Our Work During COVID
By Meriwether Hardie
Early summer has arrived in Colorado. The late spring irises and tulips have come and gone and now the zinnias, marigolds, and petunias are in full color. Our hillsides and pastures are a vibrant green, and our creeks are flush with snow melt from the mountains.
As the weather warms and our country slowly enters into a partially open, socially distant operating mode, we are all still navigating the present and future impacts of COVID-19. At Bio-Logical Capital, we share a deep concern for the human cost that the virus has already inflicted, especially on our most vulnerable communities, as well as a concern for the long term, lasting impacts of this pandemic. As we now prepare to slowly reemerge, we are also asking ourselves – what should not go ‘back to normal’? We also see opportunity to champion solutions that not only spur economic activity, but that also create change for systems that were already broken, long before COVID-19. Our question is, how can we use this time to help accelerate our globe’s transition to resilient, low-carbon economies, healthy food systems and nature-rich societies?
Our team, operating model, and business have made many pivots in response to COVID-19. Some of these changes have been small, daily adaptations, whereas other changes are ongoing, broader, longer term decisions that we are still working through. Some of these changes are really exciting, and others are hard.
In moments of uncertainty, what often feels comforting is accurate, reliable information and decisive action plans. Yet with COVID-19, most of that is not available. During this time, I’ve therefore worked to shape my communications with our team into three categories: 1) what I know for sure; 2) what I predict, and; 3) questions I have. I feel both hopeful for where change is possible, but I also want to be realistic and honest about the things that I don’t know, and the areas where change is uncomfortable.
In this month’s blog, I’ve asked several members of our team to reflect on some of the pivots that we are working through (both big and small), the questions that we are asking, and also the tips and resources that we are finding most helpful. Hopefully this inspires some helpful ideas as you all navigate this time as well.
Agricultural aspects of our projects (like at Philo Ridge Farm above) haven’t changed dramatically by COVID-19 but the hospitality and consumer-facing enterprises have.
Project Pivots
Bio-logical capital
Like businesses around the globe, our team transitioned to working from home in early March. Initially, this felt isolating, especially since so much of what we do is about bringing different types of people and sectors together to collaborate. Yet this space has also provided me with learning and reflection on the evolution of work spaces, and how we can continue to set up efficient, connected, productive, and motivated teams – no matter where they are based. Sam Harris’s podcast on the future of work was an important listen for me during the initial days of our remote set up.
What we know for sure
The value of spending time in person to build relationship and rapport, will never replace virtual introductions.
There are a lot of great tools that enable efficient yet remote communication and team work. Our team was using Slack before COVID, but during this time we have leaned into this tool at a whole new level – creating communication channels for different operations and problem solving, as well as for the sharing of articles, photos, and jokes, similar to banter that we would exchange in the more informal moments together at work. With this tool, I actually feel more aware and plugged into all areas of our teams work than I was before the pandemic.
what we predict
Remote work will become more and more of the norm.
Technology will continue to improve to enable more flexible work locations and schedules.
questions we are asking
How do we push our communications to be even more efficient and more collaborative? What tools/technology are we not using that we should be?
What do these trends mean for the future of brick and mortar office space? Will there be a future where we don’t have a team office?
larimer square
Contributed by Jacob Ward
Larimer Square, like all neighborhood gathering spaces, is reopening into a new world. Businesses that once relied on intimate gathering are forced to adapt their models to safely bring guests back for dining and shopping. Food businesses in particular have had to respond with remarkable creativity in order to survive. The City of Denver has responded swiftly and thoughtfully with programs and resources designed to make the best of the new normal. We are working with the city under a new program to allow Larimer Square’s restaurants to expand their seating across the sidewalk, and into the street, in an effort to lift up Denver’s cherished small businesses.
What we know for sure
Public-private partnerships can be extraordinarily helpful to small businesses, especially in response to a specific challenge or issue.
Creativity and strategic thinking are valuable currency in this new economy.
what we predict
People will return to social behaviors that existed before the COVID-19 crisis, but many of their newfound tastes and preferences from this time in isolation will remain. Bias for local food and local food producers will continue to solidify.
The operational models of successful restaurants that emerge from this crisis will not look the same as the restaurants that were successful before the crisis. Longevity will demand a more progressive, sustainable, and equitable labor model.
People will latch onto pedestrian-friendly design during this period. Pedestrian-centric blocks, relaxed liquor laws, and urban greening, among other features, will survive this crisis.
questions we are asking
Will restaurants en masse, like regular shoppers, emerge with a more focused preference for local foods?
Will restaurant delivery remain constant, increase, or decline, after the crisis subsides? How will this affect the design and execution of brick and mortar restaurants in the future?
Philo ridge farm
Contributed by Tad Cooke and Olivia Maki
The business model of Philo Ridge Farm is centered around our ability to sell products through our Market and kitchen located on the farm. COVID-19 forced us to close our Market quickly, reevaluate what our role in the community was, and completely pivot our business model. While the farming aspects of the business mostly remained the same (with the exception of new health and safety standards), our consumer-facing Market had to reinvent itself. We quickly used our POS system Square to create an online store and allow for touch-less pickup. This involved rethinking our inventory management, product mix, buying standards, staffing needs, and pickup protocols. Our mission was to create a community gathering space and that disappeared seemingly overnight. Vermont is beginning to reopen and we are still operating in a limited capacity and figuring out what the next few months look like for our business. For other farms looking into online sales, the National Young Farmer’s Coalition put together this useful resource for farms who are evaluating options.
What we know for sure
The demand for local food was monumental through the shelter-in-place phase of COVID-19, especially fresh produce and meat. We sold two pallets of organic pasture raised chicken, cases of turkeys, five pigs and two fully grown steer in four weeks. When our produce sales increased over 10x, we quickly sold through our remaining storage crops (garlic, onions, celeriac, beets) and our greenhouse supply of young spinach – enough to organize bulk purchasing from five other organic produce farms through April and into the third week of May.
Increased demand did not make local food systems immune to the supply chain challenges we saw in the broader industrial food. Early spring is an in-between time for many producers – for meat, it’s too early to raise animals like pastured poultry, and for produce, it’s the transition from the end of winter greens to beginning of spring production. Farms we work with around Vermont struggled during this time to make quick pivots in production and sales.
On top of the seasonal change, farms, processors and distributors have all been strained to adjust their traditional supply chain (whether to restaurants, retail, institutions, or otherwise) to high demand from exclusively retail and direct to consumer channels.
what we predict
Demand for direct-to-consumer retail will subside (and is already) from its initial surge – but online ordering (along with curbside pickup, delivery, and other services) are here to stay as a meaningful percentage of local food sales.
We expect new aggregators will emerge to meet that local demand for local or regional food with sophisticated online sales platforms, allowing customers to access an increased range of products typically available only from in person retail and farmer’s markets.
This increased aggregation will help fill some of the decreased restaurant and institutional demand, but it won’t replace lost demand for the heavy late summer harvest.
questions we are asking
As we saw in Dan Barber’s ReSourced survey, the change in demand will present a substantial challenge for many small-scale farmers around the country. To what extent will customer demand and new sales outlets create a viable business for small farms?
What is the role for combined farm and food businesses like Philo Ridge Farm, and even more established organizations like Blue Hill and Stone Barns? How can we orient these institutions to provide the most value for the broader food system?
larimer uprooted
Contributed by Kristen Moree
As Larimer Uprooted is a seasonal urban farm, COVID-19 did not dramatically change our planting schedule but it is changing how we operate in our 2020 season. To support our community during this time, Larimer Uprooted is dedicating this growing season to our local food banks and non-profits that work on food access. We've stripped away our community programming elements this year to focus all of our energy on high-volume vegetable production, and will be donating 100% of the produce that we harvest to local food access organizations.
What we know for sure
COVID-19 has upended global food supply chains around the world, bringing to light how critical our local producers are to the resilience of our food systems and the health of our communities. Denver already faced major food security challenges before COVID-19: nearly 1 in 5 children in the city are food insecure, and one-third of families eat less than one serving of fruits and vegetables per day.
what we predict
Cities around the world will see a rise and expansion in local, diversified food value chains composed of many components that were previously disconnected (producers finding new customers, aggregators and distributors working with new producers, etc).
Farms will be more nimble than ever before in how they shift their production and operating models to meet this new demand for their product in ways that maximize value for both themselves and for the consumer community.
questions we are asking
How will farmers adapt to these changes quickly enough before going out of business? Though we don’t have the answer to this question, we did want to provide these resources:
Funding Resources:
Colorado Food System Respond & Rebuild Fund
Food Supply & Demand Matchmaking Tool
Operations & Safety Resources:
Guides for produce safety and managing operations amidst COVID-19
Best safety practices for growers
List of additional resources for food and ag industry stakeholders
hana ranch
Contributed by Jacob Ward
Hana Ranch has in some ways benefited from its remoteness during this crisis. The size of the Hana community, along with the rigor of Hawaii’s lockdown, has allowed for the safe continuation of ranch operations. But that does not mean it has been without change and challenge. Perhaps the most important change we’ve seen is the partial re-localization of the Hawaiian Islands’ food system. COVID-19 has cracked many of the industrial supply chain links upon which Hawaii usually relies. As a result, demand for locally raised and processed beef has ballooned.
What we know for sure
Demand in Hawaii for Hawaii-raised beef has grown significantly, primarily in response to the disruption within animal processing facilities on the US-mainland.
The re-localization of the beef supply chain would not have been possible without the proper processing facilities in Hawaii.
what we predict
Hawaiian institutions will encourage more food production throughout the islands, with a specific goal of reducing reliance upon consolidated, industrial, off-island systems.
questions we are asking
Will processing capacity keep up with demand?
Is capital available to invest in appropriate processing facilities and on-island logistics?
denver urban landscaping initiative
Contributed by Gaelen Means
Through our urban landscaping work, we create more enjoyable, attractive, and ecological vibrant places. Instead of replanting multiple times a year, we create and cultivate regenerative urban landscapes by replacing short-lived annuals with long-lived perennials that are either native or locally adapted to thrive in this climate. When we align our planting plans with the ecology of a place, we reduce the volume of plants needed for purchase, the overall labor budget, and operating costs from year-to-year. In this respect, our efforts are no different than pre-COVID-19. As we have embarked on this new urban landscaping initiative (designing, installing, and maintaining plants in the public realm) we found renewed and accelerated urgency and resolve in the work we were doing. COVID-19 has called into question many of the things we have believed in as a society and has forced us to rethink the way we design and plan our public spaces.
What we know for sure
People respond positively to, and maintain interest in, plants and public green spaces.
Public spaces have changed dramatically since before the pandemic.
what we predict
The design and use of public spaces will change in response to this pandemic including more pedestrian friendly areas and green spaces.
questions we are asking
Will resilient and vibrant plantings be a significant factor in helping bring people back to public spaces after the current threat has subsided?