A common complaint among farmers is that politicians and bureaucrats, who largely live in urban areas, don’t understand them and don’t know how the food they eat is produced.
Canadian farmers should take note of what North Dakota farmers are doing to address the problem.
The North Dakota Farmers Union is working with a Washington, D.C., lobbying and financial services firm to create Agraria, a company that will build restaurants that source food from farmers and will provide education to diners about grassroots farming.
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It plans to open its first restaurant, also called Agraria, in Washington’s trendy Georgetown neighbourhood.
A restaurant designer has been retained to style the 350-seat restaurant with views of the Potomac River. The group has hired an executive chef and the upscale family eatery is set to open this summer.
N.D. Farmers Union president was quoted as saying the restaurant will have “subtle education about food and the people who produce it.”
The farmers union handled the up front financing, expected to cost $2 million to $4 million US, but is holding meetings around the state to encourage farmers and the public to invest, hoping to sell at least $1.4 million in shares.
Agraria plans to use North Dakota produced foods where possible and the rest from family farmers around the United States.
In the future, it would like to open more restaurants around the country, all with the same goal.
Educational dining
While the venture will provide a market for some producers and perhaps a share of the profits to shareholders, that component matters less than the potential to educate diners.
Selecting Washington D.C., as the first site was important. The location allows the restaurant to reach decision makers, from politicians to bureaucrats to lobbyists, not to mention the hordes of tourists that visit the American capital.
The key will be to create a simple moving message about real farmers that can be served with a commercially successful menu.
It won’t be easy, but there are examples of successful companies that deliver a social or political message: the Body Shop, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and the United Colors of Benetton.
Sure, the majority of patrons will consume the food, not the message, but if the attention of even 10 percent at this one restaurant is directed to its message, that means hundreds of people a week will think of the farmer’s contribution, and that is a good thing.
