Search The Possible: The Sustainable Search Engine
One of our industry's biggest hurdles is the highly individual definitions for local and sustainable. One buyer's definition may be local within 50 miles and Certified Organic. For another it may be locally grown, no antibiotics ever poultry within a state or region. Open Fields was created to support the creation of sustainable programs built on custom attributes while bringing FarmLogix' transparent sourcing and procurement methods to the general public. It provides a true search engine to move the sustainable movement forward.
Open Fields begins with a search of The Possible where users create profiles based on their definition of sustainable and local. Products that meet their criteria populate the dashboard with miles listed from the user location. Items not available present future procurement and sales opportunities for buyer and seller. All farms, food hubs, processors, manufacturers and distributors are welcome to participate. The goal is to make all vendors visible and bring maximum purchasing intelligence to a custom, open sourcing experience free to the buyer and seller.
◊ Farms and Food Hubs: to become visible on the search engine ◊ Manufacturers: to bring visibility to sustainable product lines ◊ Distributors and Foodservice: for client visibility into local and sustainable inventory ◊ Institutional Buyers and Consumers: to create custom programs
Discover The Available: Logistics-Enabled Programs
Once "The Possible" is determined, an advances filter optionally displays The Available based on the user's preferred delivery method. This could be product in inventory with a contracted distributor, deliveredy direct by a manufacturer, delivery by a particular method, or products available at a local grocer or farmer's market. The Available also displays detailed source identification, all sustainable vendor attributes, food safety certifications and vendor contact information. All results can be saved as Wish Lists or Programs that can be saved for future procurement. Items not available can also be saved as Sourcing Opportunities.
Vendors are informed when their products have been saved to a Wish List to provide insight into which products create the most interest, and can also view Sourcing Opportunities.
Public display of pricing is optional to the vendor. This protects sellers from displaying proprietary information. Vendors that choose not to list price can direct buyers to contact them directly. Program participants include:
◊ Institutional Buyers and Foodservice: who create custom sustainable programs ◊ Farms, Food Hubs and Vendors: who connect directly with buyers ◊ Distributors: who expand their sales reach through the marketplace