Food hub delivers online market
The new Oban Food Hub is up and running.
The online farmers’ market had its first collection at the town’s Rockfield Centre last Thursday (October 25).
Organisers are hoping the initiative for people to buy locally-produced food from artisan producers will grow more and more customers.
The hub works with customers browsing a collective shop window online and pay ing for their order then the producer just brings it along to the weekly collection point.
The hub is a new take on the former Oban Food Assembly that started out earlier this year.
‘Everything was going swimmingly well and we had great producers on board, sales were growing and then the company which provided the food assembly web platform announced that it was pulling out of the UK market.
‘We were really keen to keep going as it was doing well and the feedback from our producers and customers was really good so we started looking at all the other options out there and while there were a few there was nothing that quite matched up to the food assembly web functionality and ease of use,’ said Angela Anderson, one of the Oban hub organisers.
One of the longer serving food assembly hosts, Gillian MacKay from Ardunan Farm in Milngavie, near Glasgow, took on the task of setting up her own platform - The Great British Food Hub - so the initiative could continue.
‘It is really quite incredible what she has achieved in a short space of time, we had about three months’ notice from The Food Assembly and Gillian has set up a brand new website and shop and has quite a few hubs up and running already,’ said Ms Anderson.
The Oban Food Hub is one of them.
The online shop opens each week on a Wednesday with the food being ready for collection at The Rockfield Centre between 4-6pm the following Thursday.
Producers go along to deliver the orders and get a chance to chat to the customers. From bread and milk to mutton and beef, cakes and cheese, the hub has lots to choose from.
‘We are hoping to continue to grow and add more customers and more producers as we go,’ said Ms Anderson.
Go to thegreatbritishfoodhub.com to find out more.