Chapter 1 – A Seed Is Planted

In late 2023, Dr. Kevin Lyons of Rutgers passes the torch to Dr. Edward Sanchez, challenging him to prototype a hyper-local food supply chain that links Newark's community gardens to corner bodegas. ✦

Chapter 2 – Building the Core Team

Early 2024: Dr. Sanchez recruits Kevin Kim (3SP Club), who in turn connects with Jensy Jimenez—fresh off his Title V Peer-Leader role and data-analytics bootcamp. Together, they outline needs for logistics, data wrangling, and community outreach. ✦

Chapter 3 – From Vision to Pilot

Spring 2024 sees weekly white-board sessions where the trio map warehouse utilization KPIs, sketch cold-chain routes, and secure initial produce commitments from two urban gardens in the Ironbound. ✦

Chapter 4 – The Flow-Chain Cohort

By Summer 2024 Estrella Luna, Shanandra Ubiera, Michael La Torre, Riley O'Sullivan, and Yulissa Aguila join—rounding out biology, communications, business ops, marketing, and full-stack skills. Team Flow Chain is born. ✦

Chapter 5 – Looking Ahead

Nothing here is finished—yet. The next milestones: integrate IoT temp loggers, publish our open-source dashboard, and onboard ten bodegas by Summer 2026. The seedling has sprouted; now we cultivate. ✦