FoodSphere, Local Roots a step closer to new home
Beth Ladrach, left, the president of Local Roots, FoodSphere president Matt Mariola and board member Robert Stutzman, and Darrell Smucker of Farmers National Bank after FoodSphere closed the deal on the building at 146 W. South St. in Wooster, the future home of FoodSphere and Local Roots.
Local Roots and its nonprofit entrepreneurial center FoodSphere are one step closer to realizing their vision of relocating to a larger, more accessible space. FoodSphere has officially purchased the building at 146 W. South St. in downtown Wooster, formerly owned by Ride On.
“Now that we’ve closed on the building, we can focus our efforts on finalizing construction and renovation plans,” said Adam Schwieterman, executive director of Local Roots. “We hope to break ground in early 2024.”
Working with Bogner Construction Company, the organizations’ top renovation priority is a new and expanded commercial kitchen. The larger kitchen will not only meet the growing needs of the Local Roots market and cafe customers, but it will also enable FoodSphere to support and work directly with local food entrepreneurs.
“Local Roots and Foodsphere have already established a track record of helping local food entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and the new space will allow us to scale up,”
said Matt Mariola, president of the FoodSphere Board of Directors. “We are dreaming big for what this new space can do for our community.”
Local Roots and FoodSphere are currently raising funds through a collaborative capital campaign. They have secured nearly $400,000 in grants, with many still pending, and over $221,000 from community supporters.
Contributions received during December will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000, by an anonymous staff member. The Wayne County Community Foundation is accepting tax-deductible donations on behalf of Local Roots and FoodSphere.