Innovation

Before Spice Kitchen + Bar, and Spice Acres Farm, they had a standing presence at the farmers market in Shaker Heights, Ohio. At this market, they were able to build relationships with other local farmers, and one in particular Darwin Kelsey was Executive Director of the Countryside Conservancy. When Kelsey was looking to turn over the lease at Spring Hill Farms, Ben jumped on the opportunity and raised capital from friends and family to do so.

In order to truly understand the innovation of this business, one has to understand how value is created in the food services and restaurant industry. The food system value chain consists of Food Production, Distribution, Food Process, Marketing, and Preparation & Consumption. Spice Acres has managed to create a platform that owns every aspect of the value chain and managed to spread sustainability into each link of the chain. Spice Acres has developed a different level of appreciation for the growth and cultivation of food to the point where they don’t view food as a commodity. The majority of their farming is done by actual farmers who care deeply about food and getting their hands dirty to bring this product to market. At Spice Acres “They farm as if they were certified organic without the detailed level of record keeping”.

Farm Acres practices sustainable agriculture by eliminating waste gaps and sustainable processing where farmers package and prepare food by hand. Then, as the primary food source provider for Spice Kitchen & Bar, consumers reap the benefits of locally sourced Non-GMO foods that were produced at Spice Acres. The true innovation of Spice Acres is that they’re constantly able to generate a profit while incorporating sustainability through the vertical integration of multiple links of their industries value chain.

Inspiration

Spice Acres grew out of Chef Ben’s belief that when people are more connected to where their food comes from, they are healthier, live longer lives and we have a stronger community.

This innovation, having a restaurant grow its own food on property owned by a National Park is a part of the only type of partnership in the country, connecting land to people, and people to their food at a National Park.

Spice Acres is not the lone business working with the National Park, they are 1 of 11 businesses that lease land from Cuyahoga Valley National Park through the Countryside Conservancy Partnership, the only program in the country that preserves National Park Land through sustainable agriculture.

Overall impact

In 4 years, Spice has built a business model that many farms that are near National Parks want to replicate. They are currently pursuing new business partnerships that will allow them to provide food at local brew houses, going beyond giving customers the option to only experience food at their restaurant or through catering services.

Spice’s own employees have branched off to create their own businesses, including Rust Belt Riders, a business that is now focused on reducing the amount of food waste.

Business benefit

The business benefit of this innovation is impressive when you think about it. Spice Acres has created a guaranteed recipient of their fresh locally sourced Non-GMO food at Spice Kitchen & Bar, while simultaneously having a restaurant that enjoys the benefits of reduced food. Then, they’re able to use consumers as a form of word of mouth marketing to spark interest in their fresh food to the neighboring restaurant and food distributors who want to ride the wave of “buying local” and “farm to table”.

Social and environmental benefit

The farm to table movement has been growing tremendously over the last few years and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The farm to fork not only benefits the local economy but also our global environment. Local farmers are able to generate revenue by selling foods to neighboring restaurants and the restaurants are able to trim cost, get better tasting food, and see an increase in revenue by being able to tout that they are a farm to table restaurant. Ultimately, Locally sourced food generates revenue for both local farmers and restaurants which provides for further circulation of capital throughout the local economy.

At one point, when Spice Aces was home to a pig farm too, in two years they saved over 11,000lbs of non-compostable food waste from a local landfill and used it as the feed base for raising 3,220lbs of pork!

Interview

Ben Bebenroth, Chef/Farmer/Founder