Wholesale Buyers & Institutions

Aggregation can build a healthy local food system by allowing producers to pool their time, knowledge, and products to provide a larger and more consistent supply for consumers.  Visit our aggregation page for videos, podcasts, our aggregation resource guide, buyer survey results, news and more. Find and share opportunities in South Dakota.

• SDSPA Aggregation Resources

Find chefs, restaurants, caterers or other foodservice entities purchasing locally grown and produced products. Includes videos and resources for marketing to foodservice establishments. Connect to relevant organizations and find recipes!

• SDSPA Culinary & Foodservice Resources

Schools, daycares and other related organizations across the state have expressed interest in Farm to School programs and serving local foods in their meal programs. Find interested producers and schools. Connect to resource provides. Learn about events, youth programs, and the Farm to School Network. Find resources and news.

• SDSPA Farm to School Resources
• S.D. Districts Involved in Farm to School

A food hub is a business or organization that manages the aggregation, distribution and marketing of source-identified food products. Local and regional producers can work together to market, transport, package and more, reaching new wholesale, retail and institutional markets. Find food hubs and other online markets selling locally grown and related resources.

• SDSPA Food Hubs & Online Market Resources

When wanting to sell food in retail stores such as grocery stores or to a foodservice operation, that food must be processed in a commercial kitchen, which is a licensed and inspected facility. Some producers contract with a co-packer for small batch processing. Find commercial kitchens & co-packers and relevant resources here.

• SDSPA Commercial Kitchen and Co-packer Resources

Local food retail outlets can range from grocery stores, to a niche shop, to a farm store, to a roadside stand. Learn about requirements for selling food to retail outlets or starting a roadside stand. Find retailers selling locally grown foods and products. Find free marketing signage, social media graphics and and materials for promoting local at your storefront.

• SDSPA Grocery, Retailer, and Farm Stand Resources

S.D. Specialty Producers Association continues to collect responses for our buyer evaluation survey. The purpose of this survey is to gauge interest of businesses and institutions across the state in regards to purchasing specialty crops, value added products, and local foods. The survey includes questions about barriers and interest, purchasing power, and current markets.

Answers are welcome from chefs, florists, retail locations, business owners, wholesalers, distributors, and anyone currently or interested in purchasing from local producers.

South Dakota’s Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources signed a Local Food Purchase Assistance cooperative agreement with the USDA, allowing for the procurement and delivery of locally grown food to South Dakotans in need, and to provide a market opportunity to South Dakota producers. Through this system, producers will be paid a fair rate for their product, which will then be distributed through the Feeding South Dakota network.  The program runs through June 2025. Contact partners below for more information.

• Contact: Black Hills Farmers Market (Email)
• Contact: Dakota Fresh Food Hub (See ‘Our Partnerships section)