August 25, 2020 — A new, state-run online marketplace, called MassGrown Exchange, launched last week, offering a platform where food suppliers such as farmers and fishermen can advertise wholesale products they have for sale with a specific timeframe for how long the listing should last.
So far, two Cape-based businesses are listed as participants — Massachusetts Aquaculture Association, in West Chatham, and Midnight Our, a fishing boat operating out of Harwich Port.
State officials touted the site, at Massnrc.org, as an important resource during the COVID-19 pandemic to help generate business amid a massive economic downturn and a platform that will also carry long-term benefits.
“A key aspect of our work in this area is not just working through this challenge, but really building a system that, over the long-term, will have resilience to withstand whatever challenges we face in the future and to ensure one of the best resources that we have — the local abundance of food that we produce and grow and catch here in Massachusetts — helps us to really support our residents and support our economy,” Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said during a virtual event unveiling the platform.