Idaho Independent Food, Agriculture, Restaurant And Beverage Establishments Alliance, Inc.

Idaho Independent Food, Agriculture, Restaurant And Beverage Establishments Alliance, Inc. (FARE Idaho) is a non-profit trade association representing over 340 food and beverage businesses in Idaho, including small farmers, ranchers, farmers markets, and livestock processors. FARE Idaho is structured around the local food system and aims to support and promote local food supply chains in the state.

Through federal grant funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, FARE Idaho has undertaken projects to build local food supply chains and increase profitability for small producers. The organization received a $312,500 Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program grant to implement strategies such as providing marketing assistance to at least 20 farmers, ranchers, and farmers markets, hosting an annual Field to Fork festival to connect Idaho producers with chefs and buyers, expanding an online sales platform, and offering workshops and videos on butchering, cheesemaking, and seasonal meal preparations. FARE Idaho also received a $63,814 grant to administer in-person trainings and create a video series on butchering whole animal carcasses of various species, with a focus on marketing unique cuts, utilizing all parts of the animal, reducing waste, and promoting direct sales to chefs and restaurants. Additionally, FARE Idaho has collaborated with the Idaho Department of Agriculture on a sub-grant project involving an online ordering platform to unite producers with retailers in the wake of pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.