It's a new year, so it may seem as if there are few Press Releases available, but don't worry, many of the recent Press Releases can be found in the 2009 archive. Click here or '2009' in the 'Press Release Archives' to the right to view the 2009 archive.
June
Marin City Farmers Market Opens Saturday, June 5th
— June 4, 2010
MARIN CITY, CA – June 4th, 2010 – On Saturday June 5th, Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), formerly Marin Farmers Markets, will celebrate the opening of a new farmers’ market in Marin City at the Gateway Shopping Center. The market will run 9 am-1 pm, June-September. Market shoppers and local dignitaries will join AIM for a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 am. AIM, a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in San Rafael, is thrilled to launch a farmers market that will serve Marin City residents as well as neighboring Southern Marin communities. This is the first market AIM has opened in Marin County in over 15 years.
The announcement of the Marin City Farmers Market opening comes after years of careful consideration by AIM, the Milagro Foundation, Gateway Shopping Center, Sausalito Marin City School District, and community representatives regarding the needs of the community and viability of a farmers market. The project was originally spearheaded by a W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant to Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation to provide residents access to healthy, fresh, locally-grown food as well as providing nutrition education to children in underserved communities. The Marin City project is one of four grants from the Kellogg monies. Two other projects are in New Orleans and one is on New Mexican American Indian reservations.
In late 2008, AIM was approached by Milagro Foundation and the Marin City Community Development Corporation to operate a farmers’ market in an effort to address the need for nutrition education and healthy food access in Marin City. Discussions involved the ISOJI, Marin City Network, Conservation Corps North Bay, Marin County Health and Human Services, and other organizations about how to best address the nutrition needs of the Marin City community. These discussions resulted in an evolving plan with the Sausalito Marin City School District, which has received a grant from the Milagro Foundation to support nutrition education and school gardens in the schools. AIM has also discussed the market with the Marin City Community Services District.
Opening day will welcome a strong line up of regional farmers including: Dieckmann Farms with cherries from Sutter Co., EGB with conventional stonefruit and nuts from San Joaquin Co., Jee Xiong Farm with mixed Asian vegetables and okra soon to come from Fresno Co., Olivera with organic and conventional eggs from San Joaquin Co., Rodriguez Ranch with organic and conventional strawberries and assorted vegetables from Monterey Co., Williamson with strawberries & avocados from San Diego Co., Wholeness Farms with assorted organic vegetables from San Joaquin Co., among others. Prepared foods will include BBQ briskets and pulled pork sandwiches from Good Foods Catering of San Francisco, the Taco Guys of San Rafael, and assortment of local bakeries including: Applebaum, Upper Crust, Teeny Cake, and Octoberfeast . For a complete list of producers, visit agriculturalinstitute.org.
Having considered a number of sites in Southern Marin, AIM believes that Marin City demonstrated the greatest need for access to fresh food and that the Gateway Shopping Center offered the best location for a substantial farmers market capable of serving all of Southern Marin. Easy access from Highway 101, excellent public transportation, and an abundance of parking were all notable factors in considering the site. In its first year, the market will run June through September. During this four-month trial period, AIM and its community partners will evaluate the viability of the market and its success at meeting their shared goals.
Agricultural Institute of Marin is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which runs 9 farmers markets in the Bay Area (5 in Marin County, 3 in Alameda County and 1 in San Francisco), including the 27 year old Marin Farmers Markets at the Marin Civic Center. AIM’s mission is to educate the public about the nutritional and economic benefits of buying locally grown food directly from farmers, and to connect and support communities and agriculture.
The Milagro Foundation is a publicly supported foundation established by Carlos Santana and his family in 1998. Milagro benefits underserved and vulnerable children around the world by making grants to community based tax-exempt organizations that work with children in the areas of education, health, and the arts. Milagro is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children.
Contact:
Amelia Spilger
Director of Marketing
415-472-6100
amelia@agriculturalinstitute.org
www.agriculturalinstitute.org
Shelley Brown
Executive Director
sbrown@milagrofoundation.org
415-460-9939
www.milagrofoundation.org
May
Edible Marin & Wine Country Magazine Launches Eat Local Marin Week June 6-13
— May 25, 2010
Mill Valley, CA May 20, 2010 – In honor of the abundance of local farmers and other food producers in Marin County, edible Marin & Wine Country magazine has organized Eat Local Marin Week, a special week of dinners and cooking demonstrations at Marin County restaurants which support local food producers and the Civic Center Farmers’ Market, set to take place Sunday, June 6, through Sunday, June 13, 2010.
Participating restaurants have planned special menus to highlight Marin County-produced ingredients and guest appearances by farmers and other food producers, winemakers and brewers. Participating restaurants include:
Fish, Sausalito
Pizza Antica, Mill Valley
Small Shed Flatbreads, Mill Valley
Brick & Bottle, Corte Madera (set to open June 1)
Marche Aux Fleurs, Ross
Osteria Stellina, Point Reyes Station
Piatti, Mill Valley
In addition to these dinners, Marche Aux Fleurs owner and chef Dan Baker and farmer David Little of Little Organic Farm will host a cooking demonstration at the Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Market in San Rafael on Sunday, June 13, at 10 a.m. and again at 11 a.m.
“Marin County is home to an incredible bounty of amazing farmers, cheese makers, ranchers, fisher folk, winemakers and brewers,” said edible Marin & Wine Country magazine Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Gibson Thomas. “It is important to recognize and support these local farmers and other food producers so that we can continue to enjoy the healthy and delicious fruits of their labor. This weeklong celebration will get participants up-close and personal with these talented purveyors and the local chefs who support them on a regular basis. We expect this to be an annual event.”
On Tuesday, May 18th, 2010, the Marin County Board of Supervisors issued an official proclamation naming June 6-13, 2010, as edible Marin & Wine Country Eat Local Marin Week in recognition of Marin County’s many farms, ranches, shellfish farms, fishermen, dairies and creameries. For complete menus, times and dates, and to make reservations, please contact each of the participating restaurants directly.
Edible Marin & Wine Country Magazine is a quarterly publication that tells the stories of the farmers, cheese makers, ranchers, fisher folk, brewers, distillers and winemakers in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties. For more information please visit www.ediblemarinandwinecountry.com or call 415.515.4456.
Agricultural Institute of Marin and Veritable Vegetable Partner to Continue Farm to Fork Distribution
— May 21, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Rafael, CA – May 21, 2010 – Small family farms will continue to have distribution of their produce to local institutional customers thanks to a recently forged partnership between Veritable Vegetable (VV) and Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM). This innovative collaboration brings expertise from an established non-profit agriculture education entity and a thriving entrepreneurial business leader to support small and mid-size farmers throughout California.
Starting Friday May 21, Veritable Vegetable will assume the distribution responsibilities for AIM’s Farm to Fork program. Farm to Fork was designed to expand the accessibility of locally grown foods by distributing produce from the farmers of Marin Farmers Markets to the places where people learn, work, play and heal. Since the program’s inception in 2007, over a half million dollars of locally grown produce has been sourced from 70 regional farmers and distributed to 41 customers, ranging from local schools, to state parks, conference centers, corporate cafeterias and restaurants. Farm to Fork customers include Muir Woods, Bioneers, Embassy Suites, Walker Creek Ranch, Headlands Institute, Harvest Market, Epicurean, Marin Academy, Marin Catholic, San Domenico, Bahia Vista Elementary School, San Pedro Elementary School, Bay School, Town School, Hamlin School, Kaiser Permanente, Alma Via, Branson School, Delicious Catering, University High School, The Mountain School, Katie Powers Catering, Community Action Marin, Cathedral School and Dish Café.
AIM’s intent long-term was not to become a distributor, but rather to educate institutional customers and address the needs of small family farmers. Farm to Fork has been supported with generous grants from the Marin Community Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, and The Gaia Fund, and significant in-kind donations from its then sister non-profit Marin Farmers Markets.
In the Fall of 2009, AIM initiated a search for a partner to assume the distribution responsibilities for Farm to Fork. AIM believed there was an opportunity for a well-seasoned distributor to absorb the program into a viable business model. AIM found its match in Veritable Vegetable of San Francisco, a regional distributor whose mission is to integrate environmental protection, healthy community-based economies, and social justice into one sustainable system by distributing organic produce and promoting sustainable agriculture.
VV will consolidate produce from AIM farmers at the Marin Farmers Markets, providing the same convenience to farmers that Farm to Fork has provided the last several years. The partnership between VV and AIM will provide AIM’s farmers with access to a broader customer base. Current Farm to Fork customers will enjoy the convenience of deliveries on Fridays and Mondays, as well as expanded offerings from other local organic farms. AIM will continue to focus on what it does best, incubating business opportunities for its farmers, educating the public about the benefits of buying locally grown food, and assisting local schools and businesses to promote and market their commitment to local farmers.
Agricultural Institute of Marin is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which runs 9 farmers markets in the Bay Area (5 in Marin County, 3 in Alameda County and 1 in San Francisco), including the 27 year old Marin Farmers Markets at the Civic Center. AIM’s mission is to educate the public about the nutritional and economic benefits of buying locally grown food directly from farmers, and to connect and support communities and agriculture.
Veritable Vegetable was established in San Francisco in 1974, and is the nation’s oldest distributor of certified organic produce. VV is committed to developing an equitable and healthy food system, and sees preservation of endangered farm-land and family sized farms as central to its mission as a values-driven business.
Contact:
Leah Smith, Director of Outreach
leah@agriculturalinstitute.org
415-472-6100 x 111
www.agriculturalinstitute.org
Bu Nygrens
Purchasing Manager, co-owner
bu@veritablevegetable.com
415-550-4806
www.veritablevegetable.com
###
