Partner with us
Funders, towns, and producer clusters
Seven parts. Read them in order.
01
Small producers don't fail at growing. They fail at cash flow.
Costs land in spring and revenue lands in fall. The gap gets financed with credit cards, off-farm work, or not at all. This is a money problem wearing a food problem's clothes.
02
A prepaid share fixes the timing.
A producer names a lot with a known quantity and cost. Members buy shares before the season, and the producer is paid up front. The growing does not change; the money arrives when it is needed.
03
Not a CSA, and not a food hub.
A share is a stated quantity of one named lot. The producer keeps the relationship and every other channel they sell through.
04
Why now.
A locked price can protect a member from grocery-price changes. Producers need working capital. People tired of surprise boxes may be ready for a share they can understand before buying.
05
Why this team.
A decade of operating work across ranch management, market gardening, nonprofit development, and field operations. The model will be tested by the people running the corridor ventures.
06
The model is free. The proof is the ask.
The playbook is published for anyone to copy. Funding supports a reference implementation: one corridor running real lots for real members, with the numbers published either way.
07 · The estimated ask
An estimated $495,000 over 18 months to run one corridor and publish the numbers.
The estimate covers producer working capital, cold storage, coordination, the ledger, and outside legal and financial review.
- Producer working capital pool
- $180,000 estimatedAdvances against named lots.
- Cold storage and processing capacity
- $120,000 estimatedFreezer, shared kitchen equipment, and electrical work.
- Coordination, 18 months
- $135,000 estimatedLot intake, delivery windows, and member support.
- Ledger build
- $35,000 estimatedBalances, draw-downs, and producer lots.
- Legal, insurance, and audit
- $25,000 estimatedPrepayment terms, product liability, and an outside review.
- Estimated total
- $495,000