Buying Locally
Yesterday, I visited a local producer of cider, wine and mead. It's the kind of place where you're encouraged to go in and try the different products on offer, and buy them directly from the guy who actually makes them.
It got me thinking about the increasing value we (as a nation) seem to be placing on locally produced goods - even Tesco recently announced plans to source milk from farms local to each store.
Would you be prepared to pay more for goods from a local producer than a big chain? How much more?
Would you expect higher quality?
It would also be interesting to hear the views of some non UKers…
Comment by Empress — June 11, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
Well, I'm a non-UK'er but we've had the debate here in Canada as well. We can get cheaper produce from the US and Mexico and often I'll find myself picking up the cheaper products… just because they're cheaper. But recently I've become more aware of what's grown locally and I'll go to the farmers markets and the grocery stores and buy what I can locally (budget willing). I would rather support locally - budget willing.
Comment by gary — June 11, 2007 @ 11:00 pm
I buy eggs and milk from the farm that is just down the lane from me. We've also a very good farmers market a few miles away which sells all manner of organic produce - but it is very expensive.
All the meat I buy (which isn't an awful lot as I am _almost_ veggy, comes from the local butcher.
The only stuff that comes from Tesco's is the other household items. And a fry-up now and then
Basically, the long and short of it is this; if I like a foodstuff I'll purchase from where-ever sells it, cost doesn't really come into it.
Did you see the local (that is "local" to me and Oli) news story over the last few months - Points West Bus was going about the place promoting local produce. Did very well by all accounts.
Comment by tony — June 11, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
i think its more a fact that people want they're money to go to a local business rather than go to an "outsider"! u see alot of tradesmen advertising the fact that they are a local company!
on the question of price, well i live in a city and when getting quotes for getting work done its amazing how much cheaper firms from outside the town center are! a good tip there! lol
Comment by SarahG — June 12, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
We buy fresh local stuff if we can. I grow a lot of salad which does us over the summer which is handy (and free!). We get a decent farmers market once a month in Chester but I've started looking for local farm shops to see what else we can pick up. For similar quality items the cost is around the same. However you get a lot more variation on items at times at the market.
Most of our meat and fish comes from Costco as it's cheaper to buy in bulk and freeze it.
Comment by Chris McLeod — June 13, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
I've bought local produce quite a lot, especially recently. It might (on occasion) be more expensive, but the quality is so much better than Supermarket fare.
Meat/poultry, dairy, eggs, and fish tend to be the best to get.