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Value chain case studies profile mid-scale food enterprises

Case studies of four innovative enterprises—Country Natural Beef, CROPP/Organic Valley, Shepherd’s Grain and Red Tomato—offer models of how mid-sized farms and ranches can prosper through the construction of a “third tier” in the U.S. agri-food system. Known as “mid-scale food value chains,” these new business structures focus on strategic alliances that effectively operate at regional levels with significant volumes of high-quality, differentiated food products, and distribute profits equitably among the strategic partners.

Values-based food supply chains: Executive summary (PDF)

CROPP/Organic Valley is a 1,000-member, multi-regional farmer co-op marketing organic dairy, eggs, vegetables and other products. (PDF)

Country Natural Beef is a 100-member rancher cooperative in the northwestern United States. (PDF)

Shepherd's Grain is a 35-farmer LLC marketing sustainably grown and functionally specified flour in the northwestern United States. (PDF)

Red Tomato is a non-profit, market-oriented, fair-trade business supporting 35 fruit and vegetables farmers in the northeastern United States. (PDF)

Summaries of these case studies are available as CIAS Research Briefs:

Mid-scale food value chains case study: Country Natural Beef (PDF)

Mid-scale food value chains case study: Organic Valley (PDF)

Mid-scale food value chains case study: Shepherd's Grain (PDF)

Mid-scale food value chains case study: Red Tomato (PDF)