State University of New York at Geneseo
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Upstate Farms Dairy Co-op (all milk and cream, as well as some yogurts and ice creams, and other dairy products - $116,000.00 annually
Perry’s Ice Cream – $14,800 annually
Midstate Bakery - $28,000 annually
American Fruit & Vegetable - $46,500 on local produce annually
Barilla Pasta
Chobani Yogurt
The Basket Company Candies
Zweigles Hot Dogs & Sausages
Father Sam’s Pitas & Wraps
Costanza’s Bakery
Sorrento Cheese
Rosina Meatballs
Monk’s Bread
Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters
Red Osier Roast Beef

No list exists

SUNY Geneseo has long recognized the importance of purchasing and serving local foods, and actively seek solutions to increase the amounts of local foods served on campus. In fact, Geneseo just recently signed the Pride of NY Pledge and became a member of the Taste NY initiative, committing to further increase purchases of local food and beverages.

Serving local foods on a college campus is not without challenges; college is not in session during most of the Western NY growing season, and most small farmers are not set up for case packaging and distribution to multiple locations or locations smaller than a large distribution center. Geneseo chooses to see these challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities to become creative and innovative in sourcing and providing local foods to the campus.

Geneseo partners with American Fruit and Vegetable, a local produce distributor, for all of its produce. American Fruit and Vegetable is a proud supporter of local farmers and locally grown produce and is a member of the Pride of NY program. Through American, we are able to purchase over 35 different local produce items from over 20 NYS farms. American ensures the quality and safety of the produce, and their distribution model reduces the amount of truckscoming onto campus, cutting emissions and creating efficiencies that have a positive sustainable impact.

Purdy & Sons is another local distributor that offers an innovative solution to providing NYS produce year round. Purdy introduces farmers to other local distributors who cut, freeze and pack the produce which he then distributes to customers across the state. Through our relationship with Purdy & Sons, we are able to serve locally grown produce that is flash frozen at the peak of freshness throughout the school year. The corn that is featured in our NY Corn Soup is from Purdy’s.

Dairy is NYS leading agricultural sector, and we have tapped into that local segment. All dairy for the campus is purchased through Upstate Farms, a cooperative of over 360 local family farms. The cooperative is owned and operated by the very farmers who make the milk and purchasing through them nurtures the local economy and keeps the rural integrity of local family farms. Last year, purchases from Upstate Farms exceeded $117,000, which included over 22,500 gallons of milk.

All of our local distributors and vendors are treated as partners in the true sense of the word. We meet regularly with members of the companies and tour the farms where the food comes from. We also invite the farmers and local food producers that work with the distributors to campus to be able to speak directly with our students and members of our campus community.

None available

SUNY Geneseo has signed the Pride of NY Pledge and is a member of the Taste NY initiative, committing to further increase purchases of local food and beverages. Fair Trade University status is currently being sought, and the requirements for products being offered in all campus restaurants has been met. While not certified under the Marine Stewardship Council, a move has been made to incorporate only sustainable seafood into campus menus. One of the largest campus restaurants now exclusively serves sustainable seafood that has received “Best Choice” rating from the Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch.

Geneseo defines local as within 100 miles of the college

Rebecca Stewart