It’s been three-and-a-half years since the idea for a food hub that would connect farmers, consumers and chefs in one place was first conceptualized in Mike McGirr’s mind, and today, that vision is becoming a reality. The Feed & Seed will officially break ground Thursday, launching a wave of food system reform that will transform the Upstate’s food ways.

The groundbreaking comes as Feed & Seed also receives a $250,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Comission. The funds, which are designed to foster economic development in the country’s Appalachian region will help the non-profit with the purchase of the equipment needed for the processing facility.

As dictated by the grant, Feed & Seed has also raised matching funds for the project.

“This will encompass the whole production of food,” said McGirr, Feed & Seed’s director. “There will be seeds being propagated and seed being germinated and plants being grown and harvested, washed and packed and cooled and stored, commerce going on, recipe development, preparation, the whole spectrum of the food system will be encapsulated in this.”

Feed & Seed is one of several businesses that will be in The Commons development at 159 Welborn St. Others include a second location of The Community Tap and Due South Coffee Roasters, a food hall, a diner, a bakery and a butchery.

The Feed & Seed will include a food hub component where farmers can sell their raw product, as well as a processing facility that will process raw product and prepare it for sale in the retail market. The other components include a butchery and a restaurant, Pauline and Mabel’s, which will be run by Bacon Brothers Public House, and The Bake Room SC, which will moved from its current location in the Village of West Greenville to a space at The Commons.

The project also includes a food hall with 12 stalls designed for small scale, hyper focused food operations. The current lineup of possible vendors includes seasoned and startup food businesses specializing in everything from tamales, and wood-fired pizza to locally-sourced ice cream and a grilled cheese shop. All will run in conjunction with Feed & Seed, sourcing from the food hub’s locally produced products.

Economic impact of the operation is estimated to be upwards of $4.7 million, according to initial estimates, McGirr said . And that is where ARC, with the organization’s focus on economic growth and stability of the Appalachian region, see value.

“We have seen incredible momentum across the region for local food systems as an economic development strategy,” said Wendy Wasserman, communications director for the Appalachian Regional Commission. “It’s not just the folks who farm, but it’s all the way across the supply chain — the truckers, the buyers, the sellers, the food entrepreneurs, institutional buyers.

“With a robust supply chain for local food you create lots of business opportunity and in turn economic development.”

Feed and Seed began as an idea to make fresh, local food more accessible to all. The idea has evolved and come to fruition with the strategic help of a number of partners and collaborations including Clemson University, LiveWell Greenville, Greenville Health System, Furman University, hundreds of local farmers and the Upstate Commons development’s ownership team, which includes Ridgeline Construction Group Inc., Outdoor Sports Marketing and Parker Real Estate Group.

Phase one of the Welborn project, which included construction of the corporate offices along with Carolina Triathlon, was a significant step, said Drew Parker, a development partner in the project. But phase two, which includes The Commons, signifies a broader vision for the 40,0000 square foot complex to life.

“The partners and I bought these properties with the vision of this being a real community center, a hub of activity, a place where all different people of different socioeconomic backgrounds could gather and enjoy good food and enjoy activity, enjoy each other,” Parker said. “So having a partner like Feed & Seed was a dream come true. That’s what we were looking for to connect all the pieces of the puzzle.”

Once completed, the Feed & Seed will offer a system to help farmers sell their products and a marketplace to help consumers buy those products. But it’s not just about buying local, McGirr said, it’s about developing farmers and helping them grow their business. To that end, Feed & Seed will also include a teaching garden, where farmers can learn what and which crops have the highest potential return on investment.

For instance, while white cabbage is a common crop among local farmers, among chefs, there is greater demand for things like Napa or tatsoi cabbage, McGirr said, and thus greater earning potential.

“We can work between the market and the farmers and say this is what you need to plant, this is how you need to package it, this is what you need to get it going,” McGirr said. “What Feed & Seed is doing is facilitating farmers, especially those that have capacity to grow, facilitating them growing into the market that has immeasurable demand.”

Thus far, Feed & Seed has signed on over 80 local farmer partners, with around 300 more pending.

“I think what we’re seeing is places like Feed & Seed, that kind of fostering of local agriculture and all the businesses that come along with it, that yields results,” Wasserman says. “It yields good food for the community, which builds community health and it also creates business opportunity. And people like to know where their food comes from and how it impacts their community.”

The Commons, located at 159 Welborn St., Greenville, is slated to open in 2018, with the hope of it being by spring

For more visit www.feedandseedsc.com