Idaho's Bounty Food Co-op, Inc. is creating a year-round local foods market between southern Idaho producers and consumers. But their customers' desire for locally produced goods exceeded the co-op's current transportation and cold-storage capacity. With 2010 funding provided through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant program, Wood River Resource Conservation and Development was able to provide Idaho's Bounty access to an additional refrigerated truck to ensure safe transportation of cold-storage products from their warehouse. This project not only expanded their delivery capacity and service area, but also created a job through the immediate filling of a delivery driver position. The growth of Idaho's Bounty has created an additional distribution channel for several previous producer-recipients of Value-Added Producer Grants while helping restaurants and other food businesses meet consumer demand for locally produced products. Idaho's Bounty increased its revenues 30% in 2010 and another 25% in 2011 as it continues to build out its infrastructure and marketing efforts.
