# About Us - Food System Advocates, Operators & Consultants

Founded in 2023 in Gilbertsville, PA, The Best Route provides community-driven food access solutions throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and mobile market consulting nationwide.


**Location:** Gilbertsville, PA
**Email:** info@thebestroute.org


About The Best Route · Founded 2023 · Gilbertsville, PA
# Operators First. Advocates Always.
We're food system practitioners who believe access to fresh, healthy food is a solvable problem — and we're building the infrastructure to prove it. Farm, Kitchen, Market, Consulting.
→ [Work With Us](/consulting)

## Why We Built This
The Best Route was founded in 2023 with a clear thesis: food system change requires operational infrastructure, not just advocacy. After decades of work inside mobile markets, farms, and nonprofits, Roberta and Max knew exactly what it took to make a food access program actually work — and what caused most to fail.

So they built the thing they'd always wished existed: a vertically integrated food systems operation — farm to kitchen to mobile market — combined with a consulting practice to help other communities replicate the model.
It's not charity work. It's operational discipline, applied to a problem that deserves better than good intentions.
*— Roberta Cosentino & Max Kulp, Co-Founders of The Best Route*
### Our Mission
To bring fresh, quality food directly to communities through mobile markets and provide mentorship, training, and best practices that inspire others to do the same.

## Four Principles. One Clear Mission.
Our Core Values

**Dignified Access**: Everyone deserves a dignified, reliable way to shop for high-quality food. We build experiences that respect community members — not systems that charity-fy them.

**Community-Centered**: Every program we build is driven by the specific culture, needs, and assets of the local community. One-size-fits-all doesn't work in food access.

**System-Rooted**: We don't just deliver food — we strengthen the whole local food economy. Farmers, producers, distributors, and consumers all win when the system is healthy.

**Unwavering Reliability**: Farmers depend on us to move product. Makers depend on us for kitchen access. Communities depend on us for their weekly food source. We don't miss.

## Meet the Founders

**Roberta Cosentino** — Co-Founder
First-generation Italian-American whose food story began with family meals and tomato-canning summers. While earning her Anthropology and Sociology degree, Roberta spent months living with soybean farmers in rural Argentina — witnessing firsthand how industrial food production disrupts local culture. After years as a Program Evaluator and Researcher in government and nonprofits, she spent seven years growing and managing a mobile market program in Chester County, PA. She also serves in local government in Coatesville, PA, continuing to advocate for her community.

**Max Kulp** — Co-Founder
Farmer, food access advocate, and social enterprise builder with deep roots in a farming family. After two years of AmeriCorps service — living on SNAP benefits and working directly with underserved communities — Max earned a graduate degree in Sustainable Development. An internship on an oyster aquaculture farm revealed how food systems can serve both producers and consumers. He spent seven years leading mobile food pantries and markets for two regional food banks before co-founding The Best Route. In 2025, Max returned to his roots as a grower, now farming and producing vegetables for My Mobile Market and local farmers markets where customers can use FMNP benefits.

Not a Charity. A Food System.
## Four Pillars. One Vertically Integrated Model.
Most food access organizations operate programs in silos. The Best Route was designed differently — as a vertically integrated food system where each component strengthens the others.
- **The Farm**: Local produce source and model demonstration
- **My Mobile Market**: Direct-to-community food access
- **Kitchen Lab**: Value-added production, local food entrepreneur support
- **Consulting**: Replicating the model nationwide

## What Our Partners Say

**What visitors say:**
> "From the outset, The Best Route worked closely with us to ensure our vision was brought to life. Their extensive experience in this field was evident in every aspect of the project, from planning to execution. They not only met our expectations but consistently exceeded them in both delivery and outcomes. We couldn't have asked for a better partner in this important initiative!" — Jennifer Anderson, Executive Director
> "The Best Route has been instrumental in helping us build this project from the ground up. Our team is so grateful for all the support you've given us — you all are absolute pros!" — Amanda Frankeny, Director of Food Justice
> "The Best Route has been a true pioneer in the mobile market movement. They've been in the trenches, they understand the work, and they've become an essential partner in how we train, support, and serve communities. We're proud to build this future together." — Fred LaForge, CEO

## Ready to Work With a Team That's Been Where You Are?
Whether you need consulting support, want to partner on a market stop, or want to book kitchen time — we're here.

---
**Find us online:**
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbr_mymobilemarket
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebestroute
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-best-route/

---
Source: https://www.thebestroute.org/about