Fermenting Relationships: Food and Farm Forum Happy Hour

The Western Colorado Food and Farm Forum is an annual conference focused on the latest and most relevant agricultural and food system issues facing the food community in that region. tasteMAKERS' Cat Neville hosted a Fermenting Relationships happy hour during this year's conference, chatting with Lance Hanson of Jack Rabbit Hill Farm, Steve Ela of Ela Family Farms and Matthew Guzzetti of Root & Flower plus Barry Pennell and Shawn Gardener of the West Slope Regional Partnership.

At the heart of the discussion was the value that relationships bring to the interconnected web of our local and regional food systems. Relationships are the bedrock of the independent food industry.

Here, we explored the connection between Lance, a biodynamic vintner and distiller; Steve, an organic farmer; and Matt, a bartender specializing in craft beverages. Lance relies on Steve to grow impeccable apples, peaches and pears for his CapRock gin and brandy. In turn, Steve relies on Lance placing orders for that fruit — and Lance can only place those orders for the fruit if people like Matt are interested in buying that apple-based gin or the pear brandy. In turn, Matt is able to sell more product — and product at a higher price point — because of the story behind that CapRock spirit he purchased from Lance … it’s all tied together, from the farmer to the maker to the purveyor to the consumer. When one of the links of that chain of relationships weakens or breaks, the whole system is impacted.

Local food matters. It’s not a “trend” or a feel-good slogan. Across the nation, our local and regional food systems have real, substantial economic and social value.