Grocery choices in Norway will soon become more local for customers of Fare Share Food Co-op.

The food co-op, at 443 Main St., is renovating its 3,600-square-foot basement to hold fresh and frozen food grown and raised at Gould Acres Farm in nearby Stow.

“We’re expanding our capacity and supporting local farmers,” said Fare Share’s General Manager ZiZi Vlaun. “This project allows us to set up forward contracting with them. As an example, we’ll order a pallet of carrots that will be delivered over the winter.”

The model is based on community supported agriculture but with a different agreement. Fare Share will reserve crops and meats ahead of time and will pay as the harvests are delivered.

The contract with Gould Acres is Fare Share’s pilot program; Vlaun envisions forming the same partnership with other producers once the process is established to satisfaction on both sides.

A $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is paying for the food storage upgrade. The expansion will provide climate-controlled refrigeration, freezer and nonperishable food, as well as improve deliveries and operational storage.

“We’ve never done this kind of thing before,” Vlaun said. “We’re developing a system that we can expand down the road.”

The decision to work with Brad and Kathy Gould from the outset was easy, Vlaun said.

“Gould Acres is already one of our vendors. We already purchase our Thanksgiving turkeys from them, between 40 to 50 a year. And they have really good farming practices,” Vlaun said.

The Gould family has been in growth mode since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on hydro lettuce, market greens, poultry and eggs.

“We first met with Fare Share about three years ago,” Kathy Gould said. “Our goals have been to supply a stable, local market with good food at affordable prices; to work with retail sellers that care about their producers.

“Like Fare Share, it’s about sharing our bounty with consumers, our neighbors,” she added. “As Mainers, we also feel it’s important to keep it affordable.”

Under the food storage partnership, Fare Share’s orders will get priority crop and space at Gould Acres. The farm has 12 high greenhouse tunnels established and is adding a 30-by-100-foot structure that will be heated.

The USDA grant stipulates that the work must be completed by May 31. Preparation of the space took place over the winter and construction started in April.

“The more contracts we can negotiate locally, the less we have to rely on national distribution for produce,” Vlaun said. “That’s our mission — support local farmers and feed our community.”

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