Name: Inside the Machine: Tactical and Strategic Approaches to Institutional Food Markets
Start: 2026-09-22T15:30:00-0600
End: 2026-09-22T17:00:00-0600

Inside the Machine: Tactical and Strategic Approaches to Institutional Food Markets

Tuesday September 22, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm MDT

Alvarado F

Most farm viability professionals already sense it: no matter how well-prepared a producer is, no matter how committed an institution claims to be, something in the system keeps getting in the way. This session names that something directly and gives attendees the tools to work around it, through it, and eventually against it. Built from five years of field experience running BIPOC and regenerative sourcing pilots with hospitals, universities, corporate dining programs, and school districts, this workshop offers a three-part arc: Part 1 — The System (30 min): How consolidation in foodservice management (the "Big Three": Aramark, Sodexo, Compass Group) and broadline distribution (Sysco, US Foods, PFG) creates structural barriers to local and values-based sourcing. We'll cover lock-in, network effects, the hidden role of rebates and kickbacks, and a practical taxonomy of institutional buyer types, including what makes each one more or less accessible to regional producers. Part 2 — What You Can Do Now (35 min): Tactical tools drawn directly from SupplyChange's field work, including: the 3Cs framework (Connections, Capabilities, Commitments) for assessing buyer readiness; power mapping to identify champions and decision-makers inside institutions; variance analysis to expose distributor markups and make the case for local alternatives; food hub dynamics and when they hit a wall; and farmer archetypes (Sovereignty, Mixed Market, Commercial) to match producers to appropriate market channels without exposing them to harm. Part 3 — The Long Game (15 min): Situating tactical work within the longer arc of antimonopoly advocacy, including an accessible history of antitrust enforcement, the laws already on the books (Sherman Act, Robinson-Patman Act, Clayton Act), and how political education connects to structural change. Attendees will leave able to: explain how market consolidation creates structural sourcing barriers and communicate this to farmers and institution partners; apply the 3Cs and power mapping frameworks to assess a specific institutional opportunity; match producer archetypes to appropriate market channels and identify TA gaps; and connect near-term tactical wins to longer-term advocacy goals.

Speakers

Heather Nieto-Friga

CEO, SupplyChange

Heather "H" Nieto-Friga (she/her) is the founder and CEO of SupplyChange, a nationwide food systems and supply chain consultancy specializing in institutional procurement and regional food system development. Her background spans food justice and labor organizing, local government... Read More →

Tuesday September 22, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm MDT
Alvarado F

Agricultural Policy and Advocacy, Food and Farm Marketing and Distribution

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National Farm Viability Conference

Heather Nieto-Friga

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National Farm Viability Conference

Heather Nieto-Friga

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