Site of Local Food Campus to be Announced Soon
Albuquerque, N.M. – Three Sisters Kitchen is developing a Downtown Local Food Campus in partnership with the Downtown Growers’ Market, a program of Downtown Albuquerque MainStreet Arts & Cultural District. The Local Food Campus will result in 45 new living-wage jobs, new food manufacturing businesses, opportunities for food entrepreneurs, a year-round farmers’ market and shop, teaching/manufacturing kitchens, a café and event space, and classrooms for food and nutrition education. Additionally, the Campus will support food insecure households with $500,000 in annual food assistance and generate more than $2 million in annual sales.
Three Sisters Kitchen received a $200,000 Economic Adjustment Assistance grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for this project and the funding will be matched locally by the Mid-Region Council of Governments of NM, Albuquerque Community Foundation, Daulton Family Foundation Endowment Fund, Thornburg Foundation, and New Mexico MainStreet.
“New Mexico MainStreet is proud to support the Local Food Campus project in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. We’re excited to see the Downtown Growers’ Market and Three Sisters Kitchen grow and positively impact the local economy, support growers, and improve access to locally grown food,” New Mexico MainStreet Director Daniel J. Gutierrez said.
Three Sisters Kitchen is one of Albuquerque’s keystone regional food system organizations and they are celebrating their five-year anniversary this year. The downtown community has engaged in the planning of the Local Food Campus through surveys, focus groups, and feedback sessions. Additionally, a six-month community engagement planning process exploring accessibility, safety, and community food systems is planned for 2023-2024.
“We are excited to build a Downtown Local Food Campus that celebrates the bounty of New Mexico and brings community together around the table to build a vibrant and accessible local food economy,” Three Sisters Kitchen Executive Director Anzia Bennett said.
Downtown Albuquerque MainStreet Arts & Cultural District is an accredited New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) program and receives technical assistance from NMMS’s Revitalization Specialists. Specialists will support this project with work involving property redevelopment, construction planning, a feasibility study, financial modeling/pro formas, and placemaking.
“This partnership is an exciting next step in creating economic opportunity for our community. Now in its 27th year, the Downtown Growers’ Market is the city’s largest farmers’ market. With this campus, the Market will finally be able to grow into Albuquerque’s only year-round market while also expanding its capacity to host the growing number of small businesses that are rotated, waitlisted or rejected due to the current site’s limitations,” Downtown Albuquerque MainStreet Arts & Cultural District Special Projects Manager Lola Bird said.
The Downtown Albuquerque Growers’ Market has been in operation since 1996, hosts an average of 200 local vendors every year, and made an economic impact of $2.7 million in 2022. The Market is hosted at Robinson Park at 8th St. and Central Ave. Saturdays from 8:00 a.m.-Noon through November 5, 2023. Fresh produce, prepared foods, live music, body care, art, and community gatherings are available at the weekly market. Volunteers, sponsors, and attendees are welcome to learn more at downtowngrowers.org.
(Photos courtesy of the Downtown Albuquerque Growers’ Market)
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About Downtown ABQ MainStreet Arts & Cultural District:
Downtown ABQ MainStreet is a community redevelopment organization designated by the State since 2008. Their mission is to promote and support downtown’s economic, social, and creative vitality through community-driven projects and programs. Their programs include the Downtown Growers’ Market, the Arts & Cultural District, downtown livability and they are partnered with the Three Sisters Kitchen and ABQ Artwalk. Learn more at abqmainstreet.org.
About Three Sisters Kitchen:
Three Sisters Kitchen (TSK) is a non-profit community food learning center using the power and love of local food to create economic opportunity, improve community health, and bring diverse communities together around the table. TSK fosters economic development through Food Business Training Programs that provide hands-on education and wrap-around services to aspiring manufactured foods entrepreneurs, as well as connects local producers to new markets, and creates and sustains good living wage jobs. Learn more at threesisterskitchen.org.
About New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS):
NMMS develops local capacity to engage people, rebuild places and grow the entrepreneurial, creative & business environment resulting in economically thriving downtowns, greater business & employment opportunities, and a higher quality of life. NMMS was founded in 1984 and currently serves 30 MainStreet Districts and 12 Arts & Cultural Districts. Additionally, NMMS has supported 45 Frontier & Native American Community projects, 4 Urban Neighborhood Commercial Corridor projects, and 11 Historic Theaters. Learn more at nmmainstreet.org. NMMS is a program of the New Mexico Economic Development Department.
For Immediate Release: August 22, 2023
Contact: Jessica Mraz
Phone: (505) 365-3998
info@nmmainstreet.org
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