SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A new food hub is opening in Springdale and will offer resources to farmers, food entrepreneurs and residents in Northwest Arkansas.
The new 45,000 square foot facility named Market Center of the Ozarks will be located in downtown Springdale and provide crop aggregation capabilities, commercial kitchens and community spaces for learning.
The new development is part of the Northwest Arkansas Food Systems, an initiative focused on improving access to local food and is supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
Construction on the nearly $31 million center is expected to begin in June 2022, with an early 2024 completion date.
"Market Center of the Ozarks is another bold step to position Northwest Arkansas as a national model for locally grown food," Tom Walton said in a press release. "This innovation and community hub will offer farmers and entrepreneurs the support they need to get healthy food on tables across the region."
While The Market Center of the Ozarks will bring more dollars into the city, it will also bring better access to fresh produce in the community. Paige’s Market Owner, Jaimie Denton said there isn’t large-scale food access in the area.
“I think it provides more options there’s not a grocery supply chain on Emma. There’s me Paige’s Market you know we have some stuff, Maple Market down the street they have some stuff but there’s not a big if you want to do all of your grocery shopping,” Jaimie said.
Famers will have access to areas where they can aggregate and process crops for wholesale. Washrooms, cold and dry storage, loading docks and office space will also be available.
The facility will also include fresh-cut and frozen produce for school lunches and hospital food service.
Along with the commercial kitchens and coworking spaces for culinary education, the new hub will include community learning and gathering areas. It will be located near popular amenities like the Razorback Regional Greenway and community resources like The Jones Center.
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