Food hubs are a relatively new business typology with the most basic function of acting as a regional food aggregator and distributor. Many see them as having great potential to scale up regional food production and sales from small-volume, direct markets to larger-volume, wholesale ones. Food hubs also operate within their own expressed value sets, and these values guide any additional activities that a food hub may undertake. However, due to the nascence of most hubs, little research has been undertaken to understand the operating structures of food hubs, the range of values hubs embody and how these values affect the financial success of food hub businesses. This research offers initial exploration of these facets through a national survey of food hubs and their practices. Findings from this survey are used to explore the financial viability of food hubs and to develop a new definition for food hubs that more accurately encapsulates their role in values-based, regional food systems. Together, this survey and further analysis contributes to a better understanding of the context food hubs operate within, the social roles they fill and are implicated in filling, and the effects these community roles have on the financial health of a food hub businesses.
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