What is the ‘missing middle’ in our food system, and what risks does it pose? How can we fund and build the critical infrastructure to bridge this gap - strengthening local economies, improving food access, and building resilience in our communities?

Join us for the online national launch of Regenerating the Regions: How Food Hubs Can Build Resilience, a new report from Food Connect Foundation.

Food Connect Foundation catalysed the establishment of Food Connect Shed, Brisbane’s first community-owned food hub. The facility has generated an estimated social ROI of $3.20-$4.80 for every dollar invested, providing infrastructure and support to hundreds of farmers, businesses and households. In this report, we explore how investing in more regional food hubs can drive transformative systems change across Australia, tackling issues such as health, food security and community resilience - and share a strategy for doing so.

Hosted by social impact leader, Elise Parups (Head of Partnerships, Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers), in this live webinar FCF co-founders Emma-Kate Rose and Robert Pekin will share:

‘What is a food hub’, and how collaborative, regenerative infrastructure can change communities
The impact of Food Connect Shed, and how its unique model can be used as a blueprint for others
Further insights from their work with other regional communities on food hub journeys
The power of a diverse stakeholder and investment mix
An investment case for replicating the Food Connect Shed model - a practical roadmap for scaling regenerative regional food infrastructure across Australia, from investment to actualisation

Who should attend

This event is designed for anyone committed to strengthening Australia’s food systems and regional resilience, including:

Policymakers and public servants shaping food, agriculture, health, and regional development agendas
Philanthropic and impact investors seeking scalable, community-led models that deliver measurable returns
Researchers and academics exploring sustainable food systems and social enterprise
Farmers, food producers and entrepreneurs interested in collaborative supply chain models
Community organisations, social enterprises and food hubs working to improve food access, affordability and equity

Details

Online registration is essential and will close at 5pm the day prior unless fully booked.
All registered attendees will receive a replay link afterward.
Any questions, contact Katie on admin @foodconnectfoundation.org.au
This report was funded by WWF Australia's Innovate to Regenerate program

Your host

Elise Parups

Elise Parups is the Head of Partnerships for the Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers, the state peak body for horticulture, where she works with members and food systems-aligned organisations to drive prosperous activity for the horticulture sector. Her previous roles, CEO of the Impact Club and Queensland Social Enterprise Council, have been focused on systems-level change by empowering collaboration between impact investors and high-impact businesses. Elise is passionate about the quadruple bottom line: the intersection between culture, society, environment, and economics.

Report authors, FCF co-CEOs

Emma-Kate Rose

As Executive Director of the Food Connect Foundation, Emma-Kate draws on over 30 years’ experience working in community, business, social enterprise, climate change activism, food justice and bottom-up economic development. She holds a Bachelor of Justice Studies, is a Fellow of the Yunus Centre for Social Business at Griffith University, and past-President of the Queensland Social Enterprise Council.

Robert Pekin

Over the past 30 years Robert has been working to transform the food and agricultural system in Australia. As a former organic dairy farmer and market gardener he's become known as a practical and hands-on social entrepreneur, speaker and thought leader working at the coalface of food systems change. In addition to founding Food Connect 20 years ago and Food Connect Shed in 2018, Robert is a member of the advisory board of Sustainable Table, sits on the Members Council of Regen Farmers Mutual, is a co-founder of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, and a founding member on the board of Open Food Network.