Frequently Asked Questions

Q. ​Why did you choose beef as a starting point for the food hub?

A. ​There are a couple of reasons why locally raised beef makes sense to be our first product. First, there is less seasonality with beef, meaning we are able to have a constant supply throughout the year. Along those lines, beef and dairy farms make up an abundance of our agriculture economy and are highly prevalent throughout our region. Also, by buying locally sourced beef, you are shortening the supply chains, mitigating many of the environmental impacts that go along with commercially raised beef that would otherwise likely come from some distance away.

Q. ​What do you mean by "local"?

A. ​There are various definitions for what constitutes locally sourced. Appalachian Food Works' initial mission is to support farms in Centre County, with a broader vision of eventually working with farms and markets throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Q. Will you only be dealing with farms & businesses in Centre County?

A. No. While the focus initially will be on supporting farms and supplying restaurants in Centre County, the longer-term vision of App Food Works is to work throughout Central Pennsylvania, from New York to Maryland.

Q. ​Why is it important to eat locally sourced food?

A. Agriculture is a vital component of our economy in Central Pennsylvania. We grow and raise enough food in Centre County to feed our entire population, but only 1% of that food is consumed here. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly important for us to understand where our food is coming from. By eating food that is grown and raised in Central Pennsylvania, we support our friends and neighbors while also having a knowledge of how our food gets to our tables.

Q. ​Why do I keep seeing #whatslocal on your social media posts?

A. ​We are encouraging consumers to use the hashtag #whatslocal as a means of supporting local food when posting on social media. This could be done when posting a photo of a dish at a restaurant that includes locally sourced ingredients, when attending an event that has local food on its menu, or when supporting an organization that is actively promoting the local food economy. We will share posts that we see with the #whatslocal as a means to further promote our farmers, buyers, and the entire community.

See a listing of restaurants in our service area that serve locally raised and grown food here.

Q. ​How will this affect farmers' markets?

A. Farmers' markets are an indispensable part of our community, fostering the relationship between farmers and consumers. In addition, they function as a vital sales channel for many of our farms. Appalachian Food Works looks to support farms that wish to sell wholesale to other businesses, and otherwise would not be selling directly to consumers at a farmers' market. However, for farmers who wish to have multiple sales channels, it should be noted that customers who enjoy a farm's product at one of our participating restaurants may wish to seek out that item at one of the area's farmers' markets for serving at home, increasing that farm's brand awareness.

Q. ​How are you different from a co-op or a CSA?

A. According to the USDA, a general definition of a co-op, or cooperative, is a business owned and democratically controlled by the people who use its services and whose benefits are derived and distributed equitably on the basis of use. The user-owners are called members. They benefit in two ways from the cooperative, in proportion to the use they make of it. First, the more they use the cooperative, the more service they receive. Second, earnings are allocated to members based on the amount of business they do with the cooperative. Food co-ops may or may not have a physical store front.  On the other hand a CSA, or community supported agriculture, is "a system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms." CSA members tend to get their "share" of products from the farm on a weekly or every other week basis, which consists of whatever the harvest consisted of leading up to that "pickup". 

Appalachian Food Works functions as a connector between farm and wholesale buyer, and is neither a cooperative, nor a CSA. 

Q. ​How can I help?

A. The easiest way to help is to start asking for locally sourced food wherever you get fed, and using the hashtag #whatslocal when posting a dish or product that was grown or raised locally to Facebook or Instagram. If you are interested in becoming involved as a volunteer or board member, or if you would like to donate to our mission, please reach out to Travis Lesser at travis@appfoodworks.org.