agency, MT

The Crow Indian Reservation has been without a nearby source for food since the local grocery store burned down a few years ago. Plenty Doors Community Development Corporation engaged New Venture Advisors to conduct a feasibility study for a grocery store to be located on the Reservation, as part of an innovation center that will also include a shared kitchen and incubation space for small businesses in two newly renovated buildings.  The study determined how the components would be situated and function across two buildings in development, and the  financial requirements for construction and ongoing operations. NVA also supported outreach to the community to determine a viable model and validate interest in the grocery store and incubation spaces, considering alternative formats like those appearing around the country as rural towns invent new pathways to food security. (2023)

Bushel & Peck Food Hub Feasibility Study

Charles Town, WV

Jefferson G.A.P. Coalition launched Bushel & Peck in 2017 to provide better access to healthy foods for all people in Jefferson County, to boost the farm and food economy, and to drive downtown revitalization in historic Charles Town, West Virginia. The store is successful and sustainable with a solid customer base. It plays a critical role in supplying healthy foods to local families during the pandemic, and the Coalition sees the potential to reach an even larger customer base by expanding beyond its retail business into wholesale, serving institutional customers, restaurants and other grocery chains with fresh produce sourced from across the region. New Venture Advisors is exploring the viability of occupying vacant and under-utilized downtown buildings and lots to site food enterprises that may include indoor and outdoor food markets, community gardens, bulk food distribution, and a commercial kitchen, based on the needs identified and prioritized by the community. (2024)

North Central Massachusetts Food Campus Feasibility Study

Winchendon, MA

Growing Places and Central Mass Grown lead initiatives with the North Central Massachusetts Food System Partnership to improve the health and quality of life for residents in the region. After identifying several gaps in the food system, they began working with New Venture Advisors in 2021 to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study and later a business plan that led to the development of Local Food Works, a regional food center that aggregates and distributes local food products from 30+ area farms. Now they are assessing the integration of light processing for local fruits and vegetables at the Gardner, MA facility. The work will evaluate customer demand to determine how the facility will be designed and equipped to meet the needs of retail, wholesale, and institutional customers. (2024)

King County Innovation Hub Feasibility Study

Kent, WA

King County and the City of Kent, along with their community partners, pursue methods to strengthen local food systems, empower residents to start new businesses, and thereby increase access to healthy, affordable food for underserved communities. These efforts hit a major milestone in 2014, when King County adopted the Local Food Initiative—a roadmap for reinforcing and enhancing local food systems across the King County region. During and since that time, several needs assessments and market evaluations have been conducted related to the local food system infrastructure. These studies have analyzed the pressure points and gaps in private market facilities and the benefits of a consolidated local food facility that can support food businesses looking to scale production and manufacturing. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to identify the appropriate facility elements to support these objectives, develop conceptual designs for an innovation help, and help conduct outreach to identify partners who could support operations.  The work continued in 2022-2023 with NVA helping to build upon these past efforts by working with potential operating partners to refine the operating model, facility plan and conceptual site design for a local food hub and evaluating its cost and financial sustainability. NVA also continued to support engagement and outreach for the County and City via a series of webinars, news updates, and interviews to ensure that all community groups in the local ecosystem could identify opportunities for collaboration, partnership, or additional projects that support the continued development of the local food system. (2023)

The Food Basket Community Food Center

Hilo, HI

The Food Basket (TFB) is Hawai`i Island’s food bank. Increasing demand for the services TFB provides the residents of Hawai`i County is beyond the capacity of its Hilo facility. A new food bank warehouse/community food center in East Hawai`i with the capacity to meet the increased food needs for Hawai`i Island residents has the potential to dramatically improve food access for low-income residents, increase resilience and disaster preparedness, and provide food security for Hawai`i Island. TFB’s proposed campus supports the organization’s objective to eliminate hunger across the island of Hawai’i and identify new and innovative methods of providing food, education, and access to community members.  New Venture Advisors developed the design and supporting modeling for a 4-building campus to help accommodate TFB’s growth with added features that will enable TFB to offer new programs and services to the community. NVA continues to support the development project via design, updated financial modeling, funding development, business planning and continued engagement with partners. (2023)

Eastern Market Processing and Distribution Expansion Study

Detroit, MI

Eastern Market has been a working food district for 130 years. The market campus is a network of sheds and flexible spaces that support retail and wholesale operations, programming, parking, and community events. Eastern Market Partnership, the managing nonprofit, has been planning with the City of Detroit for several years to expand the Market. Food processing, warehousing and distribution businesses will relocate to adjacent sites in two new food safety compliant facilities, opening space for retail and public events on the main campus.  New Venture Advisors  conducted a feasibility study for the proposed expansion and designed the facilities to meet the needs of the diverse stakeholders who make up the Market ecosystem. (2022)

McHenry County College Food Hub

Crystal Lake, IL

The Center for Agrarian Learning (CAL) at McHenry County College offers a non-credit community education in farm viability, an Entrepreneurial Agriculture degree program, and operates a greenhouse and farm as part of its programming. CAL has a vision for adding a food hub to aggregate products grown on campus and from area farms to create a year-round sales channel for local producers looking to increase production or venture into wholesale markets. The program will be one of the few campus-based food hubs in the U.S., training the next generation of food system professionals with real-world experience from production to wholesale, and potentially retail. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to determine how this college-based food hub can serve small-to medium sized producers in the region. (2022)

Business Impact NW

Seattle, WA

Business Impact NW (BIN) was presented the opportunity to take over and operate a shared kitchen space in Woodinville, WA as a food and farm incubation program. The program would focus on helping businesses develop, test, and launch value-added consumer packaged products sourced locally. To ensure this program has community and financial support, BIN entered a 90-day due diligence period before entering into an agreement with the owner. The organization engaged New Venture Advisors to conduct rapid operating, facility and financial feasibility analysis, and provide guidance on lease negotiations. (2022)

Miko Meats Food Facility Feasibility and Design

Hilo, HI

Miko Meats is part of a multipartner collaboration to transform Hawai’i County’s agricultural value chain by enhancing its capacity to sustainably produce, aggregate, process, store, market and distribute local staple crops – while strengthening the social infrastructure that enables effective cooperation between farmers and with other value chain stakeholders. It owns a former meat processing facility that had been equipped for animal processing and cold storage – processing capacity that could be repurposed to resolve aggregation and processing bottlenecks and for agricultural business development. New Venture Advisors conducted a feasibility study to identify potential partnerships, operating models, technical viability and actionable pathways for revitalization of this vastly underutilized regional asset in catalyzing the Hawai’i island food system. (2022)

Warehouses4Good Mississippi Delta Food Warehouse

Moorhead, MS

Warehouses4Good is a non-profit organization building a national network of one hundred food warehouses serving rural America, increasing the capacity and integrity of our food value chain. A USDA Rural Business Development Grant was awarded to develop one of its first facilities located in the South Delta region. It will be constructed within an existing building owned by a non-profit organization, housing dry and cold storage, value-added processing, and space for food-related agencies and organizations. The warehouse will strengthen the local food supply chain, support food distributors and small grocers, and geographically expand market opportunities for small farmers and food manufacturing businesses in a seven-county area. New Venture Advisors conducted a commercial assessment to determine the operating model and building program that will meet their requirements. (2022)

Oneida Community Cannery

Oneida, WI

The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people, with a reservation located on 65,000 acres on the west side of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The tribe works to offer programs, services, and resources that enable the community to carry on with the strength and determination of its ancestors. The Oneida Community Cannery is a new initiative that will teach people how to process and prepare nutritious meals and traditional Oneida foods, serving not only Oneida Nation members, but also entrepreneurs in the food industry. In 2018 New Venture Advisors investigated the feasibility of this commercial and community-use, regional, and intertribal food production center, and in 2022 completed a business plan as the tribe prepares for launch. (2022)

Damian’s Craft Meats Feasibility Study

Ann Arbor, MI

For six years, Damian’s Craft Meats has been exploring the viability of developing a slaughterhouse and meat processing business that reflects the founders’ deep connection to and understanding of where good food comes from, and their respect for living animals. Moreover, and especially due to the disruption of the meat industry caused by the pandemic, they see an opportunity to reverse patterns of inequality, consolidation, and disinvestment in order to advance an equitable food system and expand the local meat value chain in southeast Michigan. NVA conducted a comprehensive feasibility study of the market, business model and facility plan and developed a business plan for their facility development project. The purpose of this project is to bolster the growth of the region’s meat sector through community collaboration and planning to better support the processing, aggregation, storage, and distribution of locally and regionally produced meat products. (2021)

Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Enterprise Center Feasibility Study

Staunton, VA

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission wants to support business diversification and growth in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia through value-added products and the delivery of agricultural goods and products to new markets. An Agricultural Enterprise Center has the potential to significantly accelerate this growth. This multi-use facility is intended to help growers and producers expand their market area, bridge the market gap, and pool together products to meet market demands. New Venture Advisors completed a feasibility study to determine the size, scale and location of the Ag Enterprise Center, the components to be included, and the economic benefits for the region. (2021)  Read the report here.

New London County Food Hub Feasibility Study

New London, CT

This study, led by United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and the New London County Food Policy Council, assessed the food landscape in the region to determine the optimal operating model for a food hub in the county and the financial viability of this potential hub. The study resulted in a decision to move forward with a nonprofit, services-focused food hub whose aim is to support growers in expanding production. (2015)  Read the report here.

Greater Kansas City Food Hub

Kansas City, KS

A coalition of individuals and organizations worked towards the establishment of a local food hub to aggregate and distribute local produce in the Kansas City region. NVA completed the feasibility study in 2014 and the food hub launched as Fresh Farm HQ in 2016. (2014)