News & Updates

By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun

March 2016

POULSBO — Lisa Hurt spent two decades molding a raw piece of North Kitsap land into the tidy farmyard she tends today.

She hacked back the brush, tilled garden plots by hand and built herself a house, all while working construction and painting jobs to pay the bills. Her garden offered up more produce than she could use, so she gave veggies away to friends and donated to food banks. It wasn’t until recently Hurt considered marketing her hard-earned bounty.

“Last year was the first time I really had a moment to think about selling,” she said, striding across her Port Gamble Road yard on a drizzly Thursday.

Hurt wasn’t ready to commit to a farmers market booth, but a new local foods cooperative helped her ease into retail. Her Rainbowzen Farms became one of the first producers to join Kitsap Fresh, an “online farmers market” that allows customers to order food from nearby farmers over the Internet and retrieve their orders at a pickup point in Poulsbo each week. Kitsap Fresh launched in June 2015 and has grown to more than 150 members. Buoyed by its early success, the co-op will add a Bremerton pickup site this week and is eyeing locations on Bainbridge Island and other parts of the county………….Read More at the Kitsap Sun website

Kitsap Fresh is happy to announce a streamlining of our membership policy.  Memberships will no longer end on December 31st each year.  Memberships will now expire at the end of the month in which you join.  For example, if you joined in June then your next years dues will by due July 1st.  We hope this change will encourage more families to join this Autumn, so they can enjoy the harvest bounty.

click the link —–>  Join Us Page

Kitsap Fresh is proud to announce that we have been selected for a USDA Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grant.  Laura Ryser of WSU Extension and Board Members Beth Adams and Julia Zander should be commended for their efforts.

The LFPP grant means our small cooperative has a bright future.  This 2 year grant will support the expansion to 4 distributes centers all over Kitsap County.  By 2017, we hope to be in the wholesale market filling grocery shelves and restaurant pantries with the best local farms and producers have to offer.  Our goal is to increase the value and revenue for producer members by 30% while greatly increasing the public’s access to locally produced food.

The LFPP grant will enable us to help the community by opening 2 distribution centers in known food deserts and empower hundreds to grow food for our community by providing a new marketplace.  We will nourish more than just bodies, we will nourish our community and local economies as well, by ensuring 52 weekly distributions a year.  There has never been a better time to get involved with Kitsap Fresh.  Join now and help us build and nourish our community.

Kitsap Fresh is pleased to announce that we have been chosen as Semi-Finalist in Kitsap Bank’s Edg3 Fund 2015 small business contest.  The public voting begins lasts until September 30th.  Vote Here!

We now offer two membership types.  Standard ($30) and Volunteer Free ($50).  If your household is just too busy to volunteer 12 hours a year, we understand.   Take advantage of our new membership type which does not require any volunteering.

To learn more see our “Join Us” page.