Heirloom Harvest seeking to finance expansion with crowdfunding campaign

By
Ryan Ray
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13
43
agriculture farm crops
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Heirloom Harvest is trying to take their sustainable agriculture operation to the next level.

The small farmers’ organization has started a KickStarter campaign in order to buy a refrigerated truck, which the group calls “the missing piece to our infrastructure that will allow us to transport our farmer’s produce to market in a safe and timely manner.”

With the motto “Food from down the road,” the group focuses on cutting down on the wasteful consumption of energy to transport food far across state and national boundaries.

Heirloom Harvest’s strategy is to try to amplify small farmers’ reach by combining into one cooperative farming venture, and cut out distribution costs by taking the food directly to market.

“Refrigeration systems are a necessary tool for Alabama farmers to sell their locally grown produce to schools, restaurants, cafeterias, and retails outlets. Local and small-scale farmers in our state have small profit margins and lack the additional funding to purchase entire refrigeration systems,” writes Heirloom Harvest founder and director William Dodd. “We have recently purchased a stationary refrigeration storage system where we will bring local farmers product before selling it to school cafeterias, restaurants, and small retail outlets.”

“In order to build a fully-functioning refrigeration infrastructure, we need to purchase a refrigerated truck to transport produce from the farms to the customers. Keeping produce stored at a reduced temperature will extend its shelf life and increase food safety, allowing for greater possibility of profit for our farmers,” said Dodd in his appeal.

The group is soliciting multiple levels of rewards in exchange for backing by supporters. For $100, for instance, a backer gets a handwritten thank you note and a membership to the Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network.

In order to secure the funding, the group must raise $15,000 by July 13. At press time, the brand new page had garnered $660 from three contributors.

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