Every day you can tune into the news and see a changing world. It’s always been that way, but it seems that some trends that we’ve long known about are accelerating. Climate change, increased flooding, forest fires, disease spread and other negative impacts are forcing us to reconsider our priorities. There’s so many individuals, corporations, organizations and government initiatives out there. Often, it can be tough to know where to focus our efforts to live a healthier, lower eco-impact life. What we eat and where we source our food from can be a part of the solution.
Local food is more nutritious and has a lower carbon footprint than internationally-sourced options. On the health side, this is because the time between harvest and enjoyment is decreased, maintaining nutrient value. Plus, without your food being transported across the globe, you’re saving on climate-affecting carbon emissions.
Consider that grapes from South America and rice from Asia both travel 10,000km. Wow.
Looking to affect positive outcomes for proper, equitable and progressive change, Paul Sawtell saw an opportunity. Paul is the co-founder and owner of 100km Foods Inc., an award winning local food distribution company. The organization partners with chefs and farmers across the Greater Toronto Area. In doing so, they bring locally-grown food direct from over 140 Ontario producers to restaurants, hotels, retailers and individuals.
Setting Down New Roots Based on Values
Paul didn’t start off in the food or logistics spaces. He graduated from Queen’s University and entered the pharmaceutical industry to kick off his career. Unfortunately, Paul shares, he wasn’t exactly getting the impact that he hoped for. He left that career and worked for public health, thinking that that would be more aligned with his values. That, too, was not the right fit. Together, he and his partner, Grace, quit their jobs, paused their careers and traveled for several months in Asia.
Upon their return from abroad, they began looking forward again with a more nuanced set of values that were more inclusive and positively impactful on others and the planet.
Seeking to further explore their values, in 2007, Paul and Grace were at a forum in Toronto focused on the politics of local food. There was a lively panel discussion between farmers and chefs. The biggest takeaway was they both said that they wanted to work with each other. But, for a variety of reasons, they couldn’t make it happen. Paul recalls that the perception was that it was very challenging due to the physical distance, lack of time, resources and skills to make the connection. At that moment in the audience of the auditorium, Paul and Grace had a twinkle in their eye.
The lightbulb moment went off and one of them (they still argue over who) wrote “100 kilometre foods?” on a napkin.
That was literally the birth of this new business and values-based idea.
Growing Local Food from the Ground Up
Fortunately, despite having zero money as a result of their travels, they managed to cold call some chefs in Toronto. Paul mentions that – much to their surprise – they got responses almost immediately from some of the top players in the city at the time. So Paul thought they were either super foolish or were on to something. Shortly thereafter, they started meeting chefs – there was no business at that point… it was just an idea – and said, hypothetically, if we could connect you to a network of local farmers, would you be interested? The resounding answer was “YES!”
Fast forward to 2019, 100km Foods grew to over 140 Ontario producers with $91 million in additional revenue generated within the local economy.
While supporting local farmers, there was the added eco benefit of a 92% average reduction in food kilometres travelled. Plus, over 500 restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area were excitedly serving Ontario’s freshest local produce.
Partnerships as the Basis for Growth
Paul admits that the concept of 100km Foods doesn’t sound overly complicated. But as innovators in the space, there was a fundamental belief in partnerships. What’s best for the organization – and by extension – the farmer and chef partners, was that everyone wins.
The magic formula is that it truly has to be mutually beneficial for everyone involved.
Without any experience in food, logistics or with farmers, it was truly a blank slate. Paul recalls that the effective approach during initial meetings with restauranteurs was to ask a lot of questions. For instance, “what is your supply chain like today?” or “how does this need to work from your perspective?” and “how much flexibility is there in your current approach?”
Similarly, on the farm side of things, those initial conversations were, “what does this need to look like for you to work?” Paul is proud to say that it was his and Grace’s role to find that line of best fit between the needs and desires from the farm partners and chef partners. Reflecting back today, the line of best fit in 2018 looks unrecognizable today, but remains based on a respectful foundation.
Choosing to Value Local Food
For many readers, we are fortunate to be able to make an informed choice every time we leave our homes to go food shopping. Do we go to a big chain store? Are we selecting organic or local produce? Is there a Farmer’s Market within walking distance? For many, Paul recognizes it’s simply not an option.
If you can choose local options, Paul sees that there is an innate and inherent value in a connection – and knowledge – of where your food comes from.
For many living a typical in the North American food culture, they may argue that “food is food.” And Paul realizes that 100km Foods isn’t for everyone. But for many cultures around the world, farming is much closer to the table than here. That connection to food – and where food comes from – is as simple as breathing. In Southern Italy, where Grace’s family is from, there is the understanding that you simply wouldn’t buy a tomato in January. It’s out of season and just doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t compute. There are hyper-local traditions with food that are valued and celebrated as an integral part of living.
Making the Connection in a Crowded Marketplace
North Americans are often living in a culture of convenience when it comes to food, suggests Paul. You can go and get dragon fruit, strawberries and pineapple any day of the year going into a grocery store.
There’s something inherently valuable to know that your fruit is from down the road, knowing that you’re supporting the local farmers and local communities.
As a result, there is a feel-good aspect, but the end of the day, the quality has to be there to not just be a fad.
What Paul is most proud about is that repeatedly chefs will rave about 100km Food’s ingredients. To Paul and Grace, the best compliment they can receive is that chefs say they “just don’t have to do much to the ingredients.” That means they are serving it fresh. They aren’t crafting complex recipes and freeze drying something. It’s not that chefs need to foam and powder this or that ingredient.
Farm fresh food can basically be cooked and plated. That is a testament to the quality and the pride that the chef has in their ingredients.
Paul is certainly proud to be a conduit to help make that happen in a partnership-based model. And that’s certainly a nice change to see as 100km Foods ups not just the quality of the food served in leading restaurants but therefore the quality of experience, too. That’s change we can all live with.
In Partnership With
Paul Sawtell is the co-founder and owner of 100km Foods Inc., an award winning local food distribution company. The organization partners with chefs and farmers to bring locally grown food direct from over 140 Ontario producers to Toronto area restaurants, hotels, retailers and individual consumers.
Tim Bishop, CM is a multi-disciplined executive with a proven record of optimizing strategic efforts to expand the influence of leading organizations, such as the Canadian Marketing Association, Cineplex Entertainment, Lavalife.com, IMI International and Northstar Research Partners. In Partnership With is his latest focus to curate Canadian marketing experts to celebrate the power of strategic partnerships in a perspective-based content series.