There’s something quietly magical about the way food connects us—to a place, to the people who grow it, and to the loved ones we share it with. On Whidbey Island, where misty mornings give way to golden afternoons and tree-lined roads give way to pasture and beach, that connection runs deep. And if you want to taste it—really taste it—there’s no better place to start than Whidbey Island Grown (WIG) Food Hub.
The Food Hub is an online marketplace allowing customers to pre-order local goods each week. Choose your items of seasonal blooms, produce and herbs, cheese and eggs, baked goods and sauces, ready-made meals, and home goods, then pick up your hand-packed order on Fridays at 5 island locations. It’s a backstage pass for exploring our island’s culinary soul. Choose local, meaningful ingredients for your home meals. Try unique family recipe ready-made meals from Ugandan curries to Italian lasagna to Vegetarian pizzas. Find restaurants who also shop the Food Hub and include seasonal local products in their expert-crafted menus.
Walk into a supermarket, and the food is anonymous—shipped from who-knows where, who knows when, and bred for shelf life rather than flavor. On the Food Hub, every item is freshly made. Whidbey-inspired coffee blends are small batch roasted to order. Seasonal produce and herbs are harvested the day before, providing the freshest flavors. Sourdough bread is still warm from the morning oven. Each item is source-identified, connecting you to the locals whose business is good food. Read about each producer on their Food Hub Profile and find their contact information to follow on social media or reach out for a farm visit.
The Food Hub isn’t just a marketplace.
It’s a. living, breathing network of farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, bakers, chefs, and artisans who’ve woven their work into the fabric of the island. Over 50 local producers come together under one digital roof. One grower might be coaxing heirloom carrots from the earth, while another is bottling raw honey from hives tucked between stands of evergreens. There’s the baker who starts before dawn to pull loaves of sourdough from the oven, and the rancher who tends to animals on pastures overlooking gorgeous ocean views. Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative is where all these threads meet.
Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative is member-owned and community driven. It’s a collaboration of 79 Island farmers, food producers, businesses, non-profits, and community members, along with 1,000 customers, working to foster a thriving local food system by expanding market opportunities for farmers, producers, and artisans, enhancing access for consumers, and celebrating the abundance of Whidbey Island agriculture.
For small-scale farmers, this model is transformative. WIG aggregates their products, handles sales and distribution, and gives them back the most precious resource of all: time to focus on their craft. When you buy from the Food Hub, you’re not just getting a better meal—you’re helping to support the expansion and viability of small scale food producers and build resilience in the local food system.
