ST. LOUIS – Schnucks Markets has partnered with logistics and marketing platform Foodshed.io to expand the grocer’s relationships with farmers. The retailer plans to spend more than $5 million buying local produce and goods from local farmers to sell to customers in 2020. 

“Like Schnucks, these local farms have been feeding families and nourishing communities for many generations,” said Mike Tipton, vice president of produce for Schnucks. “Our continued support of local farms allows us to also provide the best quality and freshest produce to our customers who have supported us for more than 80 years.” 

The partnership with Foodshed.io is connecting Schnucks to small-scale farmers, chefs, supermarkets and institutional buyers to establish local supply chains within a 250-mile radius of the communities the grocer serves. 

For farmers, Foodshed is a simple platform for accessing urban markets and responding to local demand and opportunities. For buyers, the platform streamlines and aggregates inventory from multiple farms, creating an efficient, reliable market where they can place their orders. 

“We are proud to be working with a family-owned and operated company like Schnucks to bring one of the most innovative platforms for local sourcing to the five states they serve," said Dan Beckmann, chief executive officer of Foodshed.io. “Being afforded the opportunity to establish a clean, safe, reliable, fresh and local supply chain with these amazing family farms is an honor and a privilege. With the advent of COVID-19, it's more important than ever to support the local supply chain and local farms during these uncertain times.”