The Midwest's Premier Local Food Event

The Financing Farm to Fork conference is bringing together food access advocates, investors, farmers, food businesses, urban food producers, financiers and funders to help create new financing opportunities. The conference is produced by FamilyFarmed.org and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business is a primary sponsor.

Panelists that day include many Chicago leaders in food access and community food development. National speakers include Karen Karp, Sabrina Baronberg, and Michel Nischan. Karp and Baronberg have worked with the city of New York to develop their Green Carts program, which now has over 200 peddlers selling produce in neighborhoods with limited food access. Michel Nischan, is a James Beard award winning chef and president of the Wholesome Wave Foundation, which promotes the sale of fresh local food in low-income communities. Wholesome Wave is making grants to double the value of benefit coupons used at Farmers Markets in Chicago and other cities across the country.

Here is the full line-up of workshops

8:30-9:30 Opening Keynote

·         Linda Darragh, University of Chicago Business School

·         Andy Whitman, 2 X Consumer Products Growth Partners

9:45-11:00 Building Food Access

An overview of food access issues and innovative ways to create more access to fresh food in food desert.s

·         Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave Foundation

·         Erika Allen, Growing Power

·         Karen Karp, Karp Resources, (Green Carts New York City)

·         Sabrina Baronberg, NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene

·         Patsy Benveniste, Chicago Botanic Garden

·         Moderated by Warren King, Wellspring Management

11:15-12:30 Urban Success Stories

Creating jobs and economic development through urban food companies and training programs.

·         Brenda Palms Barber, Beeline Honey

·         Harry Rhodes, Growing Home

·         Sean Cunneen, Inspiration Corporation

·         Mari Gallagher – Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting

·         Moderated by Charlotte Flinn, Flinn Consultants

1:30 –2:45 Innovative Organization Forms for Sustainable Food Businesses

Exploring how social enterprises are being created, structured, and funded.

·         Woody Tasch, Slow Money Institute

·         Ted Levinson, RSF Social Finance

·         Marc J. Lane, Marc J. Lane Wealth Group

·         Moderated by Karen Lehman, Fresh Taste

3:00 –4:30 pm Afternoon Plenary

·         Tom Jennings, Director Illinois Dept. of Agriculture

·         Jim Slama, Family Farmed.org

·         Woody Tasch, author Slow Money

4:30 Financing Fair and Reception