About Our Mission
We're building a local food marketplace for Chicago that connects people with producers within 150 miles.
We're launching soon. Ordering isn't open yet, and no producers are signed up. Here is why we're doing this.
Our Story & Mission
We believe our food system is broken, and that it doesn't have to be. Produce grows out of the ground. Getting it from a field to a table near that field should be simple, and today it isn't.
We believe scale has pushed out the small farmer, and that food prices now follow things that have nothing to do with food: long-distance transport, global oil prices and events far away. A vegetable grown down the road shouldn't cost more because of them.
Our mission is to give local farms, gardens and growers a real role again. Producers must be within 150 miles, and each customer will be served by producers within 150 miles of where they live.
We also want to be honest about food. Prepared food on CFT must list every ingredient, and each one must be something you would find in a home kitchen. We never show a made-up producer, rating or certification. Products and prices you see before launch are clearly marked examples.
Our Core Values
Resilient Communities
We believe strong, independent local communities are the foundation of a healthy society and economy.
Radical Transparency
We plan to show where food comes from and how it was made, with each practice labelled as the producer's own statement.
True Food Freedom
We want you to be able to buy food directly from local producers who care about their craft and community.
How Community FarmTable Works
How we plan for Community FarmTable to work once it launches.
None of this is live yet. Delivery and pickup details will be announced before launch.
For Consumers
- 1.
Find producers within 150 miles of where you live
- 2.
Filter by product type and the producer's stated practices
- 3.
Order directly from producers through the site
- 4.
Choose pickup or delivery, once those options are set
For Producers
- 1.
Describe your farm or kitchen in your own profile
- 2.
List products with your own pricing and availability
- 3.
Receive orders from customers near you
- 4.
Choose how customers collect your products
Information Access
- 1.
A directory of approved producers near you
- 2.
Pointers to other local food sources, even ones not on our site
- 3.
Education on food system issues and community resilience
- 4.
Ways for neighbours to buy together
Join the Food Independence Movement
We believe the food system is broken, and that we can build something better, community by community.
Community FarmTable stands for honesty, local producers, and direct connections between the people who grow our food and those who eat it. Join the waitlist to hear when we launch.