Common Market Delivers Fresh Produce to Food-Insecure Cities

Tatiana Garcia-Granados and her husband founded Common Market in 2008 with the aim to provide urban schools, hospitals, universities, grocery stores and workplaces in the Mid-Atlantic region with fresh produce grown by the region’s sustainable farmers. To carry out their mission of bringing food from the farm to the wholesale customer efficiently and cost-effectively - with just one order, one delivery and one bill - they really needed technology to help simplify the process. Initially, they were able to manage their operations simply by using QuickBooks. However, as Common Market grew, they needed more scalable and automated tools.

That's when they began working with Philadelphia-based software provider and Progress partner, Integrated Management Solutions, to implement the Food Connex Cloud Food Management System. The cloud-based solution, built using Progress OpenEdge, allows Common Market to work in real-time with high levels of transparency and traceability, and forgo on-site IT support and hardware, enabling them to keep costs low, while easily integrating with their existing accounting system.

Common Market now relies on Food Connex Cloud for all operations, from purchasing, pricing, and invoicing to inventory management and real-time sales reporting. By automating its business, Common Market has made a significant impact on the local farm-to-city problem, growing its business 20-fold over six years to serve 200 customers through its work with 75 local farmers.

To learn more about how Food Connex and Progress technologies have helped Common Market realize their vision in providing nutritious, affordable, locally-grown food to all communities, read the full case study!