High Desert Food Trail seeks new applications for 2023

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The High Desert Food Trail was created by the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance, with Travel Oregon and Visit Central Oregon. A self-guided tour of Central Oregon’s farms, restaurants, breweries, and culinary offerings, this is an opportunity to taste your way through the region and have engaging, unique experiences with working area farms.

Launched in October of 2021, the High Desert Food Trail connects visitors and locals to the local food economy, while also helping foster connections between producers and businesses.  Applications are now open for the High Desert Food Trail’s second year.

The High Desert Food Trail helps visitors and locals alike experience the culinary and agritourism opportunities that make this region unique. The trail features up to 50 businesses including farms, ranches, restaurants, farmers markets, craft food and beverage makers, and lodging. All of these stops along the journey will help connect trail visitors to the high desert’s stunning landscapes, artisanal offerings, and resilient agriculture.

HDFFA and Visit Central Oregon have continued to promote businesses on the trail with: influencer tours and featured posts with local bloggers; nine weeks of sponsored ads on Oregon Public Broadcasting, reaching approximately 330,000 listeners; two-minute promotional itinerary videos by a professional videographer; a partnership with Bend Electric Bikes to create routes in Bend, Sisters, and Redmond; distributing 25,000 brochures throughout the state; paid social media campaigns; and workshops and collaborative promotion with Travel Oregon and HDFFA. Ongoing creative promotional efforts will reach broader audiences in 2023 and beyond. The High Desert Food Trail is available in English and Spanish.

In addition, the High Desert Food Trail is a way for local businesses to become more connected to the local food economy and other businesses sourcing and providing local goods.

When asked about their experience as a business on the High Desert Food Trail, Adrienne Baumann, owner of Legend Cider Co., expressed excitement to be able to share their craft beverages with visitors and community members and work with other Central Oregon businesses:

“Being on the HDFT has been such a great experience for us at Legend Cider Co. We are honored to be in the company of other high caliber small businesses and love that our guests have a curated list of great spots to find awesome local products.  HDFT takes the guesswork out of your next quest for extra special local goods.”

Apply today and learn more about participating business criteria for farms, eateries, and other categories at hdffa.org/join-hdft. The deadline to apply to be included in the 2023 brochure is December 23rd, 2022. Find more information and the current brochure at hdffa.org/hdft.

This project is funded by the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant [grant no. 2020-70017-32426] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.