In 2014 a small group of entrepreneurs, restauranteurs, and chefs came together to create Soul City Hospitality. Soul City’s mission is to develop and support businesses that lead to Mississippi having a resilient and sustainable local food system—one that contributes to the health and wealth of all Mississippians. The first business to emerge from the Soul City partnership is the Up in Farms Food Hub. The hub is located in an historic produce distribution building at the site of the former Farmers Market on Woodrow Wilson Blvd in Jackson. Up in Farms will coordinate production schedules with farmers based upon the demand by regional buyers, such as grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and commercial distributors. Up in Farms will provide its producers with the support and training necessary to deliver a high-quality product on time and at a sustainable price. Additionally, the hub will physically aggregate produce directly from farmers within a 40-county area of central Mississippi to its warehouse in Jackson. The warehouse is designed to wash, grade, pack, cool, and store fresh produce—activities that are prohibitively expensive for many individual farms. Up in Farms will help Mississippi’s small- and medium-sized farms meet the standards of commercial buyers, plan and operate profitable businesses, and satisfy emerging federal and state standards for food safety and security.
