Cabbage mobile processing & distribution: expanding local grower opportunity by creating new value-added products for the local market this project will work to create economic benefits for…

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded L & M Companies Inc. dba L & M West a $536,554 Project Grant under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) on September 30, 2021. The grant will support the creation of a mobile processing unit to convert cabbage grown by local farmers in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida into value-added products for distribution within a 50-mile radius. Specifically, the mobile unit will produce cabbage tortilla wraps, bagged slaw mixes, and chopped cabbage mixes for delivery to retail and foodservice partners in the region. The goal is to provide local and minority growers an opportunity to decrease farm waste and increase income by 25% through on-site processing of their cabbage and potential expansion to other crops such as broccoli. This sustainable solution aims to strengthen regional food systems and local agriculture markets in the Southeast.

Cabbage mobile processing & distribution: expanding local grower opportunity by creating new value-added products for the local market this project will work to create economic benefits for traditional and a new, specialty variety of flat cabbage grown by farmers beginning in north carolina and expanding to georgia and florida. The market for processed cabbage products is highly demanded, but transportation costs to and from large processing facilities hundreds of miles away are often more than the value of the actual return to the grower. L & m and our partner, ripe revival, will create a mobile processing unit with specialized production equipment, be trained to operate with appropriate food safety standards, and execute a local/regional marketing strategy for new cabbage products. This project will be providing local and minority growers with an opportunity to produce new, value-added products, decrease farm waste, and generate income by processing the cabbage within a 50-mile radiusof the farms. The unit will have the capability to convert flat cabbage into new value-added cabbage tortilla wraps, and regular and flat cabbage into bagged slaw and chopped mixes for distribution to local retail and foodservice partners. Our goal is to engage as intermediary between producers and retailers, foodservice, and consumers, increasing access to new, locally grown cabbage products, while increasing grower returns by 25% and expanding the base of local cabbage farmers. This project is a sustainable and scalable solution for on-site processing for cabbage and other products such as broccoli for growers throughout the southeast.