www.farmhandfoods.com, Durham, NC, 27701 Farmhand Foods connects North Carolina's pasture-based livestock farmers with local food lovers, restaurants and retailers. They source from a network of small-scale farmers who raise their animals humanely, on pasture, without feeding antibiotics or animal by-products or using added hormones. Farmhand Foods does the legwork necessary to get a consistent selection of quality local meats into local markets. A woman owned business, co-founders, Jennifer Curtis & Tina Prevatte, are passionate about supporting family farms and building a sustainable local food system here in North Carolina. They are committed to paying farmers fairly and to conducting business with transparency so their customers know exactly where your food comes from and how it was raised. I'm excited about their potential to scale and have a real and meaningful impact on the sustainability of our local food economy here in the south. After less than a year in business, they have developed a network of close to 20 producers and sell fresh pasture-raised beef and pork cuts & value-added products to approximately 30 restaurants, retailers & specialty grocery stores. Response to their marketing and brand has been really positive here in my home town of Durham as well as nationally where their logo just won a Gold ADDY award. Check out their mobile Sausage Wagon at the website - the sausages are delicious!

http://abiliciousbakery.com/ P.O. Box 940, Pittsboro, NC 27312 Abi Wilson didn't get discouraged when she discovered she had allergies to gluten. Instead, she got busy. With the help of two Slow Money loans, one for a industrial mixer and the other for a commercial grade oven in 2010, she started Abilicious Bakery. Abi makes delicious gluten-free baked goods and granolas, inventing fabulous recipes and adding new customers almost daily! She sources local ingredients as much as possible, sells at local Farmer's Markets, and runs her own gluten-free CSA, or rather CSB. Her snickerdoodles can't be beat. She's added an employee, picked up several wholesale accounts with local stores and restaurants, and hopes to expand into a store-front one day. She is the epitome of an industrious, young, engaging entrepreneur. She's a sterling example of what Slow Money is all about, and Abi would be a tremendous asset to the National Gathering.

Clean Food. Simply Made. Intentionally Good For You.

At Journey To Bliss, we make a line of prepared, raw, vegan food products under the brand name Intentional Food. We strive to employ every concept of intention in our products—from ethically obtained ingredients of the highest nutritional value, to conscious packaging and business practices. We are located in Smyrna, Tennessee, where Intentional Food is produced in a certified commercial kitchen.

Our product mix consists of fresh, raw vegetable entrees, nut and seed-based fermented cheeses, and fruit and nut desserts. We use the freshest and cleanest ingredients, and prepare each dish without damaging the precious nutrients.

As food activists, we work to support local organic farmers, demonstrating our belief in the importance of contributing to sustainable, living economies, both locally and globally.

The mission of Journey To Bliss is to make food the center of everyone’s world, so the quality standards of life itself can be raised to realize the full potential of every living being.

http://www.journeytobliss.com

Dig It Local is committed to growing our local food economy by helping farmers extend their market reach with minimal investment, and by introducing a new community of people to the joys, and new tastes of eating fresh, healthy, locally grown and produced foods.

We work with the vendors at farmers' markets to make their goods available online. We then take that online marketplace to an organization outside the reach of the market where people's busy schedules often complicate access to local food. Employees are then able to learn about the farmers and food makers and place custom orders online. Dig It Local meets the vendors at market, collects the orders, and delivers them fresh to the organization.
-131 Chestnut St Middleboro, MA

www.ploughsharefarm.com Ploughshare Farm has been a proven sucessful CSA model, growing vegetables to over a 1000 people thoughout MN since 2002. Ploughshare Farm also has a mission of helping connect thos that would otherwise be unable to afford organic vegetables. The owner, Gary Brever is the founder of the "Food For Folk Project," an innovative idea that connects local farms with foodshelves thoughout the state of MN. The Food For Folk Project, now headed up by the Emergency Foodshelf Network's, "Harvest for the Hungry Program" enables farmers to get a fair price for their produce while at the same time providing fresh produce on the plates of low income families. In addition, Ploughshare Farm has been pioneers of the concept of the "Frozen Winter Share." They started blanching and freezing their produce and offering shares of their organic produce through out the winter months. This marketing model allows farms to utilize most of the vegetables they grow and be able to stay connected with their CSA members through out the year.

The Saxapahaw General Store epitomizes slow money, local food, community and a wonderful zeitgeist. They rightfully call themselves "Your local five-star gas station." The food is cooked to order by a great group of guys that the owner has personally shepherded and taught. The co-owner, Jeff, also the chef, is trained as a butcher and brings his love of well-raised meats to star on an ever-changing menu. They are huge supporters of local farmers -- the kind of place where you can drop in with a few dozen eggs -- extras from your backyard flock -- and they will happily add them for sale in the cooler. Same with produce. The isles are lined with local, handcrafted items such as soaps, hand-spun wool, herbal preparations and so much more. They are becoming famous for their goat burger, which came about because a local goat farmer stopped in and asked them to try his meat. All of the pastries are made fresh, in house. Everything about slow money is embodied here! -- this business can be found at: Saxapahaw, N.C. 336-376-5332 http://saxapahawgeneralstore.blogspot.com/

Out of the Box Collective is a weekly home delivery service based in Los Angeles, bringing local, traceable, sustainably-produced groceries to your doorstep, accompanied by a mealplan and recipes to see you through the week. Eat the Love!

MISSION:
Our single mission at Out Of The Box is summed up in one phrase, EAT THE LOVE!
Eat The Love is the mother mission of these powerful, integrated aims:

To create a sustainable distribution system for local produce and artisan-made products, with minimum food miles.

To facilitate people’s growing desire to eat local.

To encourage the development of sustainable farming and local artisans

To introduce our customers to the farmers and artisans of the Collective through family-friendly farm events, workshops and meals

To nurture people's health as well as the health of the planet

To build what we offer round delicious recipes that make use of ALL the food we curate so there's minimum waste and maximum deliciousness

To reduce people’s shopping time, so they have more time to Slow down and enjoy life!

To encourage people to cook and dine on delicious, nutrient-dense meals, together with their family and friends

To move our Food Dollars into our local community, and support our local economy

Add these all together and you get to eat the love...

Egg is a small farm-to-table restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that recently received its "Snail of Approval" from Slow Foods. It also operates a 6 acre farm in Oak Hill, NY which supplies most of the produce for the restaurant. In addition, Egg has taken the initiative to expand excess to farm foods and funding in the Williamsburg community. They are currently partnered with the Automotive High School to support the "Food, Land and You" program, which teaches students about food and agriculture through gardening. Their bi-annual fundraising dinners make field trips to local farms in NY a reality and also provide funding for the school garden. Egg is also beginning a partnership with the NYC Wellness in the Schools program which aims to improve the public school lunch program. Egg is committed to investing in the community, the land and the future. -- this business can be found at: Brooklyn mail@pigandegg.com 718 302 5151 http://www.pigandegg.com

Indigenous is all about beautiful hand made fashion that is good for people & the planet.
• We design and market premium organic & fair trade apparel to specialty retailers across the United States.
• What is Organic Apparel? It is apparel made from natural fibers that are grown organically without the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals.
• What is Fair Trade? Fair trade is an alternative to Sweat Shop Labor that ensures workers receive a fair living wage and are treated with dignity & respect.
• Indigenous is driven by a passion to increase demand for certified organic and fair trade fashion products creating a wholelistic supply chain providing artisans at the base of the pyramid a living wage.

Little City Kitchen Co. is a San Francisco Bay Area producer of organic, handcrafted, frozen baby food with and International twist. We're built around the belief exposing kids at an early age to various flavors, textures, and spices sets them up to be healthy eaters later in life. The majority of our ingredients are sourced directly from farms within 100 miles of the Bay Area. There’s nothing better than turning locally grown fruits & vegetables (likely harvested yesterday!) into baby food that nourishes our youngest eaters. Some of our fun flavors include Cuban black beans with roasted plantain, mango & coconut and Jewish potato latke with caramelized onions, apples & parsley. For selling locations and additional information, visit www.littlecitykitchenco.com.

http://www.archisacres.com Archi’s Acres is a small scale Slow Money organic hydroponic farm in Southern California operated by decorated Marine Sergeant Colin Archipley and his wife Karen. The Archipleys created the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training program, the first in the country to offer combat veterans training and placement services in sustainable agriculture. With veteran joblessness at 17% - twice the national average – the VSAT program provides a transition to a civilian career of purpose and possibility. The six-week, hands-on, seed to market course also provides combat warriors with a decompressive farm environment, while they learn advanced sustainable agriculture practices. Please visit the web site for more information and pass it along to a veteran you know!