A strong, robust local food system supports our community in accessing healthy foods, supports and grows local food businesses (like farmers, ranchers, cottage food preparers, and food trucks), and supports the economic viability of our County. As Healthy Archuleta has continued to learn about the issues and opportunities in our local food system, the need for community infrastructure, such as a food hub, has emerged as a resource that could benefit Archuleta County.
For the past few years, Healthy Archuleta has been researching the concept of a Food Hub, a space that supports all aspects of the local food system through infrastructure such as a commercial kitchen, community food production, and educational programming. In early 2025, Healthy Archuleta was awarded a one-year planning grant from the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to gather community input on how a Food Hub could meet the needs of Archuleta County and develop a project plan ready for implementation. This process began with the establishment of the Food Hub Community Learning and Leadership Circle (CLLC), a community steering committee that includes town and county representatives, local food producers, food stakeholders, and other community members who have expressed interest in this project.
Why does Archuleta County need a Food Hub? Community members have continued to identify local infrastructure needs that would better support them in advancing a local food system. These have included ideas like a community commercial kitchen to support cottage food producers, caterers, food trucks, and others who want access to space and equipment to sustain and expand their businesses. Other ideas have included access to a year-round market where farmers, ranchers, and food producers could sell their products in the community to increase access to local, healthy foods. Additionally, community members have expressed a desire to purchase more local foods, learn how to grow their own foods and to preserve them for later use, and to prevent food waste through various strategies, including composting. A community food hub can provide the needed infrastructure to support these community needs and engage more community members in our local food system. In addition, the vision for this space is to support building community around the local food system, through infrastructure that supports local business, communal activities, and shared spaces.
Community Led Food Hub Planning
As part of this year-long planning process, the Food Hub CLLC has been reviewing information gathered by Healthy Archuleta, including the 2024 Community Survey and results of the Food Hub Needs Assessment. In response to these findings, several conceptual designs have been developed for consideration; and the Food Hub CLLC has been reviewing those designs, sharing insights on potential locations, infrastructure, and operational features.
Some of the elements of a Community Food Hub that are being considered include:
- An onsite commercial kitchen for local food businesses and cottage food producers, with the option to sell their products on-site.
- Indoor and outdoor growing spaces for year-round fresh produce and educational sessions.
- Space for ready-to-eat foods from local food trucks, indoor food vendors, and a retail market for local foods.
- A central dining area for community gathering that can also be used as an event space for communal activities.
- Educational and recreational areas for families, such as an outdoor playground, outdoor dining spaces (weather permitting), and classes on gardening, food preservation, healthy cooking, and related topics.
In the upcoming weeks, team members from Healthy Archuleta will be hosting information tables around town, reaching out to the community, and inviting feedback on the concept of a Food Hub space and what it would look like. We would really appreciate hearing from you! Please stop by our table at one of the locations, fill out our survey, and join us on this amazing journey to realize the dream of a space centered around local food and community. To learn more about this project, please visit our website at bit.ly/44ItTfW and to provide your feedback on the design features of the food hub please complete our survey at bit.ly/40q1Vmy.
Additionally, to learn more about the food hub in person, please visit our team at one of our upcoming tabling events, which you can find on the events and happenings tab of our website at https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/events–happenings.html.