Kawartha Local Food Wholesale

Kawartha Local Food Wholesale aims to increase local food wholesale capacity by supporting expanded production and the wholesale marketing and procurement of wholesale local food within the geographic areas of City of Kawartha Lakes, City of Peterborough and Peterborough County. 

The Kawartha Region Local Food Wholesale Project includes the establishment of this local food aggregation and distribution framework operated by Graze and Gather, for wholesale sales and purchase activities between the participating local producers and buyers. 

A Scale-up to Wholesale, Economic Development Initiative

During this two-year project, local food producers and buyers participated in group training to better understand effective wholesale production and marketing practices and wholesale purchasing possibilities. One-on-one coaching was provided to ready their businesses to wholesale local food production and adoption. Working together as a Steering Committee, buyers and producers identified the aggregation and distribution model to best suit their needs. 

As the final stage of this ‘scale-up to wholesale’ project, the pilot aggregation and distribution activities through Graze and Gather are guided by a steering committee that is comprised of project participants including both producers and buyers. The project has the benefit of advisory training services, coaching and facilitation by expert consultants, administrative support from a project coordinator, and project oversight by City of Kawartha Lakes with support from Peterborough County and the City of Peterborough. 

Uniquely, this project brings together local food buyers in restaurant, retail, food service, and institutional businesses with local food producers, to support expanded production, wholesale marketing and purchasing of local food within the region. 

This is a collaborative project led initially by Peterborough & the Kawartha’s Economic Development and carried-on by the City of Kawartha Lakes, with support from Peterborough County and the City of Peterborough. This project is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agri-Business. 

Why Graze & Gather?

Graze & Gather is a regional food distribution platform that provides aggregation, logistics, and sales infrastructure for producers across Eastern Ontario. It supports both wholesale and direct-to-consumer markets through a robust digital storefront, inventory and order management system, and a multi-region delivery network. 

With operational experience, Graze and Gather brings a proven model of efficient, scalable, and community-focused food distribution. Graze and Gather has existing physical, technological, and logistical infrastructure, as well as human resources, capacity, knowledge, and skills and several years of experience operating an aggregation and distribution business.

For additional information about the project contact:

Erika Inglis, Assistant Economic Development Officer, Kawartha Local Food Wholesale Project einglis@kawarthalakes.ca