This is a video that describes our proposed business plan for the Student Run Xavier Urban Farm Business.
In the midst of all the late night study sessions, part-time jobs, and nights out with friends, college students rarely stop and consider where their food comes from. This mentality carries over into the choices they make about food as adults and will eventually affect their children’s understanding about food and where it comes from.
With the proposed business plan behind the Xavier Urban Farm, we can stop this cycle and start fresh.
We will begin by engaging students and allowing them to partake in the harvest of our produce at our farm. The Office of Sustainability will provide a farmer to teach these students the lay of the land and allow them to interact with the food we produce.
Next, we will offer the public what we have been growing for the Xavier community over the past year. Many people would like their produce grown in an organic way, but can’t do it themselves. This is where our potential market lies.
The hard part of starting this business is already done. We have a fully functional farm that produces a variety of organically grown heirloom products ranging from tomatoes to basil. We even produce our own compost to enrich the soil on our farm with the Earth Tubs right here on campus.
We need a business venture to generate a profit so that we can sustain our farm. This would be done by giving back to our surrounding communities through either selling our produce to small local restaurants or participating in local farmers markets.
The Student Run Xavier Urban Farm would provide consumers with a real taste of Xavier. It will help local businesses and people in the surrounding community eat fresh, local, and sustainably. We will do more than simply grow food, we will be cultivating a relationship with our local community all while teaching students a greater appreciation for the food that finds itself on their plates.
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