Eli’s Vinegar Factory attempts to cut the food miles that the products must take to the shortest distance. Some of the food is grown in a roof greenhouse and trellis garden. The majority is sourced from upstate New York farmers. Processing occurs in the NYC former factory as well. The operations ages beef, roasts coffee, and has a bakery and prepared food kitchen on the premises. A café, market and event space add to the full-cycle system.
In developing the concept for his Vinegar Factory, Eli wanted to get as close as he could to the source of his ingredients by buying his vegetables directly from upstate New York farmers (those he doesn’t grow in the Vinegar Factory’s rooftop greenhouse), aging his own beef, roasting his own coffee. He envisioned a unique market where the majority of the products are made on the premises.
Eli’s Vinegar Factory integrates the entire food cycle, from production to processing to consumption and composting on premises. This is a great accomplishment, even if only manages to do this for a percentage of its products. It creates a model from which urban growers and restaurants can themselves modify and create full cycle operations.
SOURCE: www.elizabar.com/
EDITOR’S NOTE: This project capitalizes on the full cycle of the growing process in an area of dense urbanity.