We buy your seconds. Bumps, bends, and all.
Hail-kissed apples. Curvy carrots. The tomatoes too ripe for the market table. The FRESH Foundation purchases imperfect produce and seconds from local producers at fair prices — and puts them straight to work feeding our neighbors through the Norwood Food Pantry, weekly senior lunches, and local schools.
Good food shouldn't stay in the field
"Quality food is a right, not a privilege." That includes the food that doesn't look perfect.
Every season, good food goes unharvested or unsold because it won't meet retail cosmetic standards — even though it tastes exactly the same. That's lost income for you and lost meals for our community. We built our purchasing program to close that gap.
When you sell your seconds to FRESH, you get paid for food you grew, we keep local dollars with local producers, and families, seniors, and kids across the Western Slope eat fresher for it. Resources shared, people supporting one another — that's community at its best.
If it's good to eat, it's good for us
We purchase cosmetically imperfect and surplus product across categories — produce, eggs, dairy, grains, and meat from licensed processors. If you're not sure whether something qualifies, ask. The answer is usually yes.
Bring us
- Cosmetic seconds — odd shapes, sizes, scarring, hail damage
- Surplus and overproduction from a strong harvest
- Very ripe product ready for immediate distribution
- Short-dated or end-of-season inventory
- Trial crops and small lots too little for wholesale buyers
Please hold back
- Spoiled, moldy, or decomposing product
- Food that's been temperature-abused or improperly stored
- Meat or dairy from unlicensed processing
- Anything you wouldn't serve at your own table
Our partner pantries and kitchens serve real meals to real neighbors — so everything we buy needs to be safe, wholesome, and ready to eat or cook. Imperfect is welcome. Inedible isn't.
Selling to FRESH is simple
Prefer to donate instead of sell? Wonderful — donations to our pantry programs may qualify you for Colorado's Hunger-Relief Food Contribution tax credit (details below), and we'll gladly complete the certification paperwork with you.
Current grants & reimbursement programs for Colorado producers
Selling seconds is one piece of a resilient farm business. These state and federal programs are active or upcoming as of July 2026 and are worth a look — several are built specifically for small farms like the ones we work with. We know this has been a hard year on the Western Slope, with drought, a late freeze, and wildfires hitting many operations. These resources exist for exactly these moments, and we're glad to help you navigate them.
Local Food Program (LFP) — Colorado Dept. of Education
Big news for producers who sell to schools: Colorado's statewide Local Food Program is officially live. The program provides $14–$18 million per year in incentives helping K-12 schools buy local food, plus $5 million in technical assistance through Nourish Colorado — including supply chain coordination, food safety training, contracts and bidding support, and small equipment grants. More than $2 million in funding opportunities for agricultural associations, food system infrastructure, and K-12 equipment open between late July and late September 2026, and a Wholesale Producer Directory soft-launches this fall.
Mark your calendar: buyer-seller matchmaking events run across the state this fall — the Western Slope/Northwest Colorado event is November 6 (Glenwood Springs is being explored as the host site). Registration opens mid-August. These events are the front door to selling into school kitchens, and yes — schools buy seconds too.
Who it's for: Colorado producers of all sizes interested in selling to K-12 school districts. Details: CDE → Source Local Food · Local Food Program Guidebook
Community Food Access Equipment Tax Credit (CDA)
A refundable state income tax credit covering 75% of the cost of qualifying equipment — cold storage, coolers, wash-pack, display, delivery and distribution costs — that helps get healthy food into low-income and low-access communities. Funded at $10 million per year through 2030, with quarterly application deadlines. Refundable means you can receive the value in cash even if you owe little state tax.
Who it's for: Colorado-owned small family farms with under $350,000 in annual gross revenue, plus small food retailers, farm stands, and farmers market vendors (SNAP/WIC-authorized or intending to be). Our region qualifies. Details: ag.colorado.gov → Community Food Access Program
Hunger-Relief Food Contribution Tax Credit
Donate crops, eggs, milk, or licensed-processed meat to a hunger-relief organization — like our pantry programs — and claim a Colorado income tax credit worth 25% of the food's wholesale value, up to $5,000 per year. We certify your donation on Form DR 0346 at the time of delivery; you file it with your state return.
Who it's for: Colorado agricultural producers who file federal Schedule F. Form: tax.colorado.gov/DR0346
Agricultural Workforce Development Program (CDA)
Hiring help this season? CDA reimburses farms, ranches, and ag businesses for up to 50% of the actual cost of employing an intern, up to $5,000, in exchange for providing genuine hands-on training. A practical way to afford an extra set of hands during harvest.
Who it's for: Colorado farms, ranches, and agricultural businesses hiring interns in 2026. Details: ag.colorado.gov (search "Agricultural Workforce Development")
Climate Smart Market Expansion Project (CDA)
Funding for pilot projects that build demand and price premiums for products grown with climate-smart practices — soil health, water optimization, biodiversity, and emissions reductions. If you're already farming this way, this program helps you get paid for it.
Who it's for: Colorado agricultural businesses using or adopting climate-smart practices. Details: ag.colorado.gov → Markets
USDA Organic Certification Cost Share (FSA)
Certified organic or working toward it? FSA reimburses 50% of paid certification costs each year, up to $500 per certification scope (crops, livestock, wild crops, handling, and state program fees). Apply through the Colorado FSA office.
Who it's for: Certified organic producers and handlers in Colorado. Details: fsa.usda.gov → Colorado programs
CO SNAP Produce Bonus & Double Up Food Bucks
If you sell direct at farmers markets or a farm stand, these programs put more buying power in your customers' hands. SNAP shoppers get a dollar-for-dollar match (up to $60/month) on fruits and vegetables at participating locations, and Double Up doubles SNAP dollars spent on Colorado-grown produce. Becoming SNAP-authorized opens both — and strengthens your Equipment Tax Credit eligibility too.
Who it's for: Direct-market producers and farm stands. Details: cdhs.colorado.gov/snap
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (CDA/USDA)
Roughly $700,000 in federal funds administered by CDA to strengthen Colorado fruit, vegetable, and horticulture production — with priorities including next-generation farmers, underserved communities, and soil and water stewardship. The 2026 concept-proposal window has closed; the next opens in January 2027. Producer groups and organizations apply (not individuals), so talk to us — FRESH can help convene a regional application.
Who it's for: Producer groups, associations, nonprofits, and institutions supporting specialty crops. Details: ag.colorado.gov → Specialty Crop Block Grants
Got seconds? We've got a market.
One email starts the conversation. Tell us what you grow and we'll take it from there — whether it's ten pounds of hail-dinged apples or a season of surplus squash.
FRESH Foundation · PO Box 82, Norwood, CO 81423 · (928) 853-6412 · freshfoodhub.net
@freshfoodhubnorwood on Instagram · FRESH Food Hub on Facebook
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This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.