Nova Scotia grows exceptional food; however, the challenge, says Eli Milton, has always been getting it from farm to wholesale buyer without the process becoming a logistical headache for everyone involved. As Executive Director of the Halifax Regional Food Hub Co-operative, Milton has spent the past year and a half turning that problem into a solution: a nonprofit co-op that aggregates products from producers across the province and handles the ordering, storage, invoicing and delivery that restaurants, institutions and community organizations need to buy local at scale.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
The Halifax Regional Food Hub is a nonprofit co-operative that makes it easier for restaurants, institutions and community organizations to purchase food from Nova Scotia producers. We bring products from multiple farms and food businesses together in one place and coordinate ordering, aggregation, storage, invoicing and delivery. This gives wholesale buyers access to a wider variety of local products through a single order while reducing the logistical burden on producers.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Nova Scotia produces incredible food, but getting it from farms to wholesale buyers can be complicated and expensive. Producers often have to manage sales, transportation and multiple small deliveries themselves, while buyers may need to coordinate with many different suppliers to purchase locally. The Food Hub provides shared infrastructure and a central point of access. By making local food more convenient and reliable to purchase, we help replace products brought in from outside the province, connect producers with dependable sales opportunities and strengthen Nova Scotia’s food supply chain.
When did you start/join it?
I joined the Halifax Regional Food Hub as Executive Director in March 2025. After developing the facility, systems and producer network needed to operate, we launched wholesale sales in the summer of 2026.
What made you want to get involved?
I have worked throughout Nova Scotia’s local food system: as a farmer, in retail and as a wholesale manager. In each of those roles, I saw how much time and effort producers devote to getting their food to market, often while also managing every other aspect of their businesses.
I wanted to help build practical infrastructure that would make it easier for producers to reach buyers and easier for buyers to choose Nova Scotian food. The Food Hub offered an opportunity to address challenges I had experienced firsthand while contributing to a stronger and more resilient local food system.
What was the situation like when you started?
When I joined, the Halifax Food Hub was still in its development stage. We had a strong vision and support from the local food community, but we needed to turn that vision into a functioning operation. That meant securing and preparing a warehouse, installing cold and frozen storage, developing food-safety and operational systems, recruiting producers, building relationships with buyers and setting up an online ordering platform.
More broadly, the local food supply chain remained fragmented. Many producers and buyers wanted to work together, but transportation, storage, communication and ordering presented significant barriers.
How has it changed since?
The Halifax Food Hub is now operational from our warehouse in Dartmouth. We aggregate products from producers across Nova Scotia and distribute them to restaurants and other buyers in the Halifax region.
Our network of producers and buyers continues to grow, and we are expanding the variety of products available through the Hub. We are also developing partnerships with institutions and community organizations to make more locally produced food available through schools, food-access programs and other community settings.
What more needs to be done?
Nova Scotia needs continued investment in the infrastructure that connects producers with markets. This includes refrigerated transportation, storage, processing capacity and coordinated distribution.
We also need larger and more consistent commitments to local purchasing from restaurants, institutions and government-supported food programs. Producers need dependable demand to invest in growing their businesses, and buyers need systems that make purchasing locally practical. Building those connections will help keep more food dollars in the province and create a stronger, more resilient food system.
How can our readers help?
Wholesale food buyers can support the Hub by purchasing Nova Scotian products through us. Local producers interested in reaching more wholesale customers are also encouraged to connect with us.
Community members can help by following and sharing our work, asking the places where they eat and shop whether they purchase local food, and encouraging institutions and governments to prioritize Nova Scotian products. We are also currently recruiting new members for our board of directors, particularly people with experience in entrepreneurship and finance.
Do you have any events coming up?
We do not currently have any upcoming public events, but we regularly share news, opportunities and upcoming activities through our website and social media channels.
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PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Feed Nova Scotia does essential work addressing food insecurity across the province while advocating for the systemic changes needed to address its root causes. They have also been a valued founding partner of the Halifax Food Hub, and we deeply appreciate their leadership, collaboration and commitment to building a more equitable food system.
