The Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC), was established in 1995 and has a long history of projects dedicated to establishing food security, including educational programs for food producers, policy advocacy, and the operation of a full-kitchen food hub.

The KFPC’s economic development activities have steadily increased since it became part of the BC Food Hub Network in 2021 and received provincial funding to expand its local food hub, which was moved from downtown Kamloops to a much larger building on Kamloops’ North Shore and renamed ‘The Stir’. 

The Stir is central to the KPFC’s most recent initiative, the Kamloops Regional Food Supply Chain project which provides marketing and distribution supports to help small scale food producers grow their businesses, and helps improve community access to locally produced food. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported the project through its Building Economic Capacity funding stream, recognizing the potential to engage more agri-businesses in the region and generate revenue through new channels.

In less than a year, The Stir has grown from six to 26 members known as Stir Makers. Intern Jess Payette was hired in 2022 to explore the hub’s retail and event venue potential, followed by James Maine as full-time Distribution Manager. The KFPC also engaged in research partnerships with Selkirk College and Tapestry Collective Co-op to identify opportunities for food hubs to be an economic driver for the BC Southern Interior.

Online Store Connects Farmers and Producers to Buyers and Consumers

An online store was built for The Stir on the Open Food Network (OFN), an open-source not-for profit e-commerce platform that enables local producers to sell their products online independently, or in collaboration with other vendors in the region.

Authentic Indigenous Seafood, a Canada-wide cooperative of Indigenous fisheries contributed to the cost of renovating The Stir and in 2024 became the first business to sell products through the OFN.  The store now represents 19 local producers who market their products through several  public order cycles: Stir Saturdays, Meat CSA Boxes, and Holiday Foodie Boxes, plus a wholesale cycle. Custom order cycles can also be set up to accommodate the unique needs of purchasers and producers, with The Stir providing a convenient drop-off and pick-up point. “Producers, vendors and consumers all benefit from the low-barrier access to multiple local producers in one place, and unrestricted shopping hours associated with an online store,” says Kent Fawcett, Director of The Stir.

New Supply Chain Model Helps Small Producers Reach Broader Markets

In a separate initiative, the KFPC partnered with [TruGIS, Selkirk College, Boundary Community Ventures Assn. (BCVA), the Central Kootenay Food Policy Council (CKFPC), and the University of Guelph] to create a custom software platform which leverages data to improve existing distribution routes and identify new ones.

The supply chain model is underway in BC under the Grow and Connect Interior umbrella which includes additional food aggregation and distribution projects in the Central Kootenay, and Boundary regions. Grow and Connect enables individual producers to monitor and manage their supply chains, share the cost of transportation, reach new customers and get more local food into remote communities.

Momentum Grows

In just a few short years, the work of The Stir has provided wide-ranging benefits. The store generated $7,500 revenue during its first year of operation, and that amount was expected to triple with the December 2024 Kamloops Holiday Food Box campaign.

Thirteen jobs were created through the Grow and Connect Interior supply chain platform. With a significant grant from the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation in October 2024, all three Grow and Connect projects have funding to continue their projects to March 31, 2026.

“The Kamloops Regional Food Supply Chain project has been a game-changer for agri-business sector in the region,” says Laurel Douglas, CEO of ETSI-BC. “Producers are distributing their goods more effectively and efficiently to regional and distant communities, making them more competitive in the BC marketplace.”