With consumer demand on the rise for local produce, Market Center of the Ozarks is here to make it easier than ever for growers to reach new customers and add value to the lifespan of local crops.
The center provides facilities to wash, aggregate, process, preserve, package and store crops for wholesale, all under one roof. And while the journey from seed to table is more complex than ever, Market Center of the Ozarks offers farmers resources to improve and scale their operations, navigate the wholesale marketplace and meet standards and specifications.
What MCO Offers Growers:
- Loading docks
- Commercial washrooms
- Produce aggregation with other local growers
- Processing, preservation and packaging equipment
- Cold and dry storage
- GAP and other food safety certification support
- Co-working/meeting space
Educational Opportunities:
- Navigating the wholesale marketplace
- Creating a business plan
- Steps to GAP and other food safety certifications
- Connections with experienced growers
- Legal and financial planning
- Marketing and outreach
Spring Creek Food Hub
Interested in learning how to scale up for wholesale markets? Have product to sell into these markets?
Spring Creek Food Hub operates a regional food hub inside Market Center of the Ozarks that provides education and technical assistance to growers as they navigate the wholesale marketplace.
Spring Creek Food Hub aggregates from small growers and distributes to wholesale buyers to meet large-volume markets that provide fresh produce to Northwest Arkansans where they eat, shop, work and play.
The hub serves as both an economic engine and community space for farmers to build their businesses and relationships. Spring Creek also supports food safety certification for growers as they scale up to meet demand from the institutional food service market.
Learn more about Spring Creek Food Hub.
AFIC@MCO
Interested in turning your locally grown food into value-added products or preserving them for sale in the future?
MCO has partnered with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture to launch the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at Market Center of the Ozarks (AFIC@MCO).
Located inside Market Center of the Ozarks, AFIC@MCO serves the regional food system by fostering innovation and creating opportunities for small businesses to bring their products to market. AFIC@MCO provides commissary kitchen rental space and produce processing capabilities for local food entrepreneurs and growers.
A partnership with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture provides MCO users with onsite access to experts in food manufacturing, business and marketing, and food production.
