The Pitch
New Orleans Food & Farm Network work to create a local food economy built by local farmers growing food and food entrepreneurs making products from this local food. They help catalyze this economy’s growth by providing support, capacity-building, and technical assistance to emerging food and farming projects. Edible Enterprises provides food and farmer entrepreneurs with tools and resources necessary to develop and successfully market specialty food products, thereby building the local food economy of the Greater New Orleans regions.
@EDibleEnt on Twitter
Edible Enterprises on Facebook
Edible Enterprises’ Tenants Page
Visit New Orleans Food and Farm Networks @ Edible Enterprises >
Ashley Mann and Sanjay Kharod
The Entrepreneur
Ashley Mann
Ashley Mann is the Operations Director of the New Orleans Food & Farm Network (NOFFN). She oversees the finances of the NOFFN, manages budgets, and will lead the day-to-day operations of Food & Farm Works. Ms. Mann has a BA in Marketing & Management Information Systems from Dillard University.
Sanjay Kharod
Sanjay Kharod is the Executive Director of NOFFN. He has worked on building local food systems for 20 years in New York City and Louisiana. Mr. Kharod has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, an MA in Geography, and is ABD in Geography (Rutgers).
opportunity/Challenge
Building a robust local food economy requires both local farmers growing food and food manufacturers making value-add products. Access to professional kitchen equipment (labeling, bottling, industrial ovens, cold storage, etc.) coupled with clear business pathways are essential in supporting our city’s food entrepreneurs.
impaCt
- 16 new tenants including Big Easy Bucha, McClary Brothers, and Andilynne’s Elderberries, are actively using the facility to produce local food products
• Technical assistance provided to 50 food entrepreneurs
- Increase of businesses using food business incubator kitchen from 3 to 21
“Both Propeller staff and consultants have helped FarmCity to go from a theoretical idea of wanting to help farmers start businesses to real instruments and pathways that provide handholds for aspiring farmers as they navigate the complex local food system to build their businesses.”
Sanjay Kharod
Founder, Farm City Initiative (NOFFN) ('14)