We Love Local
Those of us who already live here believe Athens County is a Garden of Eden, capable of supplying any tasty treat we desire. We even market regionally based on this principle via the 30 Mile Meal campaign.
But we know not everyone can make it to our year-round, rated top ten in the nation Athens Farmers Market, so we’re working to bring our specialty foods and agriculture to the outside world.
Specialty foods are a $30-billion-a-year industry and growing. The three major retail categories are (1) organic/natural, (2) specialty/gourmet and (3) vegan.
Strength (and Support) in Numbers
Our best-kept secret and local industry powerhouse is the ACEnet – Appalachian Center for Economic Networks – Food Ventures Center.
This kitchen incubator is a 12,000 square foot shared-used manufacturing facility providing a commercial kitchen, a thermal processing area, a dry goods packaging room, warehouse space, shipping and receiving docks. At any given time, about 80 businesses are tenants in the Food Venture Center.
Worker-owned Crumbs Bakery is an ACEnet anchor tenant that distributes nationally. Milo’s Whole World Gourmet is a kitchen incubator graduate with sauces and dressings that have been reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times and featured on NBC’s Today Show.
Purely American was a mature venture specializing in regional foods and Americana when its owners chose to relocate to Athens County based on the strength of our specialty food industry.
Companies with a Conscience
Sustainability is a central value in the organic/natural food sector.
Athens’ Own features locally produced, fair trade cheeses, coffee, aged beef and smoked meats. Integration Acres focused on Ohio’s native, tropical-tasting fruit, the pawpaw, but expanded into chevre and feta when owner Chris Chmiel realized grazing animals helped the pawpaws grow.
Local restaurants like Casa Nueva, Village Bakery and Della Zona (Italian for “from the region”) pride themselves on buying ingredients from local producers like Snowville Creamery, King Family Farm and Green Edge Gardens – just to name a few.
