Overview
This cooperative research project examined innovative models that integrate locally and regionally produced food into independently owned and rural grocery stores. Independent grocers play a critical role in providing access to affordable and nutritious food in both urban and rural areas. However, they often face logistical, financial, and supply-side barriers to sourcing local food on scale.
The Rural Grocery Initiative (RGI) at Kansas State University, in partnership with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), identified innovative local sourcing practices to support replication across communities. The project explored how specific business models, infrastructure, and community engagement strategies could be leveraged to strengthen local food supply chains and grocery store viability. The study also sought to highlight the economic and social value of integrating local foods into independently owned grocery retail.
The research team developed five in-depth case studies of businesses and organizations that have pioneered solutions to increase local food access in grocery stores, as well as a comparison chart of the five models and a final project report.
Key Takeaways
Each of the five models studied employed distinct strategies to improve access to local food through independent or locally-owned grocery outlets. Common challenges across these models include the need for infrastructure investments, building trust-based relationships with producers, and reliance on startup or operational grants to grow operational infrastructure and serve more customers in their regions. The five case study grocers include:
- Farm Runners (Colorado) – A distribution focused model sourcing from over 100 producers and reaching 500+ customers.
- Rolling Grocer (New York) – A nonprofit store model that operates under a three-tiered Fair Pricing System that subsidizes the cost of purchases for low-income residents.
- Farm to Freezer (Michigan) – A for-profit processor and distribution focused model that freezes produce from 40+ small and mid-sized farmers.
- Farmacy Marketplace (Mississippi) – A nonprofit grocery store model that serves rural communities.
- Balls Food Stores (Kansas/Missouri) – A family-owned supermarket model that addresses local food sourcing bottlenecks by building a central warehouse to aggregate and distribute local food to over 50 stores in the Kansas City metro area. Resources
Local Sourcing Innovation – Executive Summary
Kansas State University’s Rural Grocery Initiative Project Page
Publication Date
September 2025