The Common Market mooted by social entrepreneur Tatiana Garcia-Granados is uncommon in many ways. She helps to provide healthy food to the lower strata of the society who cannot afford in the standard case. By doing so, this Entrepreneur from Philadelphia also help the local farmers to bypass the middlemen. Her innovative and inspiring way of approaching the problem has a bearing in her choosing her dwelling at Strawberry Mansion, affluent community. But the neighbourhood was far from appealing or likable. Dilapidated houses, spiraling crime rates, unclean and unhealthy living was the signature of the neighbourhood. It was occupied predominantly by poor Afro-American and Latin community. The food related diseases were predominant there. Healthy food, fruits, and vegetables were not in their reach.
Garcia-Granados, an MBA graduate, found out that nearby farms were producing healthy organic food, but the logic of distribution was missing. She rejigged entire regional food infrastructure and launched the non-profit Common Market. The common market acting as a wholesaler connects local farms to the user directly. The users include the downtrodden community as well.
The scalability was the hurdle. To overcome the lacuna of small quantity distribution, the Common Market roped in Sodexo, Aramark and Compass Group who supply the institutional buyers including schools, reaching 14,000 kids.
The scale of operation with infrastructure storage and distribution network with small profit margin was another bottleneck. By changing to the non-profit portfolio, this was solved. Soon grants started flowing in.
This year, the Common Market with 35-employee business expects to touch s $4.5 million turnovers. They are planning logical expansion beyond Philadelphia to Atlanta, New York, Chicago and the Central Texas area. The growth surpassed all and solved a national problem; she and the Common Market could redefine and rewrite the food system as a whole. The healthy and cheerful children numbering few thousands would certainly vouch for it.
