FAMILY FARMERS                                                    

Mandela Foods and Mandela MarketPlace have a strong commitment to local, under-resourced and minority producers. We have long-term working relationships with farmers who use sustainable farming practices from Bakersfield, Fresno, Dinuba, Watsonville, Salinas, Gilroy, Livingston and Modesto.

Our Produce Distribution Center supports small, local farms by establishing a local, alternative distribution network that passes on wholesale prices to networks of neighborhood stores and other community based businesses.  40% of the produce at Mandela Foods Cooperative comes directly from local family farms.

The farm families we work with produce enough to support their families, steward the soil, and leave a secure legacy for their children. However, many cannot access mainstream distribution channels and market their produce to established distributors in the urban centers where their primary retail markets exist.  MMPlace provides an alternative distribution network that services under resourced producers and links to an emerging urban retail base that improves the financial stability of these producers.

Mandela Marketplace leveraged resources for a warehouse, cold storage unit, cargo van and a produce buyer to distribute foods from marginalized farmers to small stores, market booths and community institutions that would not otherwise have reliable access to these foods at discounted prices.