This project will facilitate a technology interface to address the development of multi-tier value chain sales to consumers and various sectors of the wholesale food industry, as well as create…

This project will facilitate a technology interface to address the development of multi-tier value chain sales to consumers and various sectors of the wholesale food industry, as well as create brand awareness through targeted marketing efforts for the brass city regional food hub. The project will be inclusive of a more robust consumer-based online store and wholesale customer order management system that will enable pre-registered wholesale customers to log into the appropriate website portal, review wholesale availability and pricing of locally sourced agricultural products and make the appropriate commodity selections. The project goals are to implement a technology software suite that will enable retail and multi-tier wholesale customers to efficiently place orders. The food hub will be able to track inventory, invoice, and provide this organization with CRM ["customer relationship management"] data to track customer history and trends. Targeted marketing by a creative marketing group will be utilized to increase consumer and wholesale customer awareness to strengthen the direct-to-customer link in the food value chain offered by the brass city regional food hub. This project will allow the food hub to maintain a competitive edge against national and regional intermediaries and internet companies selling produce and value-added products whose origin often remains undisclosed to customers. These efforts will render an outcome that will enable the brass city regional food hub to increase direct-to-consumer sales by 25% and wholesale sales of connecticut grown produce and value-added products by more than 75%.