Food Hub Shares Success Story

Food Hub Shares Success Story Anyone considering starting a food hub for local growers may want to attend the 4th Annual National Farm Stop Conference. The conference brings together leaders of the U.S. local food movement to share ideas and explore the growth and future of Farm Stop-style retail food consignment. It’s just one example of how two successful entrepreneurs are paying it forward. “Argus Farm Stop started in Ann Arbor, Mich., as a way for local farmers to have a year-round outlet for their products and consumers to have a year-round supply of locally grown food,” says Casey Miller of Farm Stop. “Our mission is to grow our local agricultural economy. We want small local farmers to succeed.” Farm Stop co-founders Bill Brinkerhoff and Kathy Sample opened the Argus Farm Stop at a former gas station in 2014. Farmers set their prices, taking 70%. Farm Stop keeps 30% to cover costs. Every effort is made to connect farmers with customers, and staff is trained on how each farmer grows their crops and where. The store succeeded in spades. In 2017, they expanded to a second location after a manager, other staff, and customers expressed interest.  “We went from 40 growers originally to around 400 today,” says Miller. “Some are year-round, while we see our cranberry producer only once a year. Some of those that are now year-round were only seasonal at first but expanded and innovated once they had a place to sell their produce.” Over the first 11 years, Argus Farm Stop’s two locations returned more than $26 million to local farmers. Over time, the model evolved as needed, but the mission has remained the same. “When COVID hit, we closed one location and devoted the other to selling online as a CSA, curating food boxes ourselves,” recalls Miller. “The local farmers markets shut down, but our farmers continued to sell through us. Our sales went up, and the increased sales have continued.” When COVID restrictions ended, online sales continued, and a new location opened for a store and a nearby cafe. Sales continued to grow, as did interest in the concept. “Within the first 2 years, people were interested in what we were doing,” says Miller. “Our owners had been inspired by a Wooster, Ohio, store called Local Roots.” The owners of that store encouraged Sample and Brinkerhoff by sharing information and allowing them to shadow staff. “They wanted to pay it forward by helping others,” says Miller. “After COVID, more and more were reaching out to us, as we could demonstrate that a local food chain was more resilient. During the pandemic, people saw images of food rotting in the field while local store shelves sat empty. Meanwhile, we were selling more than ever.” When a trainer at a large company in the area was laid off, Food Stop decided to hire him and formalize its staff training. That decision led to a monthly, free, online educational program. In 2024, Food Stop decided to host a 3-day conference on setting up a food hub. “We expected perhaps 50 people,” recalls Miller. “We quickly ran out of space and ended up with standing room only at 130 from 25 states.” In 2025, the conference drew more than 200 attendees from more than 30 states. In 2026, attendance reached 240 from 37 states plus Canada. Plans are in place for the fourth National Farm Stop Conference, March 29-31, 2027, in Ann Arbor. Additional learning opportunities are posted on the Argus Farm Stop website. “Demand for information on food hubs has continued to grow,” says Miller. “A new Farm Stop opened this summer in Minneapolis. The first day, there was a line out the door from when they opened until they closed. They’re doing an incredible amount of business.” The Minneapolis store may be called Farm Stop, but it has no financial ties to the original Argus Farm Stop. The name isn’t trademarked, and the concept isn’t franchised. Anyone is welcome to use the name and adopt the concept. “We aren’t interested in opening more stores or franchising,” says Miller. “We just want other communities to experience the same success.” She points to Farm Stops that have opened in larger cities like Minneapolis, as well as in smaller towns. The key, she suggests, is to have enough producers to make a farmers market successful. In one case, a group of farmers came together to open one as a farmer-owned co-op. It’s in Bloomington, Ind., and they report that the number of farmers joining has grown, notes Miller. “We believe the sky is the limit for the number of food hubs that can succeed,” she says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Casey Miller, Argus Farm Stop, 325 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor, Mich. 48103 (ph 734-213-2200; info@farmstops.net; www.argusfarmstop.com/learn).

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