Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative Inc

Fantastic place to get fresh produce and so much more!

Every time I've been in there in and out quick

Incredible auction for locally grown produce and flowers. Wonderful atmosphere, always fun to visit. Exceptional staff on hand. Auctioneer Bill Horst is the best around, Wonderful attitude and always a pleasure to deal with. Manager Isaac Martin is one of the most helpful and friendly person you will encounter. Always willing to solve and dilemmas and offer a helping hand. Keep up the great work.

This is a great example of what a community that has its act together can do to support local farmers and promote local food.
The co-op was formed in 2004, when beef prices were in the basement following the outbreak of "mad cow disease" in Canadian cattle herds. Many Mennonite farmers switched over to producing fruits and vegetables, and set up the co-op to gain a decent price for their hard work. By 2014, the co-op was selling about two million dollars of food a year to local distributors and institutions, such as Waterloo's universities.
In my e-book called Food for City Building, I argue that such infrastructure is necessary to build what's called "food sovereignty" -- the independence and self-rule of an area in terms of food. Without such institutions, most large retailers and institutions do what's easiest and buy from outsiders -- putting the livelihood of local farmers at risk, and jeopardizing the future of some of Canada's all-too-rare high quality farmland.
Most North American cities lack the cohesion of religiously-inspired communities, so local co-op auctions like this are rare.
Visitors should enjoy watching the action of an auction, and get a taste for the solidarity and mutual support of this community, and perhaps seek to follow in their foodsteps (pardon the pun) in other communities.