FoodHub is an online marketplace that connects local food producers and buyers. It allows members to list products, contact each other directly, and easily search the marketplace with filters. The goal is to facilitate business-to-business connections and help get local, seasonal food into various venues like schools and restaurants. In the first year, over 1,100 new members joined and utilized the messaging and marketplace features to make connections that expanded their markets and product lines. FoodHub has received recognition for its innovative approach and contribution to the local food economy.

1. FoodHub
Designed and submitted by: ISITE Design
Created for: EcoTrust
http://food-hub.org/
Contact: Katie Del Angel | Marketing Specialist
kdelangel@isitedesign.com| 617-401-2282
Document location:
http://www.slideshare.net/ISITEDesign/food-hub

2. Customer Journey Snapshots

3. Customer Journey Snapshots

4. Customer Journey Snapshots
Users can update products to sell
or buy, specifying everything
from certifications and claims to
buying plans and packaging.

5. Customer Journey Snapshots
Members can
contact and message
others directly in
FoodHub.

6. Customer Journey Snapshots
Members can easily
search for products
with different filters
in the Marketplace.

7. Project Description
FoodHub is an online community for professional food people. It’s open to
commercial buyers, producers, distributors, media, industry suppliers, farmers’
market managers, and trade associations in
California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Tiered membership
lets organizations choose the features they need; entry-level membership is
always free.
Buyers, sellers, and distributors can connect with others in FoodHub’s extensive
directory through the marketplace.
Business-to-business connections facilitated by FoodHub help put high-
quality, seasonal food in schools, restaurants, grocery stores and homes.

8. Project Purpose & Goal
In the past, local food producers (farmers, ranchers, bakers, fishermen, wineries)
would list product information in bulky print directories for buyers to peruse. This
presented a time-consuming challenge for buyers and sellers, and there was a
large need to facilitate a better way to find and exchange goods.
FoodHub’s platform provides a more dynamic means for local, sustainable buyers
and sellers to exchange product information, as well as communicate directly
through the site to handle logistics through the entire search, sale, delivery and
follow-up process.

9. User Experience
The team sees FoodHub’s role as that of a matchmaker. Members might develop
a long-term relationship or make only a single connection -- it’s not for us to
judge. We simply aim to create an environment of relevant discovery that
addresses a farmer’s needs as different from (but equally as important as) those
of a caterer, dairyman, or distributor.
FoodHub is changing the way its members do business; we know this because
they tell us on a regular basis:
“...broadens our market with just a click...”
“...cuts out a lot of the leg work and makes the initial contact a friendlier experience.”
“With the connections we find *...+, we can extend and refine our product line...”
Some of our favorite stories stem from local food’s reach into our schools. For
example: Portland Public Schools features one regionally grown item on their
menu each month so students can learn about and taste regional agriculture. At
20,000 meals a day, the district is one of the largest in the state and is challenged
to find producers who can meet its volume. FoodHub is a key resource.

10. Notable Metrics
Inside the Numbers:
1,106 new members joined in year 1
In one year…
1,855 message center messages
545 Marketplace posts
371 Marketplace responses

11. Recognition for Innovation in UX
• The Oregonian – Tackling Agricultural
Challenges
• Fast Company – Top 10 Most Innovative
Companies in Food
• Urban Farm Hub – Scope and Scale of
FoodHub
• Sustainable Business Oregon – FoodHub gets
Portland on Fast Cities List