by Jeff Hake

“Infrastructure” rarely sounds interesting (I might be losing you already). The term usually connotes roads and utilities and the like, things that we anticipate will be there when we need them to be and serve a background function so the rest of human activity can keep humming along. If you learn a little more about our nation’s infrastructure, it becomes more interesting only because it was given a C rating in 2025. That’s actually a modest bump from its C- in 2021 but cold comfort when you realize how dependent we all are on the 18 categories of infrastructure.

I and many of my friends and colleagues concern ourselves with food system infrastructure, the things that we anticipate will put food where and when we need it and serve a background function so the rest of our food system can keep humming along. If you know something about our state’s food system infrastructure, you might grade it a D if you were in a good mood. While most of our state’s farms benefit from a relatively predictable and efficient infrastructure, providing inputs to farmers and moving harvested grains to markets, it results in huge amounts of agricultural production leaving the state while supporting very, very little food production in and for the people of Illinois. 

It wasn’t always this way. Our landscape was once dotted with grain mills, packinghouses, canneries, and much more, but 70+ years of policy and economic shifts have denuded that landscape of most of its crop diversity as well as the infrastructure and small businesses that supported it. What few remain are almost entirely to the benefit of large-scale food manufacturers and the farmers who can meet the scale and volume of those manufacturers in order to sell to them at rock-bottom prices.

But I’m happy to say that Illinois’ food system infrastructure is making a comeback.

Two Fridays ago, the Illinois Food System Infrastructure Collaborative traveled to Southern Illinois to witness and learn from some examples of this work in that region. We were honored to be hosted by Pink Tiger Farm, Glacier’s End, and LEAF Food Hub over the course of the day.

Pink Tiger Farm

Our first stop was to see Brian and Kyle at Pink Tiger Farm in Goreville, where they had donuts waiting for us. Their tagline effortlessly captures their business’ essence: “We grow it, we grind it, and you’ll love it!” But of course it’s not that simple. The couple sells packaged seasoning mixes, spice blends, infused honeys, and more, and they source their ingredients primarily from their 10-acre farm supplemented by other farms in the region. 

Much of their product line relies on their many varieties of hot peppers, but thanks to season extension and a lot of technical expertise, they also offer homegrown herbs and spices that you’d think were imported, such as ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass. Maybe even more impressive is how quickly they have developed both their business and the on-farm infrastructure needed to not only grow but also process, package, and market their products. 

Brian and Kyle bought the farm and moved from Chicago to Goreville just under five years ago. In that time they have already graduated from cramped processing in their home kitchen, operating under cottage food law, to a new standalone building that they have outfitted to be, frankly, one of the shiniest and cleanest kitchens I have ever seen anywhere (never even minding how good it smelled). Their energy is infectious, and with a background in grocery and a rigid attention to quality, it is not hard to imagine how that translates into an immaculate food space. A battery of dehydrators along one wall gives way to a host of specialized equipment, from a stainless steel garlic peeler to blenders and grinders with dozens of plates that allow them to accomplish just the right textures for their many seasoning blends.

Like so many other food businesses, Brian and Kyle have done their rounds with public health departments, whether local, state, or federal. Despite an exhaustive level of research and dialogue with those officials, they have struggled to get clear answers on who and what regulates their specialty food business, which has, for now, made them hesitate to enter wholesale markets. Still, they seem satisfied with direct sales at local farmers markets and through online ordering.

A last exciting note from Pink Tiger in the world of food system infrastructure was their potential for keeping ducks at their farm, where they have a small pond. While that is a great asset, they don’t have an opportunity to process ducks for meat, at least not quite yet. With their friend Brent Glays of Flock Farm recently receiving a Local Food Infrastructure Grant to build out a USDA-inspected poultry processing facility on their farm in nearby Anna, they are considering purchasing a duck waxing machine to be added to that facility. This would benefit both Pink Tiger and potentially lift up other local farmers wishing to add ducks to their farms. It also really speaks to the broad and deep potential of food system redevelopment in Illinois when farmers are supporting in seeking out collaborative opportunities.

Glacier’s End

Our next stop was a short trip north to Marion, where we were immediately impressed by how bustling and recently updated the downtown was. Just off the square is Glacier’s End, owned and operated by Derek and Libby Ervin. If you recognize those names, Derek served as ISA’s Soil Health Caucus chair for years while Libby is the assistant director of the non-profit Food Works in Southern Illinois. But Glacier’s End is their pride and joy, and rightly so.

I am biased by my own tastes and ambitions, but walking into their shop felt like a dream. You enter in one corner of the shop and are greeted by an open space populated by tables and chairs to satisfy any style and size of gathering. Antique furniture and containers hold their extensive line of products plus those from many other local businesses, all tastefully arranged along the walls leading up to the wide counter along the back. This counter, also assembled from refurbished antiques, is set up for sampling product (which we of course partook in) and conducting brisk sales. Beyond that is their kitchen, which prior served an Indian restaurant in the space.

It was at this point that I turned to my wife, with whom I own and operate our own small farm and food business, and said how glad I was she was able to join because, if I wasn’t already impressed enough by Pink Tiger, I might not even be able to describe Glacier’s End in a way that conveyed how special and welcoming it truly is. Are we envious? Yes. Inspired? Even more so.

The Ervins own a farm just outside of Marion, where they grow and forage a dizzying amount of ingredients for their products. Like Pink Tiger Farm, hot peppers are a mainstay of their farm but here hot sauces are a substantial portion of the product line. The Ervins love heat and their attention to flavor details has brought them a loyal following. Their hot sauces range from their mild and versatile Hickory Fire and Sweet Garlic Chili sauces all the way to their Wolf-Rayat Sauce which, while I’m sure is great, I am absolutely not touching if they are telling me it is their hottest.

In addition, they create a line of syrups and sauces that you really will not find anywhere else, layering their flavor genius into each one. Who knew that fig leaves would taste like coconut or magnolia flowers could be harvested multiple times a year to create a subtle floral syrup that pairs marvelously with gin? Beyond that they make their own extracts, shrubs, and pickles. And after accidentally creating a sensational event, Pickle Fest, on the road between their storefront and city hall across the way the year prior (drawing over 1000 people), they were already planning for the next August iteration while we were there in the store in January. 

(NOTE: Pink Tiger ALSO accidentally stumbled into planning a hit event last year, Ginger Fest, which saw them simply running out of product and food by the time they were done and strangers coming up to them to say how excited they were to come back next year.)

Like so many other food businesses that specialize in novel ingredients and formulations, Glacier’s End has had its tangles with ordinances along the way, which has limited what they can afford to do in a rented kitchen in an older building. But, the Ervins’ also are not easily deterred. In the near-term they are looking to install an end-to-end bottling line for their products and, in the long-term, are keeping an eye out for the right opportunity to establish their own production facility farther outside the city, which could also offer custom services to other producers.

Having started their business on their own farm, producing under cottage food law to begin, then graduating to commercial production and their own storefront, and now with their sights set on the next scale of their food business, the Ervins are a prime example of how cottage food law can not only help start new businesses but also be a stepping stone to much greater change in Illinois’ food system.

LEAF Food Hub

After a terrific lunch at Thai D in Marion (the owner is apparently a two-time Emmy winner, and we sat next to the award cases in the restaurant), we mosied on to LEAF Food Hub in Carbondale for the afternoon. LEAF (short for Little Egypt Alliance of Farmers) has been in development for many years, starting first as an online farmers market representing as many as 30 local farmers, and now about to emerge as much more.

We were greeted by Liz DeRuntz, the director of operations and food access programming for Food Works, and Jill Rendleman of All Seasons Farm, who serves on LEAF’s board and also sells product through their online market. Liz seemed apologetic as she brought us inside, gesturing to a space clearly in ample use. She was right that their new storefront in Carbondale was not pulled together like Brian and Kyle’s immaculate kitchen or the Ervins’ cozy shop, but the purpose of IFSIC site visits is to see the struggles and the triumphs, and the trajectory of folks on the ground who are doing the work. And the folks at LEAF are building something exhilarating.

Like Glaciers’ End, the LEAF team has moved into a downtown storefront that used to house a food business, in this case a grocery store that certainly evokes times gone by with big painted murals outside and high windows to let light stretch to the back of the room. Liz was a consummate host, serving cookies from her own cottage bakery, The Nutty Pig (the Dark and Stormy and the Earl Grey were both sensational), as well as coffee and tea, and even giving us quarters to pay for parking. 

The front of the store was a momentary jumble, with a small sitting area upfront near the former cashier’s counter, then a long line of chest freezers and mostly empty shelving running nearly the length of the main floor. This is where LEAF stages its weekly packing for its online orders. Local customers place orders from LEAF’s substantial multi-farmer inventory, with varying availability all year-round, and the farmers and LEAF team pack custom bags for pick-up at 12 locations and limited local delivery. They have been growing this operation since 2016 as a grassroots, farmer-led effort that continues to feed more and more of the greater Carbondale community, including now accepting SNAP dollars and Link Match as a member of the Southern Illinois Link Hub.

However, the opportunity with the storefront is much bigger than an open floor. At the back of the store is a kitchen space that was in a state of disrepair when they began renting the building. Thanks to Local Food Infrastructure Grant funding (the other Southern IL awardee aside from Flock Farm mentioned above), they were able to purchase a substantial amount of equipment to retrofit the kitchen, including a ventilation hood, stoves, a dehydrator, a freeze dryer, and more. The space is on the verge of being a licensed and inspected commercial kitchen (after, again, a tremendous amount of back-and-forth with county health inspectors), available to be shared by other farmers and food business owners, allowing them to grow their capacity and access wholesale markets. It will be managed by longtime LEAF farmer Courtney Smith and, for me, it is a thrill to see farmers fostering the success of their fellow farmers, all to feed their broader communities.

LEAF is not just serving a vital local food access role in their neighborhood, but more broadly as a model of grassroots food system infrastructure development. Despite Liz’s modesty about the space, LEAF is what change and growth looks like, renaissance shining from a corner store in Carbondale.

My takeaways

Each of these businesses is shot through with consistent themes. 

• Public grant funding like the Local Food Infrastructure Grant or the Resilient Food System Infrastructure program can look like a pittance in the state budget but can be leveraged to benefit dozens of farmers and thousands of eaters with the right folks investing in small-scale infrastructure in their own communities.  
• Enthusiasm for local food translates to real demand and real economic impact, and lawmakers and investors would do well to take note of these growing successes.
• Regulatory bodies play a critical role in public safety but should be mindful of the role they can play in supporting the success of small businesses, not just interpreting and enforcing the rules as written.
• There are a lot of different ways to bring food system infrastructure back to Illinois, requiring a careful look at how to match individuals’ and communities’ needs and opportunities to choose paths forward, and our state may be due for more overarching support to make those paths clear and followable. 
• Southern Illinois deserves its laurels for showcasing some brilliant examples of change in our food system. There is so much more to come.