NEW MARKET — A longtime Shenandoah Valley business is set to expand its role in moving local farm products to market after receiving a $68,644 state grant for new delivery equipment.
The Jon Henry General Store in New Market will use the funding to purchase a delivery van, strengthening its ability to collect produce from small farms and transport it to wholesale buyers throughout the region.
The store operates as an aggregator for more than 100 small farmers across the Shenandoah Valley. By consolidating products from multiple growers, Jon Henry General Store helps connect small-scale producers with larger customers such as restaurants, food trucks and schools — markets that individual farms may struggle to reach on their own.
The new van is expected to streamline pickups from farms and improve delivery efficiency to wholesale partners. That added capacity is designed to open new market opportunities for local growers and reduce logistical barriers that often limit expansion.
The grant is part of the federal Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, administered in Virginia by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The program supports projects that strengthen the “middle” of the food supply chain — including aggregation, processing, storage and distribution — for locally and regionally produced food.
Among the 12 projects announced statewide, the Jon Henry General Store award is the only recipient located in Shenandoah County. The investment focuses specifically on equipment to expand distribution capacity rather than construction or facility upgrades.
For Shenandoah County producers, the expanded delivery network is expected to improve access to wholesale channels and increase revenue potential by making it easier to move fresh produce from farm to buyer.
The new vehicle will support continued growth of the store’s aggregation model — linking small farms to larger markets while keeping more of the food supply chain rooted in the Shenandoah Valley.
Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.
