Sweetgreen fights for farmers markets’ survival: ‘There’s no harder work’ than farming

Sweetgreen is trying to make sure Farmers’ markets survive Because of the vital role they play in society and as a crucial source of income for farmers.

Earlier this month, the fast-food chain, founded by Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Rowe and Jonathan Nyman in 2006, announced its support for Food Access LA, a nonprofit that oversees eight farmers markets in Los Angeles that were at risk of closing.

In an effort to sustain it, Sweetgreen has pledged to cover the nonprofit’s operating costs through 2025, which will help sustain small-scale agriculture and support food and beverage entrepreneurs while enhancing food security in the country. Disadvantaged neighborhoods.

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Jammet, who serves as chief concept officer, stressed the importance of these markets, telling FOX Business that for many people, they are often the only places where fresh foods are accessible. The markets, now financially supported by Sweetgreen, serve more than 10,000 visitors each week throughout the Los Angeles area. Some of them Farmers advantage On which Sweetgreen depends.

“Farmers markets have played a very important role in how we build, develop and discover our own food ethos,” Jammet said.

In the company’s early days, Jammet and his co-founders frequently visited the Dupont Circle Farmers’ Market in Washington, D.C., where they built direct relationships with local producers, who “later formed the foundation of Sweet Green’s first menu,” Jammet said.

The company still buys from farmers it first established relationships with 15 years ago, Jammet said.

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“In the midst of inflation, it is important for consumers and businesses to support small food farmers and markets,” he added.

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While he hears a lot about how hard the restaurant business is, he says, “It’s very hard to be a farmer.”

“There is no harder job,” Jammet said. “Their profit margins can be very slim, and many of them survive from season to season.” “A lot of times I think farmers markets are where farmers make most of their profit margins because they buy and Direct selling to customers. “So it’s a really important source of income for a lot of farmers.”

These markets “make it possible for farmers to earn up to four times what they earn through traditional grocery settings,” said Jennifer Grissom, executive director of Food Access LA.