The History of Oberlin College Campus Dining Service Local Foods Program

1985

"Where our food comes from" report: An investigation into where the food from Oberlin CDS comes from and an assessment of the potential for local foods purchasing in CDS (available upon request, contact Adriane Dellorco)
1990

Oberlin Student Cooperative Association Local Foods Program established
1998
 First attempt to ask the college to buy local: Professor of Biology David Benzing and student David Lewis approach the college about local purchasing
Oberlin and the Biosphere: Campus Ecology Report compiled by students and faculty with recommendations to Oberlin College administration about greening the Oberlin campus, including recommendations for CDS (available upon request, contact Adriane Dellorco)
Fall 1999
 Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture group project to investigate the potential for local foods purchasing in CDS
Spring 2000
Environment and Society ENVS 101 group research project to create an in-depth assessment of the opportunities and obstacles in selling local foods to CDS

Download Word document: Got Local? Report
Includes interviews with dining service and college staff, local farmers, and other schools with local food programs

Photo by Liz Fox
Download Powerpoint presentation of project: Powerpoint
Anti-Sodhexo-Marriott campaign begins: campus wide coalition of labor activists, prison activists, and local and organic food activists to get rid of Sodhexo-Marriott dining service management company
Minutes from a meeting between Anti-Sodhexo campaign and the College
Students for Local Organic Produce (SLOP) form and decide to separate from broad Anti-Sodhexo-Marriott campaign
  SLOP and Oberlin Sustainable Agriculture Project (OSAP) begin discussing with College about buying local foods
Minutes from initial meeting between SLOP and the College
OSAP agrees to pay for liability insurance for other local farmers to sell to CDS for the coming year

Summer
2000

 OSAP has a bad season, does not have enough to sell to CDS in Fall 2000
Fall 2000 Premiere of organic (but not local) salad bar in CDS
Link to Oberlin Online Article on the premiere of organic salad bar
Oberlin Review Article on the premiere of organic foods in CDS
Oberlin Grape Article on the premiere of organic foods in CDS
Press release about premiere of salad bar
Email interview of CDS local foods coordinator by Oberlin Grape reporter
College quantifies organic purchases

De Cafe (campus convenient store) premieres organic food
Procedure to sell local food to CDS through OSAP is established
Spring 2001

College decides to look into replacing Sodhexo-Marriott by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) from other dining service management companies
RFP explicitly requests potential management companies to explain how they plan to incorporate local and organic food into the dining halls
How the transition to a new dining service management company affects local foods: Article for OSAP newsletter

Meeting held to discuss how to sell local foods to CDS and to plan for conference on selling local foods to colleges and universities with representatives from CDS, OSCA, OSAP, Ecological Design Innovation Center (EDIC), Environmental Studies Dept., Ohio State University Cooperative Extension, Ohio Cooperative Development Center, Ohio Farmers Union, and Innovative Farmers of Ohio
Minutes from meeting
OSAP to act as broker for other local farmers to sell to CDS
Write-up used to attract other local farmers to sell to CDS
Minutes from OSAP board meeting deciding to become a broker for CDS
CDS purchases $5000 institutional share in OSAP for Fall 2001!
Fall 2001
 Bon Appetit replaces Sodhexo-Marriott as dining service management provider: Bon Appetit expressed a commitment to local and fresh food with a more flexible buying structure than Sodhexo-Marriott
Article from Bon Appetit news magazine on commitment to local and organic foods
Premiere of local organic food in CDS: OSAP and Millers Orchard sell to CDS
Article for OSAP newsletter
Adriane Dellorco acts as liaison between OSAP and CDS
  Procedure to help OSAP wash lettuce for CDS established
Farms to Colleges Conference at Oberlin College: sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition to bring local farmers, students, and dining service administrators together to learn about incorporating local foods into college dining services

photo by Brad Masi

Download PDF:Brochure from Farms to Colleges Conference

Adriane Dellorco's reflections on conference
Head farmer at OSAP laid off due to financial difficulties
President of OSAP explains the situation in an email
Spring 2002

Adriane Dellorco is away from Oberlin at Twin Oaks Community in Virginia to take a break from all the local foods craziness!

Fall 2002

De Cafe sponsors a local foods tasting event featuring local honey, local organic milk and cheese, locally made organic ice cream and bagels, locally made Middle Eastern food, and more
Adriane is overjoyed to see such a selection of local foods that were incorporated in her absence

CDS begins purchasing from distributor that buys local foods: Premier Produce distributor attends local Amish auctions to provide local foods to CDS when available
1st Annual All-Ohio meal organized by CDs Recyclers to showcase and educate students about local and organic food
Lessons learned from All-Ohio meal
All of the milk in CDS is local organic Family Fresh milk

Spring 2003

 Adriane applies to Compton Mentor Fellowship to receive funding to continue working to incorporate local organic foods in Oberlin and other schools in NE Ohio, but is rejected : (
Adriane Dellorco's Fellowship application
Bon Appetit mandates that CDS must buy from A. Lo. Prestis distributor, who does not explicitly carry local produce
More explanation

College and Bon Appetit agree to purchase only local products from Premier Produce, giving business back to Premier
Since Fall 2002, CDS calculates that it has purchased over $112,000 directly from local farmers and vendors, not including the large amounts of local produce purchased from Premier Produce
Local purchases calculations
What was purchased locally?
Local year-round hydroponic lettuce is purchased through Ag Access distribution

Fall 2003

 Adriane appears in Grist Magazine article "Beyond the Pale Green" by Michelle Nijhuis about the expansion of local foods and their importance as compared to organic foods. November 12, 2003.
Grist Magazine article Beyond the Pale Green