A local food co-op is offering $5,000 to support the local food economy of the Chequamegon Bay area. Alyssa Palmer has the story.

Since 2008, the Chequamegon Food Co-op has offered no interest loans to community members and businesses who work within the local food industry. For the first time this year, the co-op is also offering $5,000 in grants to further assist the community.

Chequamegon Food projects coordinator Alan Spaude-Filipczak says it feels good to know that they are helping people.

“What we’ve found in our area is that the demand for locally grown products has exceeded the supply. So what we are trying to do is provide small loans so farmer’s can get over a certain bottle neck in their production. Whether its in the field or in the pack house; a lot of these farmers come to us with a need just for one extra piece of equipment that will enable them to increase production and increase the amount of foods available.”

This season, the Chequamegon Food Co-op offered $11,000 in loans. The no interest loans have a two year payback period.

Claire Hints owns Elsewhere Farm in Herbster. Last season she used her loan to purchase a small walk behind tractor. “It’s a really nice program and it seems so small to grant a couple thousands dollars here and there to farmers. But really the way we can leverage that is huge. And it really let all of us last season expand our businesses incredibly.”

Hints says without the loan, it would have been years before she could have paid for the tractor.

“The loan was a Godsend, really. Because most of the time farmers have, and myself, I’m no exception… you can take out a larger loan to do things but sometimes its that little bit of cash in the beginning of the season that can really catapult your business into something much larger.” While the loans have been decided on, the grants are still up for grabs. The deadline for the grant applications is March 15.

You can visit Chequamegonfoodcoop.com for more information or call (715) 682-8251.

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