The Center for Environmental Farming Systems at NCSU featured Bull City Cool as one of several case studies about local food economy development in North Carolina. The two-page published paper, “Durham, NC: Creating Space to Revitalize Community & Health,” does an excellent job of highlighting the benefits of Bull City Cool’s business model at the micro and macro levels:
“With Reinvestment Partners as landlord to the project, the tenants occupying the building are committed to aggregating and distributing fresh, local produce. The collaborative approach to food system development allows for Reinvestment Partners to leverage their organizational capacity and real estate expertise while tenants like Farmer Foodshare and Interfaith Food Shuttle can focus on their strengths of food procurement and customer connections. Bull City Cool tenants are committed to the work of identifying both producers and consumers while Reinvestment Partners is devoted to maintaining and enhancing the facility’s offerings…
The project’s benefits extend beyond the act of putting fresh, local veggies on the community’s plate. By building the infrastructure for a local food system, Bull City Cool provides increased access to market opportunities for local farmers, creates a space for food entrepreneurs to learn and grow, and advocates for mutually beneficial relationships between local institutions seeking healthy food options and the local small-scale farmers who often are not considered in urban development decisions. These relationships allow for the local economy to reap the benefits of maintaining the food dollar and its multiplier effects.”
Read the full case study HERE!