Fresh Stops

Welcome to Fresh Stops, a digital journal by The Best Route. From our 30 years of food system research to the dirt under our fingernails at the Gilbertsville farm, we’re sharing everything we know about building equitable food access.

Explore Fresh Stops:

The Consultant’s Log: Expert strategy & mentoring.
On the Route: Mobile market impact & schedules.
In the Kitchen: Recipes & value-added innovation.
From the Field: Farming, seasons, and soil.

Fresh food. Proven strategies. Community roots.

Featured

The Best Route Framework: A Blueprint for Sustainable Mobile Retail

How do you move from a well-intentioned pilot to a sustainable social enterprise? It requires a shift from 'charity thinking' to 'systems thinking.' We are sharing The Best Route Framework—our 4-pillar theoretical blueprint for solving the last mile of food access through vertical integration and retail discipline.

Max Kulp 2/14/26 Max Kulp 2/14/26

Winter Whispers: Crop Planning for a Bountiful 2026 Season

The fields in Gilbertsville may be quiet under the snow, but the 2026 season is already taking root. Join us for a look at the essential work of the 'off-season'—from collaborative crop planning with our partners at Trellis for Tomorrow to refining sustainable growing strategies that will fill our mobile markets. Discover how we’re preparing the soil and our spreadsheets today to ensure a bountiful, equitable harvest tomorrow.