All Over Albany

Three Wheel Produce

Project: Three Wheel Produce, a human-powered tricycle converted into a mobile vending unit for selling produce in downtown Troy.

Who: Alexandra Prince

Short bio
I've been involved in produce and food for the past ten years. My work experience spans all aspects of food production--from organic farming to the restaurant industry, food co-operatives and the food justice movement, as well as wholesale produce and community meal preparation. I am interested in how food acts as a medium for our relationships with people, our families and the land, and creating meaningful food exchanges where these relationships can be explored. Three Wheel Produce is the evolved idea of my lifelong interest in fruit peddlers and pushcart history more broadly. It's a way of synthesizing my experience and interest in food with a business idea beneficial to the community in which I live and hope to serve.

A description of the proposed project

I want to sell fresh produce by a human-powered tricycle which I've converted into a vending unit. It may sound like a simple plan, but I intend to sell produce in downtown Troy, a so-called food "desert" where the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables is limited. My business is intended to help people add fresh fruit and vegetables to their diet which they may not otherwise add because of access. Furthermore, I hope the trike will help alleviate the divide between people and their food by providing a lively exchange on the public street rather than an alienated purchase of food in a supermarket. I want to share my enthusiasm for food, where it comes from, who grows it and make meaningful connections with my neighbors in the process. Three Wheel Produce is deserving of funding because while it is set up as a business, it is not a capitalist venture motivated by profit; if it proves to be successful I am interested in converting it into a worker owned co-operative. The business is motivated out of a sincere desire to channel my time and enthusiasm into an enterprise purposed to benefit my community and bring positive life and community exchange to the streets of Troy. Finally, it's my hope that Three Wheel Produce will not only be a small business, but an inspiration for other young entrepreneurs, and a promoter of more bicyle-based activity and community projects.

How would the grant money help?
I have already put the tricycle I intend to vend from together and submitted my vendor's permit. The next essential step of my project will be the purchase of a refrigeration unit so I can store produce overnight. This unit is crucial to the proper functioning of my business. Should I receive the grant, I could also put part of the money toward a health permit application so I can sell fruit cups, smoothies, or other prepared foods directly from my trike. Finally, the money would help me cover the cost of creating and printing two publications--1. a guide to accessing fresh food in downtown Troy (wherein I list all the community projects, businesses and Farmers' Markets where one can purchase fresh food) and 2. a community cookbook of healthful recipes I hope to collect from the people who purchase produce from me.