Schnucks Markets Inc., St. Louis, is pledging to buy more than $5 million of local produce and other goods this year.
The retailer has 112 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, according to a news release.
The company created a partnership with Foodshed.io, a logistics and marketing platform, to build on relationships with farmers while establishing new ones, according to the release.
“Our continued support of local farms allows us to also provide the best quality and freshest produce to our customers who have supported us for more than 80 years,” Mike Tipton, vice president of produce, said in the release.
Foodshed.io, which originated in New York City, participated in St. Louis-based Yield Lab Incubator, as part of a growing Ag Tech Innovation community.
“We are proud to be working with a family-owned and operated company like Schnucks to bring one of the most innovative platforms for local sourcing to the five states they serve,” Dan Beckmann, CEO of Foodshed.io, said in the release. “Being afforded the opportunity to establish a clean, safe, reliable, fresh and local supply chain with these amazing family farms is an honor and a privilege.”
Beckmann said the pandemic has made it more important to support local suppliers and farms.
Schnucks defines local as any product that is no further than a five-hour drive from any Schnucks stores.
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