New York

Bronx, NY - In August 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched the New York State Grown & Certified program which identifies and promotes New York producers who adhere to the State’s food safety and environmental sustainability programs, and assures consumers that the food purchased is locally sourced and produced at a higher standard. GrowNYC is a non-profit organization with 45 years of demonstrated expertise in non-profit management. For the past 40 years, GrowNYC has operated 54 farmers markets throughout the five boroughs with a mission to promote regional agriculture by providing small family farms the opportunity to sell their locally grown products directly to consumers, and to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, most nutritious locally grown food the region has to offer.

In October 2017, EDA invested $2,484,746 in Public Works funds to the Council on the Environment, Inc. to fund the construction of a Greenmarket Regional Food Hub. The food hub will address the pressing need for providing more locally grown produce to residents and increase business for NY State farmers. Currently, the GrowNYC Food Hub operates in a 5,000 square foot wholesale marketplace for small and medium sized producers, located in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. The Food Hub has 41 producers selling products from seven States, and moves food to restaurants, retailers, senior centers, nonprofits, and community farmers markets. GrowNYC will develop a 75,000 square foot USDA cold-storage compliant Greenmarket Regional Food Hub to be located on a 135,000 square foot lot in the Hunts Point neighborhood in the Bronx. The facility will include a wholesale farmers market, a cold storage facility, a food-processing center and other infrastructure to support local food businesses. The new food hub will work with a range of small- and mid-sized farms, providing unprecedented access to New York City’s wholesale marketplace. The processing facility will also assist upstate producers and processors to target institution and private sector procurement opportunities. In addition, the food hub will facilitate the expansion of farmers markets and youth markets in underserved communities.

The proposed project will allow GrowNYC to move its operations to an expanded, state of the art facility. The facility would create a permanent home for Greenmarket Co., GrowNYC’s existing local food distribution program, as well as provide crucial infrastructure for local farmers and food producers, create 131 jobs, retain 11 jobs, and leverage $4,400,000 in private investment in the South Bronx.