A Connecticut businessman wants to launch a fleet of boats to ferry organic food from Long Island and Connecticut farms to restaurants on both sides of Long Island Sound.
Bob Kunkel’s company builds alternative marine technology, such as the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium’s hybrid-electric research vessel. Last year, he opened an organic food market in Norwalk. Now, he wants to combine both of his interests.
“We started to look at whether or not we could deliver organic farm products and fresh meat across Long Island Sound to number one, relieve the congestion in some of the villages, and provide a sustainable platform for the farmers and create new markets for them.”
Kunkel says the idea is to use the Sound, not the interstates, to ship produce, fish and meat to locations on both sides of the Sound.
Hybrid-electric catamarans could transport the food to various distribution ports in Connecticut and Long Island creating a farm-to-boat-to-table network.
Last week, the Connecticut Port Authority voted to act as a public sponsor so that the project could potentially receive millions of dollars in grant funding.