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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 N OV E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 2 0 systems from the truck to the process- ing plant to the palleting, to a regional distribution center." By the time it gets to a grocery store distribution center, "It's traveled 10 days, then it's redistributed," he says. e aim with Forager was to cut the journey down to the basics — from the farm right to the store. Part of his mission with his previ- ous app, CashStar, was to put together a tech industry payment system in Maine. He realized he could build on that concept. "We should be leaders in agricul- ture technology in the state, given our huge agriculture area and all the rest of the stuff we're doing," he says. "For instance, we have more cheesemakers in Maine than in Vermont. ere's a huge opportunity." e concept is simple: help farm- ers find stores and stores find farmers, while providing fresh, local food to the consumers who say they want it. Getting there Forager's longtime buyers are local co-ops, the six-store Rosemont Market and Bakery chain, and others. Recently the company has landed bigger fish. In October, Roche Bros., a Boston-area supermarket chain, signed on. Roche's 21 stores will connect directly with local producers for food and other products, bypassing central distribution. Roche "really prides itself on being a local company, and we really love working with local products," Arthur Ackles, vice president of merchandising and buying, told New England Cable News recently. "Forager gives us a lot of access to local products that we don't have now." Forager isn't limiting itself to grocery chains. Partnerships include Central Maine Medical Center, MaineHealth, the University of Maine's flagship campus in Orono and the Maine Department of Corrections. Stone says that there aren't limits to how the app can be used as the focus shifts, more than ever, to healthy food and sustainability. "Our goal is to make local food available anywhere," he says. "To make it so accessible that anybody any- where, from any device, any time, can buy from the local community, any product they want. "We're getting there bit by bit," he says. Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz To Maine Financial Institutions, thank you for being there for Mainers when they need you most. Whatever you need, our CPAs and business advisors are here to help. • Audit, Tax, and Accounting • Loan Reviews and Impairment Analysis • Employee Benefit Plan Audits • Internal Control Attestations • Agreed Upon Procedures • Information Security Audits • Executive Recruiting and Compensation Consulting • Employee Stock Ownership Plans • Retirement Plan Consulting Gain perspective. Visit us at berrydunn.com or call 800.432.7202. Local food, as sold in the Portland Food Co-op, is catching on as consumers look for healthy options during the pandemic. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F F O R A G E R Our goal is to make local food ... so accessible that anybody anywhere, from any device, any time, can buy from the local community, any product they want. — David Stone Forager

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