Dec 30, 2018
On episode 53 of Sourcing Matters we welcome leadership from the
The Carrot Project. Based out of Massachusetts, The Carrot
Project creates a sustainable local farm and food economy by
providing financing and business assistance so farm and food
enterprises thrive. With a goal to foster a sustainable,
diverse food system by supporting small and midsized farms and
farm-related businesses - The Carrot Project is expanding
accessible financing and increasing farm operations’ ability to use
it to build successful, ecologically and financially sustainable,
businesses.
Joining us for the 45 minute discussion is The Carrot Project
founder and Executive Director Dorothy Suput. Suput's commitment to
a sustainable food system grew out of the incredible contrasts
between Midwestern agriculture, with which she grew up, and the
locally focused food and farming system in Switzerland, where she
lived after graduating with a BS from Purdue University. Following
graduate school at Tufts, Dorothy worked as the first regional
organizer on the 1995 Farm Bill for the Northeast Sustainable
Agriculture Working Group under the auspices of the Campaign for
Sustainable Agriculture, and subsequently, as a consultant for
business and agency.
Also profiled in this episode is Julia Shanks, who serves as the
Senior Business Advisor to The Carrot Project, and is owner &
principal of Julia Shanks food Consulting. Shanks brings a broad
range of professional experiences to her clients, from pilot to
chef to serial entrepreneur. Julia received her professional
training as a chef at the California Culinary Academy in San
Francisco, her BA from Hampshire College and an MBA from Babson
College. After more than 10 years of professional cooking, Julia
became a college professor of accounting and now works with food
businesses and farms, helping them maximize profits and streamline
operations through business planning, feasibility studies and
operational audits. Julia’s second book, The Farmer’s Office
provides tips, tools and templates for farmers to successfully
manage a growing farm business.
Co-host Jennifer Hashley of The New Entry Sustainable Farming
Project happens to also be a strategic advisor to The Carrot
Project, and as always, Jen brings a wealth of knowledge and
understanding to round out our interesting
conversation. Tune-In to these agents of change focused on a
more stable and regional food system based on pragmatic economic
modeling and a better understanding of the interests of a modern
consumer.