How Tatiana Garcia-Granados’ nonprofit enterprise, The Common Market, is bringing healthful food to low-income communities and lifting local farmers' livelihoods.
“One major reason we sought SQF certification is to make sure our small farmers aren’t cut out from doing business with these large food buyers and that those they serve don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy local, fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables."
The Common Market worked more than a year to boost their already stringent NSF International-certified food safety practices to meet SQF standards in food safety training, hazard analysis, allergen prevention, site security, crisis management, waste disposal, sanitation, and many other areas.
The Common Market of Philadelphia recently earned SQF Level 2 certification by the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI). The nonprofit local food distributor audit scored “excellent,” SQFI’s highest rating.
Since its introduction to our menu earlier in 2016, our Roasted Wheat Berry salad has been a fan favorite, thanks in large part to the local goat cheese provided by Kirchenberg Goat Farm in Fleetwood, PA. Through our friends at The Common Market, we met with farmer John Zimmerman and toured his 120+ goat, chicken + horse farmland, to see where our delicious goat cheese comes from.
Representatives from several hospitals in Philadelphia were honored by a local nonprofit on Wednesday for their efforts toward making the city healthier. According to a press release for the ceremony, when anchor institutions commit to providing local and healthy food, farms increase their production to meet that demand. This increases jobs and financing opportunities for more money to be spent locally.
Currently 10 Philadelphia hospitals are participating in the initiative — part of the health department’s “Get Healthy Philly program — that began two years ago. The program is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the city health department with technical assistance, educational resources and marketing support from The Common Market, a distributor of local foods to the Mid-Atlantic region.
Six local hospitals were honored at City Hall Wednesday for increasing access to fresh, healthy food for patients, employees and visitors. One honoree, Temple University Hospital, has transformed their cafeteria, offering more fruits and vegetables thanks to The Common Market, a non-profit which helps distribute local produce.
If you've ever opted for a Boston Lettuce Cup stir-fry at honeygrow, you've tasted the passion, love + hard work that the Gehman family puts into their hydroponic farming operation in Telford, PA. Thanks to our friends at The Common Market, we were able to tour the Gehman greenhouses to see what makes their lettuce, pea shoots + basil stand out. Read on as Tim Gehman provides a brief history of their operation, with additional insight from Margaret Smith of The Common Market.
Though affluent Philadelphians had long been enjoying local fare at restaurants and from farmers markets, Johnston says, “access to good food had not yet been democratized.” “We want to make local food in an institutional context the norm.”
Our friendly and educated team is here to partner with you every step of the way. Connect today to learn of all the ways to partner with The Common Market.
"The Common Market Texas is bringing critical support to our region of small farmers! Without [them], businesses like ours would have fewer options for growth. As a grower for and customer of The Common Market, the benefits of this organization's work is clear. They are creating greater and meaningful access to fresh, local food."
— Daniella Lewis, Plant It Forward Farms