If each of the approximately 3.7 million households in Georgia spent $10 per week buying produce grown in Georgia, more than $1.9 billion would flow back into the state’s economy annually, according to a report recently released by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.
Released July 22, 2010
ATHENS, Ga. – Matthew Roher, chef and owner of Cha Bella restaurant in Savannah, says local is better, and he wants to connect Georgians to local producers of fine food.
“For me, it begins with the restaurant experience,” Roher said. “We take a lot of pride in using local ingredients, and we are using these to drive our menus.”
Roher saw farmers from the low country driving all over the state to sell at different markets, sometimes barely making enough money to fill their gas tanks. So, he started Farm Box Savannah in November 2009. It runs year-round and supplies over 300 customers with local produce all boxed up and includes recipes on how to prepare and enjoy it.
--continued on University of Georgia news
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