In 2020, the entire economy shifted for local farmers.
For one community in Oregon, that shift became the catalyst for something new.
Building a Local Food Hub in a Time of Change
Moondog Farm began with simple roots, growing food and serving its local community.
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shelley Schuler began working with other farms to meet rising demand. What started as a farm quickly expanded into a more complex operation with multiple revenue streams:
That evolution became Lane County Bounty, a local food hub that aggregates food from regional farms, allows customers to order online exactly what they want, and delivers directly to their homes.
It was an ambitious model built to serve both farmers and community members.
But like many food hubs, they quickly realized something critical:
General eCommerce software wasn’t built for aggregation.
After switching to Local Food Marketplace, the difference was immediate.
“We switched to Local Food Marketplace a year ago. It solved a lot of the problems that we were facing.”
Software — and a Team — Built for Their Exact Business Model
What stood out most wasn’t just functionality.
It was partnership.
“We have a software team that’s rooting for us, knows our exact business model, and is able to troubleshoot when new issues and opportunities come up.”
Local Food Marketplace was built by local food professionals. It’s designed specifically for food hubs, CSAs, and multi-farm operations — not retrofitted from retail software.
It’s not one-size-fits-all.
It’s customizable based on the particular needs of each farm or food hub.
“There are so many unique solutions within their framework. It gives us the flexibility to manage our systems in the way that works best for us.”
Local Food Marketplace allowed Lane County Bounty to:
Integrate farms directly into their sales platform
Enter and manage purchase orders
Track incoming deliveries
Communicate seamlessly with producers
Diversify product offerings
Operate with flexibility specific to their systems
“That’s just not something we would’ve been able to do with mainstream software.”
After one year on Local Food Marketplace, Lane County Bounty began comparing year-over-year performance.
“We just started to see the comparisons from last year and our business has increased substantially since we’ve been working with Local Food Marketplace.”
But just as important as growth was what she no longer had to worry about:
Her technology platform.
With LFM handling the operational backbone, Shelley is no longer forced to be a tech expert or bend generic software to fit a complex local food model.
Instead, she’s free to think about what’s next:
How to better serve her community. How to expand access. How to strengthen regional farms.
Why This Work Matters
For Lane County Bounty, this isn’t just about revenue.
It’s about farmland.
“Preserving farmland is a critical issue of our time. And in order to preserve farmland, we need farm businesses to stay viable — and that includes having a sustainable economic format.”
Every community is different. Every farm operates differently. Food hubs are constantly innovating to get fresh, local food to tables.
They need infrastructure that supports that innovation, not software that forces them into retail models that don’t fit.
“Local Food Marketplace definitely supports building farm businesses in a viable way.”
Is Your Software on Your Side?
If you’re running a food hub, farm, or CSA, your technology shouldn’t be something you constantly work around.
It should be the team on your side, built to manage complexity and grow with you.
Lane County Bounty made the switch and saw substantial growth, stronger systems, and a platform aligned with their mission.
If you’re ready for powerful software designed specifically for local food businesses, book your demo today!
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