In towns and cities across North America, a quiet revolution is underway. Fed up with sending their money off to make a fast buck in faraway markets, people are putting their money to work where they live, in markets they trust and understand - starting with food.
Financing Our Foodshed is a collection of real-life stories of these Slow Money pioneers and the local food entrepreneurs - sustainable farmers, bakers, restaurateurs, and more - they have chosen to support.
Fueled by their desire to do more than just eat local food, lenders of "nurture capital" make low-interest, peer-to-peer loans to the people who produce, process, distribute and sell local food. Meet these passionate food entrepreneurs like:
- Abi, a talented artist-turned-baker, borrowed the funds to start a gluten-free bakery.
- Angelina, an owner of a Greek local foods restaurant, refinanced exorbitant credit card debt incurred by renovations.
- Chatham Marketplace, a much-loved grocery co-op whose monthly loan payments were reduced by a third thanks to an ambitious collaboration between 16 investors.
Financing Our Foodshed tells the compelling stories of ordinary people doing something extraordinary. It will appeal to anyone who understands the critical importance of sustainably grown local food and resilient local economies and wants a blueprint to get us there.