There’s a new outlet for the food enthusiasts of the Oasis of Nevada, a place for foodies to get their fill of locally grown, fresh and delicious produce.
Located in the center of Fallon’s beautiful historic Maine Street is the Fallon Food Hub, a co-op in the area still in its infancy, though working on becoming a cultural hub to the Lahontan Valley.
The Fallon Food Hub Co-op (FFHC) has been realized by a team of like-minded locals who saw a need and an opportunity to grow a great community-driven marketplace, a place where farmers could easily market their specialty crops, value added products and consumers could conveniently shop in one location. With a fantastic staff, strong group of volunteers, working board of directors, consultants and outside support, they’ve made it happen, and are about to celebrate one year of business.
Like other co-ops, FFHC is a nonprofit organization that’s working toward becoming membership owned. The hub’s membership drive began in December and has been steadily increasing its numbers each week. This has been an indicator the project is filling a need in the community. With continuous growth, the hub is also expanding its services to more producers, as well as the consumers in the region (look for information on Fallon’s farmers market in the coming months).
The FFHC carries product (seasonally-dependent) from more than 50 local farms and regional value added producers, a number that’s growing each day; the store features a wide array of produce, dairy, meat and other items.
Items from the Albaugh Ranch, Sandhill Dairy, Pick-In and Grin-In Produce, First Fruits Sustainable Farms, Lattin Farms and various other Churchill County agriculture businesses have now become staples in local homes.
Customers love the fact they can avoid the store on some days, and they can grab a coffee from the Espresso Bar, featuring Blind Dog Coffee’s Nevada Black Blend.
The hub staff now expects middle school students each afternoon, stopping in after school for a healthy snack consisting of Sandhill Dairy chocolate milk buddies and an apple.
Look for more news and events from the Fallon Food Hub! It’s expanding its services and product availability, especially for the coming spring and summer harvests. You can sign up for its newsletter at fallonfoodhub.com, under the “Contact Us” tab. Don’t forget to #LoveYourHub!
From the FFHC’s mission statement: “It is our vision to create a gathering place in the heart of Northern Nevada, which will provide an outlet and marketplace for local farmers, local small food producers, and our emerging value-added sector.”
If you’re interested in becoming involved with the Fallon Food Hub, you can email fallonfoodhub@gmail.com or call 775-867-5625. Or you can stop by the store at 40 E. Center St., Fallon 89406. Winter store hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Robyn Jordan is marketing coordinator with the Fallon Food Hub Co-op.