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For most of human history, food systems were hyper-local. We foraged and hunted within reach, living off the land around us. Then, 12,000 years ago, agriculture began to take shape. Wild grasses evolved into staples like wheat and rice, and animals such as wild boar were domesticated into today’s pigs and cows. Agriculture transformed societies, with up to 90% of the population involved in farming.
In 1900, 41% of Americans were farmers. Today, that number has plummeted to just 2%. In the early 20th century, farms were diverse, with crops and animals coexisting. Today, most farmland is a monoculture of single crops, with 97% of beef coming from grain-fed feedlots. Large corporations now control the food supply chain, with produce traveling thousands of miles to reach consumers.
While industrial agriculture has improved land productivity and food security, it comes with unrecognized but significant social, ecological, and cultural costs. Farmers face razor-thin margins, high-stress, and are paid just 14.5 cents of every food dollar. Industrial agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, and deforestation.
The industrial model has led to a food system that often disconnects consumers from the origins and impact of their food. To address these issues, local food systems offer a promising alternative by keeping money within communities, supporting responsible farming practices, and reconnecting consumers with their food sources.
Can local food systems provide affordable, accessible food in the same way industrial agriculture does?
The key might lie in finding a balance between cost efficiency and local, sustainable practices.
Cole Jones didn’t follow a conventional path. While his peers pursued traditional career routes, Cole was inspired by his grandfather, Herb Title, who built a successful chain of drugstores in Ontario, Canada. Herb’s story of hard work and community commitment influenced Cole to create something meaningful of his own.
During his university years, Cole noticed that despite the growing popularity of farmers’ markets, many local farmers were struggling. Farmers’ markets, while popular, often weren’t profitable for farms due to high transportation and inconsistent foot traffic. Farmers faced a dilemma: sell to large processors with low margins or handle the burdens of farmers’ markets themselves.
Cole saw an opportunity to address this problem. In his fourth year, he set up a Shopify storefront to connect farmers with chefs, providing a direct and efficient way to sell their products. He personally handled deliveries in his Acura MDX, focusing on same-day delivery of produce from local farms to chefs.
Despite initial success, logistical constraints limited Cole’s reach to nearby towns. An immersion program in Silicon Valley offered Cole valuable insights but also highlighted the need for a scalable digital solution. Many local food marketplaces had struggled with operational complexity, so Cole realized that Local Line needed a robust digital infrastructure to scale effectively.
It’s not a supply problem; it’s an information problem.
The industrial food system prioritizes maximizing volume and minimizing production costs, resulting in a highly aggregated supply chain. Major corporations dominate the industry, with a few entities controlling significant portions of meat and grain markets. This system drives massive factory farms that prioritize efficiency over environmental and social considerations.
Local food systems, on the other hand, face challenges with logistics and information. While small and medium-sized farms produce a significant portion of global food, the current supply chain is optimized for large-scale production, making it difficult for local food to compete. There’s a growing demand for local food, with consumer interest driving retail and restaurant offerings. However, a fragmented and disconnected supply chain limits the ability to meet this demand efficiently.
Local Line addresses these issues by solving the information problem in local food systems. By creating a unified platform that aggregates data on local production, inventory, and orders, Local Line helps streamline procurement and logistics. This digital infrastructure enables high-volume buyers to access local products and supports farmers with efficient sales and inventory management.
Local Line’s success hinged on understanding and addressing the unique needs of local producers, farmers, food hubs, and growers. The platform simplifies inventory management, order processing, and payment collection for farmers. Farmers can list their products, receive orders, and manage deliveries without the administrative burden of manually tracking it all.
To scale, Local Line integrated delivery schedules into its software, allowing farmers to manage their logistics efficiently. The platform also accommodates the diverse needs of various producers, from ranchers to produce farmers to dairies and bakers. Local Line’s approach ensures that the system works for all types of local food producers.
Local Line’s growth also involved learning directly from farmers. Over the years, Cole and his team have worked with thousands of farmers, understanding their workflows and incorporating their needs into the platform. This hands-on approach allowed Local Line to develop solutions that genuinely benefit farmers.
Many ag-tech startups have struggled, but Local Line’s success can be attributed to its deep understanding of farmers’ needs. By solving real problems and making farmers’ operations more efficient, Local Line has gained traction. The company’s growth strategy includes direct outreach to farmers, sharing success stories, and leveraging referrals.
Local Line’s approach has led to significant growth, with the platform now serving farmers across the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The company has built a network of 13,000+ farms and food hubs, and its platform is used by major food buyers like Chipotle. The partnership with Chipotle highlights Local Line’s ability to scale local food procurement and integrate it into larger supply chains.
Local Line envisions a food system that prioritizes local food and supports farmers fairly. The company’s role as a digital aggregator enables small and medium farms to compete with industrial agriculture by addressing the information problem and creating a unified platform for local food systems.
By solving discrete pain points across the supply chain, Local Line re-engineers the food system to accommodate the variability inherent in agriculture. The platform supports sustainable practices by providing farmers access to new markets. Local Line’s efforts aim to rehabilitate the food system, making it more ecologically sustainable and regionally focused, but most importantly, profitable for all those involved.
Local Line’s success demonstrates the potential for digital solutions to transform local food systems. By leveraging technology to address logistical and informational challenges, Local Line is paving the way for a more connected, sustainable food system that benefits all parties: producers, wholesalers, distributors, buyers and consumers.
Read the full Local Line manifesto outlining how we got started and where we're headed.
