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Food21's Larimer Fresh Project: Social Enterprise as Community and Economic Revitalization in Pittsburgh
Audrey J. Murrell, Samuel Allen, Ray Jones, and Logan Kauffman
University of Pittsburgh, USA
Volume 17: 2024, pp. 19-30; ABSTRACT
This case study details an effort undertaken to address the wicked and complex problem
of food insecurity by Food21’s Larimer Fresh project, a social enterprise with the goal of providing
economic and community revitalization through the establishment of a food hall and community
center in Pittsburgh, PA. The Larimer Fresh project aims to provide self-sustaining access to fresh
and affordable food for community members. The case study provides context and details for the
proposal Food21’s CEO, Joe Bute, must make to various stakeholders involved in the project to
secure access to land, funding, and community support – all of which are essential to the success of
the social enterprise. In developing his proposal, Bute must weigh the input of investors, community
members, city agencies, and demonstrate a deep and genuine understanding of food insecurity, its
causes, and the impacts of his social enterprise on residents of the Larimer community.
Keywords: food insecurity, social enterprise, social sustainability, social responsibility, ethics,
stakeholder management, gentrification, food desert, community revitalization.
