Most chain grocery stores in Kentucky do not purchase from small and limited-resource farms due to insufficient volume of outputs and the producers' lack of federal GAP/GHP certificates.  However, a Kentucky State University Extension team, led by Dr. Sid Dasgupta, hypothesized that some of the smaller independent grocery stores in Kentucky could source some of their produce from local farms.

Ethnic grocers, who are rarely part of chains, supply their clients with specialty vegetables, for which the supply chain might be tenuous.  This creates a niche market for local growers.  The KSU Extension team visited three urban African grocery stores and interviewed the owners regarding their willingness to purchase produce from local, limited resource farmers.  The interviews elicited information about their willingness to buy from local farms, preferred delivery frequencies, a short list of best-selling vegetables, a short list of vegetables for which they have had supply problems in the past, and their payment strategies for suppliers.

Currently, all of the grocers purchased produce from Chicago-based brokers who import products from Mexico.   Their top-selling vegetables included onions, bell peppers, cabbages, tomatoes, okra, sweet potato leaves, cassava leaves, amaranth greens, small African eggplants, and habanero peppers.  When asked what vegetables they wanted but were facing supply problems, the top three were yams, small African eggplants, and habanero peppers.  They were willing to buy from local farmers provided they could meet the delivery needs of their store.  They preferred weekly deliveries and wanted fresh supplies of specialty African vegetables; however, they were unwilling to pay a premium over the prices that they were currently paying their Chicago-based suppliers.

These grocers stores represent a unique opportunity for local small scale producers seeking to diversify away from traditional farmers' markets.