CHICAGO (WLS) — Minutes before the grand opening of Austin Harvest, a new produce market, the youth-led staff took great care to make fruits and vegetables look as good as possible. Their pride and excitement are clear to see, as the students are determined to fill a need on the West Side, which is widely considered a food desert.

“Currently in Austin, we only have two grocery stores within 10 miles, and that’s not great for a community as large as Austin,” said Keith Tankson of Austin Harvest.

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Students from the By the Hand Club founded Austin Harvest during the pandemic. Originally planned to be a year-long outdoor pop-up market, the overwhelming community support prompted students to network and raise funds for a permanent structure that would operate year-round.

Rodney Williams, director of entrepreneurship at By the Hand Club, said everyone benefits when students are taught to be resourceful.

“We shouldn’t be calling this place a food desert 10 years from now because we are training entrepreneurs who should be able to start their own businesses and hopefully build their own businesses in the same community,” he said.

Austin Harvest offers 22,000 square feet of space, state-of-the-art refrigeration technology, and a hand-painted mural on one of the walls. It is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and students are responsible for planning, staffing, and inventory management.

The products come from Jewel-Osco, which also provides the students with business management lessons.

“How do you store fruits and vegetables? How do you display them? How do you store them? How do you display them,” says Jennifer Gresham of Jewel-Osco.

All revenue generated at Austin Harvest is reinvested into operations and student scholarships.