Consider this post from Grand Central Bakery: “We are in search of local rhubarb for pie season. We prefer once a week deliveries to our North Portland Bakery. We need 250-350 pounds per week while in season (April – July).”

FoodHub member Big B Farms responded to the post, struck a deal, and is now set to deliver rhubarb. “It was like magic,” said Grand Central Bakery’s Laura Ohm.

Help us keep making magic.

Not a FoodHub member? Join today.

Already a member? Be sure to read through and respond to those Marketplace Posts! It’s March Madness for sure.

Don’t you love the way they describe their business, their practices, their philosophy on partnerships, their willingness to send samples? I feel like I now know enough about them to know I want to know more!

Does your profile do all it can to market your business?

Type in a product you sell and hit the blue search button. Does your record come up in the search results? What? NO!?

Assuming you actually want interested buyers to find you, you might want to spend some time making sure your listing comes up in FoodHub’s search results. FoodHub’s search feature is entirely based on products. To make the most of your FoodHub membership, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve spent some time with the ‘My Products’ tab and that you’ve detailed all the products you sell.

FoodHub buyers, are there products you really want but can never seem to find or get enough of? Use the ‘My Products’ feature and list those products in your profile so that when potential suppliers go looking for buyers that might be interested, your listing shows up.

And remember, we are here to help. We’re improving and streamlining the ‘My Products’ tab right now (see previous post on this topic). In the meantime, don’t hesitate to send us your product lists or give us a call if you need any assistance.

Susan Wilch, Member Services Manager (503.467.0816 or meet@food-hub.org)

And then remember, the “Marketplace” is visible to every single FoodHub member upon login. Use the Marketplace section to shout about time sensitive things you have to sell or to alert the FoodHub community when you have something very specific you want to buy.

You should always, always, always check the Marketplace section; it changes frequently.

FoodHub member Herman Hemke of Quality Acres included information and a nice description about his soft white spring wheat flour on his profile (as well he should). I suggested that he post information about this specialty product in the Marketplace section too. Herman reported that once he posted his flour in the “Marketplace”, he had two potential buyers contact him the next day!

Now that’s a connection! Remember, I’m here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact me at 503.467.0816 or meet@food-hub.org. I’m happy to review your profile or offer suggestions to maximize your FoodHub experience.

Here’s just a few of the posts we’ve seen recently:

In the “WANTED” category:

• Looking to buy 40-60 dozen farm raised eggs in the Seattle area.
• Blueberries from Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish county in WA. Will buy fresh and field packed blueberries 100-200lb/week during the season for resale at our farmstand.
• Looking to contract with local farmer(s) to purchase entire season’s crop. We use approx 80+ bushels of habaneros per year. You can process/store or we can. Let’s Talk! We also need suppliers for market season – tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, jalapenos and cilantro.

In the “AVAILABLE” category:

• Farm fresh eggs. (Wonder if this person has seen the post for eggs above!?)
• New crop walnuts. Excellent freshness and flavor. In shell or hand cracked.
• Hard red and soft white wheat.
• Red potatoes and red beets.
• Wagyu beef: Restaraunt cuts of Tenderloin, New York, Top Sirloin & Prime Rib, Grade A-5. We also have hamburger in patties, in 15 lb boxes.

When a food buyer or seller sees your business listing for the first time after clicking Browse on FoodHub, what do they see? Nothing!? Or a pithy two or three lines of text that make them want to learn more about you?

On the SELLER side, check out:

Cattail Creek Lamb: Cattail Creek Lamb has been growing lambs in the Willamette Valley and selling lamb meat direct to restaurants, stores, and institutional buyers for 25 years. We’ve got the most tender and flavorful fresh dry-aged lamb you’ve ever had year round.

Applegate Valley Artisan Breads: We deliver a superior product and are willing to work with each chef in order to give them the exact type of breads that compliment their menus.

Creative Growers: Creative Growers grows certified organic vegetables and herbs for restaurants. All our products are handled and packaged to minimize the handling in the kitchen. Products are harvested to the order, and specifications of the individual chef.

On the BUYER side, check out:

Bamboo Sushi: Bamboo Sushi is the world’s first certified, sustainable sushi restaurant. We are dedicated to sourcing the highest quality fish, meats, and produce with the utmost concern for marine stewardship and sustainability.

Bon Appetit INTEL: INTEL’s several corporate campuses enjoy the Northwest’s finest local ingredients because of our commitment to supporting local farmers and food producers through our popular Farm to Fork program.

Garden State: We’re a food cart in Sellwood, specializing in Italian street food. Our goal is to be serving food produced locally whenever possible!

What kind of first impression are you making?

Need help? Call us at 503.467.0816 or email us at meet@food-hub.org or message us through the Admin Account on FoodHub.

Hhhmmm … we should put a picture of the FoodHub member services team there. We’ll do that right away!

This is just a friendly reminder that we strongly recommend you check YES.

The other day I heard from a farmer who had three unread inquiries from food buyers sitting in their ‘Message Center’ but didn’t realize it because they weren’t receiving email notifications from FoodHub. Why weren’t they getting this crucial information? They’d checked NO when asked if they wanted to receive email notifications from FoodHub.

Respond to potential new customer inquiries in a timely manner by checking YES.

(To make sure you have email notifications turned on, click ‘Edit profile’ from your ‘Dashboard’ tab.)