Getting local food into your kitchen takes an interconnected system of businesses, organizations, and government departments working together. Chesed Farms participates in and facilitates many efforts to strengthen and increase the capacity of the local food system in our community. This page shares information and progress on projects under development. Ways you can be involved and support these efforts are included with each project.

Walla Walla Valley Food System Coalition

We benefit from the work that has been done by the Walla Walla Valley Food System Coalition. This group of local farms, food producers, non-profit organizations, consultants, and supportive community members worked for years discussing and assessing the existing food system in our valley. Their work culminated in the 2019 Food Hub Study that identified needs in our community that would create a more resilient and vibrant local food system. Check out the report by clicking the picture.

A month after the report was publicly shared, everything changed with the onset of Covid-19. As our community began to recover and regroup from the aftermath of this traumatic experience, efforts returned to the projects that were recommended by the study.

Persistent Local Kitchen

Persistent Local Kitchen is the working name for an effort to complete the pairing between small batch producers and local commercial kitchens in the community. We use the term “Persistent” because it captures the resolve to overcome obstacles and objections to reach a goal. The goal of the first phase of the project is to create an organization and online tool that facilitates the scheduling, sets expectations, and mitigates risk for small batch producers to access WSDA certified facilities.

This conversation started gaining traction after the Food + Farm Experiences Workshop hosted by Washington Sate Department of Tourism on Wednesday, January 31st, 2023. We have heard from many of our friends with food related businesses that access to commercial kitchens is one of the biggest hurdles to start their business, or in some cases, stay in business. There is a growing interest from multiple stakeholders to genuinely address this problem and expand the already amazing food experience of the Walla Walla Valley.

In order to accomplish our goal of phase one, we need to understand the needs of local food entrepreneurs, assess the facilities that could be made available, and meet community partners that can contribute to bringing this project to life. Click on the button(s) below that you identify with and complete the short form to get plugged into the effort. All your information will be kept confidential and only be used for this effort. Email groups will be created to share updates and milestones. Hybrid meetings will be planned to share what we learn, and have a conversation on the development of the organization and online platform to provide the service.

PLK - Entrepreneur

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Business Name

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

Description of your product *

Needed Equipment *

Click all the equipment you will need access to.

Stove

Oven

Mixer

Food processor

Smoker

Dehydrator

Freeze Dryer

Microwave

Produce washing station

Extractor

Proofing Cabinet

Cold storage

Freezer Storage

Dry storage

Other Equipment

List any equipment you need that was not on the list.

How often would you utilize a commercial kitchen? *

Select the option that fits most of the time.

Daily

Weekly

Twice-a-month

Once-a-month

Every three months

On occasion

Once a year

What time durations would you need for your process? *

Choose the option that fits best most of the time.

2 hours

4 hours

6 hours

8 hours

12 hours

All day

What time frames would you be willing to operate in? *

Select all options that could work for you.

Early morning: 4:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Mid Morning: 9:00 AM - Noon

Early Afternoon: Noon - 5:00 PM

Evening: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Night time: 10:00 PM - 4:00 AM

What locations would you prefer to work in? *

Please choose at least two.

Walla Walla

College Place

Dayton

Waitsburg

Prescott

Milton-Freewater

Richland

Kennewick

Pasco

Benton City

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you! We look ford to seeing you business thrive!

PLK - Kitchen

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Your role in the business *

Business Name

Address *

Location of kitchen

Address 1

Address 2

City

State/Province

Zip/Postal Code

Country

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

Existing Equipment *

Click all the equipment you have in your kitchen..

Stove

Oven

Mixer

Food processor

Smoker

Dehydrator

Freeze Dryer

Microwave

Produce washing station

Extractor

Proofing Cabinet

Cold storage

Freezer Storage

Dry storage

Other Equipment

List any equipment you need that was not on the list.

Do you storage available to rent to the entrepreneurs using your kitchen? *

Check the types of storage that can be made available, or the None box if this is not an option.

Cold Storage

Freezer Storage

Dry Storage

None

How many people could reasonably and safely operate in your kitchen simultaneously? *

What time frames would be available for use? *

Select all options that could work for you.

Early morning: 4:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Mid Morning: 9:00 AM - Noon

Early Afternoon: Noon - 5:00 PM

Evening: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Night time: 10:00 PM - 4:00 AM

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you! Your willingness to support local food entreprenures is great appreciated. As the covesation continues we will work with you to develop policies and procedures for everyone to follow when accessing your kitchen.

Local Food System Form

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Organization Affiliation

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

How would you like to be involved with the effort? *

Where are you located? *

If you operate in more than one location, check all the boxes that apply.

Walla Walla

College Place

Dayton

Waitsburg

Prescott

Milton-Freewater

Richland

Kennewick

Pasco

Benton City

Thank you for supporting the small food businesses in our community.

USDA Poultry Processing

Currently, there is no existing poultry processing capacity in the Walla Walla Valley (WSDA or USDA certified). This project seeks to make processing local poultry convenient and profitable. The proposed venture will help growers maximize their time and resources through a cooperatively owned USDA-certified facility located in Walla Walla County.

The goal of the project is to secure a turn-key poultry processing operation that will be easy to put into production and begin to benefit participating growers quickly. Chesed Farms is working with six additional farms committed to this project. It’s anticipated each will be able to increase their production by at least 15%, and as much as 400%. If not producing, it will incentivize some to begin a poultry meat operation. In round numbers, the current production numbers for participating farms at 3,500 processed meat birds per year will grow to at least 17,000 processed birds to be marketed locally in just the first year.

The USDA-certified facility will open up new markets as most of the growers are currently using a WSDA-certified facility in a community almost two hours away. The closest USDA facility is six-hours away. This detracts and limits the capacity of production, and, ultimately, available distribution channels.

Walla Walla has a rich history in the availability of local foods, wines and a burgeoning tourist market. Access to a local processing facility will help grow this market.

The effort is underway. Facility and site planning are underway. We are working on funding sources, including grant opportunities. If you would like to be involved as a producer, a potential customer, or community partner fill out a shot form by clicking the appropriate button below.

USDA Poultry Facility Producer

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Farm Name

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

Where is your farm located? *

Are you organic certified?

Yes

Would like to be

How involved would you like to be? (these are non-binding answers) *

Participate in the steering committee - help plan and launch the operation.

Become part of the Cooperative. The ability to have a vote on governance decisions, and utilize member benefits including member pricing from processing.

Only utilize the facility for processing services once it is operating.

What types of poultry are you raising? *

Broiler Chickens

Turkeys

Ducks

Quail

Approximate number of total birds you raised in 2022 *

What is your current processing solution? *

Check all that apply

On-farm processing

Chick Chasers in Benton City

J-Bar USDA facility in Idaho

How would your operation change with an accessible USDA processing facility? *

Would you raise more birds? Raise additional types of birds?

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you! We will keep you informed of the progress of this project.

USDA Poultry Processing Community Partner

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Organization Affiliation

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

Where are you located? *

If you operate in more than one location, check all the boxes that apply.

Walla Walla

College Place

Dayton

Waitsburg

Prescott

Milton-Freewater

Richland

Kennewick

Pasco

Benton City

How would you like to support the effort? *

I am a grocery store interested in the product.

I am a restaurant interested in the product.

I am a distributor interested in the product.

I am a consumer interested in the product.

I have knowledge or expertise to provide.

I would like to work at the operation.

Anything else you would liek us to know?

Thank you for supporting the small food businesses in our community.

Regional Food Processing

The Walla Walla Valley has a bounty of produce that grows well throughout the region. Production is limited by the changing seasons, and distribution of fresh produce is limited by its short shelf life. The WWVFSC has been working to establish a producers cooperative (People Owned, People Managed, People Benefited) to lease/build a shared use value added food processing facility in Walla Walla or nearby Umatilla (Milton Freewater) County.

We are focusing on two production lines initially: Individual Quick Freeze (IQF), and Freeze Drying. These two processes will turn raw produce into a line of shelf stable products that extend their viable use, and make them ready to be distributed beyond our community. The goal is to have a facility that can service interested farms operating within a two-hour drive from Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater.

We have received funding to update the 2019 Food Hub Feasibility study for this effort. We are seeking additional funding and expertise to design the operation. Additionally, we continue connect with farms in the area that are interested in this possibility and distributors that would like to access our future products. Click the button below to get connected and bring this project to reality.

CoPack Farmer

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Farm Name *

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

Are you currently utilizing a processor for your produce? *

Yes

If you answered yes, where is your processor located?

What crops do you grow? *

What scale is your production? *

Small volume to sell in small amounts direct to consumers - Car loads

Medium volume to work towards full-time production - Pickup truck loads

Large volume/full-time production - Box truck loads

Huge volume to sell to grocery chains/larger distributors - By the trailer load

What months are your peak production? *

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

How involved do you want to be in the Producer Cooperative? *

Help get the Producer Cooperative launched (Steering Committee Member)

Member of the Cooperative once launched

Use facility only on occasions

Simply be a supplier of raw product.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you! We will keep you keep you updated as progress is made.

CoPack Distributor

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Email *

Phone *

(###)

###

####

Organization Affiliation

Distributor or store? *

Distributor

Physical store

Online store

How would you like to be involved with the effort? *

Where are you located? *

If you operate in more than one location, check all the boxes that apply.

Walla Walla

College Place

Dayton

Waitsburg

Prescott

Milton-Freewater

Richland

Kennewick

Pasco

Benton City

Thank you for supporting the small food businesses in our community.

Contact

orders@chesedfarms.com
(509) 676-8196

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