The Weblog
The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:
Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!
When You Buy From A Small Business...
An Actual Person Does A Little Happy Dance…
One of the things that I love most about managing this online market, is my relationship with each vendor. Our market is approaching it’s 10th year in existence, and if you think about each week, for 10 years, that is a lot of time to spend with vendors who become family.
We boast such an amazing array of vendors, products, personalities, and all with a willingness to go that extra mile, not only for me, but for all of the market customer base.
I have never worked with so many people who all have such positive, upbeat souls….all helping to push this market, each and every week!
When you are shopping, look back at last year, and how so many of you started to become more and more aware of your food source, your health concerns, your fears of where your food that was actually coming from, and then your love of knowing where our growers are growing/producing.
Your health was a concern. The local community was your concern. You began to learn what I have been screaming about, on my soapbox, for years….you learned the difference between buying locally grown vs. buying food that was available in local stores.
You learned that buying local doesn’t always mean that it is being grown locally.
Our vendors love this market, they love the customers, and they love, each week, watching the orders flood in for their products. They are not concerned about getting rich, or having HUGE sales, each and every week. I mean, yes…when everyone has a great selling week, we all cheer, but you know what concerns our vendors? You. The actual customer. The people. If they make only one sale that week, they are still doing that happy dance.
This market has always been about customer first, vendor happiness, and the best locally grown and produced products.
We have the next expansion plan in the works to help kick off our tenth year that happens in May, and I am so excited to watch it come to life!!
The market is open for ordering, we are ready to do happy dances, and we are ready to make you, the customer, even more happy with what we provide!
XOXO,
Cosmic Pam