The GrowNYC Grainstand operated from 2015-2021 with the mission of supporting the development of a regional small grain economy in the Northeast by bridging the gap of market access to both producers and consumers. First piloted in 2014, Grainstand was a pop-up retail operation that aggregated and sold regional grains and beans at multiple Greenmarket locations.
The Grainstand connected New York City consumers to dozens of regional grain producers, including mills and distilleries, representing crops from over 100 farms in the Northeast and introduced over 80 new “non-commodity” ingredients to the New York City marketplace and helped many regional businesses achieve success by facilitating and providing access to the New York City market.
In December 2022 CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute published a report highlighting the Impact of GrowNYC Food Access Programs, which included an Evaluation Brief: Summarizing key findings from an evaluation of GrowNYC’s Grainstand.
The results of the CUNY survey reflect years of effort on behalf of a constellation of collaborators to build a strong regional grain economy in the Northeast. Through programs like the GrowNYC Grainstand, turned numerous culinary professionals, seed breeders, entrepreneurs, and home bakers into local grain enthusiasts and champions.
Although the GrowNYC Grains program ended in 2021, the impact it has had continues to ripple across the United States. Prior to Grainstand, GrowNYC had long been an advocate of regional grains. As of 2009, all Greenmarket bakeries were required to use a minimum of 15% regional grains, including flours, in all baked goods sold at market. This rule arose from a desire to bring baker-vendors into alignment with the overall mission of Greenmarket.
GrowNYC launched Grains Week 2010, seven days of collaborative programming to promote the re-emergence of grains in New York’s regional food system. This event showcased the potential of the Northeasts’ grain-shed, and invited a range of professional and hobby bakers, brewers, and distillers to learn, share, and build community. From there, the project continued to gain traction.
In 2011, GrowNYC Grains partnered with Cornell University to evaluate over 300 varieties of wheat grown in field trials, leading to the introduction of seven new varieties of wheat to the commercial market. GrowNYC Grains also began collating resources for growers, processors, and end users to help professionals navigate the intricacies of using regionally-grown grains.
Despite the closure of the Grainstand, Greenmarket shoppers still enjoy access to regionally-produced grains, beans, bread, beer, and liquor. Businesses like Lani’s Wildcraft, Oak Grove, Migliorelli Farms, and OCD can be found at markets across the city.
GrowNYC continues to supply and distribute wholesale quantities of regional grains through the New York State Regional Food Hub. The fact that products like regionally-grown all-purpose and bread flours are now being produced at a large enough scale to support wholesale distribution is a testament to the immense growth of the Northeast grainshed in the past decade, and the supply of additional products is expected to grow in coming years.