Iowa Choice Harvest is proud to be a close partner with so many of our customers. From grocery stores to restaurants to schools and retirement communities, we're more than just a supplier of frozen fruits and vegetables. Together, we're actively working to build local foods systems in our communities. When you support our customers, you're supporting efforts in your area to serve local produce at restaurants, teach children about healthy food, or provide a nutritious meal for retired residents.
Learn more about some of our customers, like New Pioneer Co-op, with locations in Iowa City, Coralville, & Cedar Rapids.
Iowa Choice Harvest is closely connected to our farmers. After all, a group of 13 farmers came together to found Iowa Choice Harvest in 2013. We work with growers of sweet corn, apples, aronia berries and carrots to provide healthy and nutritious food for you and all of our customers. Many of Iowa Choice Harvest's farmers are leaders in their own right: from land management practices to supporting the next generation of farmers.
Get to know one of Iowa Choice Harvest's farmers.
We are pleased to share this opportunity from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service:
Planning for Farm to School Success in 2016 Webinar Series
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service Farm to School Program is offering a valuable webinar series and toolkit for school districts and others interested in starting farm to school programs in their areas. Their 2015 Farm to School Census shows that more than 1700 districts are interested in starting a farm to school program, but don't yet have one. How can you find out what it takes to create a great program?
View the USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit (PDF)
Register for a 30-minute webinar, each on a different aspect of successful farm to school programs. Sessions include:
Intro to Farm to School: Planning and Building a Team - January 14, 12:00 pm CST
Setting Goals and Establishing an Evaluation Baseline - January 28, 1:00 pm CST
Finding and Buying Local Foods - February 4, 1:00 pm CST
Farm to School Menu Planning - February 18, 1:00 pm CST
Food Safety - March 3, 1:00 pm CST
Promoting Your Farm to School Program - March 17, 1:00 pm CST
School Gardening - March 31, 1:00 pm CST
Curriculum Integration - April 7, 1:00 pm CST
Program Sustainability - April 28, 1:00 CST
Evaluating Your Program - May 12, 1:00 CST
Tying it all Together and Digging In: May 26, 1:00 pm CST
See the full webinar schedule, with descriptions and registration information
March 8, 2016 - Iowa Choice Harvest customer Mercy Medical Center,of Cedar Rapids, IA, was recently profiled in the Cedar Rapids Gazette for its innovative focus on local and fresh foods. The article explores the work that Head Chef Andy Deutmeyer and Food and Nutrition Department Director Pam Oldham have done to increase patient satisfaction through delicious foods. Iowa Choice Harvest is also highlighted in the article. Read the whole story here.
December 2, 2015 - Iowa Choice Harvest customer Des Moines Public Schools has been awarded a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture helping the district to bring more local foods to their 32,000 students. The only district in Iowa to receive the USDA Farm to School grant, DMPS will be developing a "Farm to School" strategy for increasing local food purchases, building more school gardens, and working with families and community members. We are proud to be a partner and supplier of Des Moines Public Schools. Please read more at the Des Moines Register.
November 22, 2015 - Cedar Rapids, Iowa TV station KGAN featured Iowa Choice Harvest and CEO Penny Brown Huber in a story on the Iowa Organics Conference, held in Iowa City in late November. Watch a clip of the story here.
July 20, 2015 - With the launch of our new website, we need your help! We'd like to include even more great recipes on our site, especially those featuring the products that Iowa Choice Harvest sells: frozen sweet corn, apples, carrots, and aronia berries. For a limited time, everyone who sends us a recipe will receive a free Iowa Choice Harvest potholder. Just email us your recipe at [email protected], and don't forget to include your name and a picture so we can recognize you on the site. Thanks!
June 17, 2015 - Iowa Choice Harvest was featured in an article titled “Growing the Local Foods Revolution” in the Des Moines Business Record on June 12, 2015. The article highlights the growth of our company, some of our customers, and the niche that Iowa Choice Harvest fills in our local food system. Check it out here.