Taste of PlaceApril 23, 2003

Amuse bouche

Agenda Review and IntroductionsTrubek Course

Terroir and the European ModelWasserman Course

Taste, Place and U.S. Food Systems

Plat Terroir de Fromage

Plate Terroir de Zin’

Question and Answer

The Taste of PlaceFlavor, Value and the Place

Where Food is Grown

Arlin S. Wasserman

Food and Society ConferenceThe Woodlands, Texas

April 23, 2003

Food is about taste!!!

Most people think about taste and quality!!!

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Politics Profits Mouth experience

Does Taste Matter? Yes!

Soil, climate, sun and slope all affect taste.

Arugula, lettuce and bok choy taste different in Cuba and in Vancouver

Food persistently expresses the place where it is grown.

And it’s not just about taste…

Providing information about where a crop is

grown can add value and increase price.

Better knowledge about nutritional content for animal feed.Able to fine tune additives, temperature and time in industrial cooking operations.Less flavors and fragrances to hit “spot on” taste in large batches.

It’s the Nature - Nurture Debate

And Again, There’s no clear winner

The real money lies in the flavor

People Like Small and Local Stuff …if it’s unique

Libraries

Art Museums

Theater

Symphony

…why not food and flavor?

Local & Unique is different than “Local is Better”

You can’t grow this anywhere else!!!

It’s about flavor, not just energy and environment.

We’ll ship it to you!!!

Shoppers Pay More…

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California Ancient Vines Big Break Live Oak Jacuzzi

Cline Zinfandels

Big Companies are Catching On…

Small Growers Also Can Tap Several Markets Different People Value Food Differently

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National/Taste of Place Direct to Consumer "Local" Retail Markets Commodity Market

Airmail cherries to restaurants across the country

A good, but small, market

Different markets + different information + different prices = More Profit

Two ways to sell 100 lbs of Leelanau County cherries

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Grower #1 Grower #2

National/Taste ofPlace"Local" RetailMarkets Direct to Consumer

Commodity Market

Find Crops that Best Evoke the Taste of Place

Crop Diversification

On the LandscapeOf the Economy

In the MarketplaceOn the Table

Fresh, Unique Tastes Mean

Less sugar and salt.Less frying and oils.Fewer condiments.

Fresh, Unique Tastes Mean Less Calories and More Enjoyment!

What will it take?A New Business Model is part of the solution

Identify and cultivate diverse crops that all evoke unique local taste.

Commit to local identity and quality.

Utilize the national distribution system

Private and public programs to protect the “taste of place.”

Don’t scale up…scarce is good.

Taste in the Food “Chain”Re

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All About Service to Growers and Customers•Maintaining product identity•Protecting unique flavor is key•Product goes with grower not negotiante•Serves as an interface for a single product to reach diverse markets

•Trying to create unique flavor,•Not a uniform crop•Market for assortment of unique, small scale products•Opportunities to collaborate with other farmers to •collectively increase value of production

•Crops that evoke unique flavor•Create a diverse array of plants that grow differently in unique locations•Research into native plants•Search for biochemical diversity

•Planting more indigenous•Fewer Chemical Inputs•More extensive product development…locally appropriate pesticides and fertilizers

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Distribution (Regional)High quality foods to local institutions

without high distribution costsProfit in local processing over storage distribution

High value and quality to local retailHigh value to restaurants (opinion leaders)

Distribution (National)National companies have a role doing what

they do best: order fulfillmentTop dollar paid for a portion of local “standard fare”

One high quality product can raise all boatsLinks to economic development, tourism

Top dollar for diverse products, not commoditiesAll but distribution captured in local economy

Can’t scale up, or it all disappears

Direct to ConsumerHigh value farm market

National top dollar gourmet

Taste in the Food “Chain”Re

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Unique Taste = Reason to maintain local farmsDiverse Flavor = Easy to replicate business venture

Intense Flavors = Healthier diets, small portionsHigh prices = Shared commitment to Quality

National Support = Vibrant Local Food SystemHappy Tongues!!!

Why? Because its replicable, not scalable.

Preserve diverse local food systems.

Make it up on margin, not volume.Opposite of commodity response to scale up in reaction to abundance or scarcity.

Promote local crop and diet diversity.

Models that don’t scale up provide more benefit to the local economy.

It’s about taste, not regulation and science.

What would it take? Changes in federal, state, local and private systems…but profitable ones!!!

Federal and state incentives for crop diversification.

Research into local, indigenous varieties and flavors.

State, local and private arrangements to ensure local quality and character.

Farmers cooperating to create “local identity.”

National companies profit from distribution expertise.

Acknowledging its alright to pay a lot for food.

Businesses that selling the same stuff to different people for different prices rather than specializing or customizing

With only about 93,000 meals in a lifetime, why eat the same thing twice?

Arlin S. Wasserman

arlin@mlui.org

www.foodandsocietyfellows.org

(231) 271-3683

Photo Credits Arlin Wasserman

Cortney Miller, Thomas Jefferson InstituteMonsanto Corporation - Media Relations

Patrick Owen, Michigan Land Use InstituteUS Department of Agriculture