How many of your greatest life adventures began with three little words?
“I love you”, and “I am pregnant” are two that come to my mind; but “here we go” has also often preceded an adventure or at least a wild ride.
Six months ago, we said “here we go” and launched Local & Fresh with a pledge to be transparent about what it takes to build a better local food network.
Six months later we are thrilled to see the response. And in that spirit of transparency, we have to admit we are a little anxious as we take next the next big step forward. With your support and referrals we have grown to the point where we will be moving to a new, larger facility.
Thank you for helping us grow – your support is a signal to our producers to expand their operations with confidence to meet the demand that you are creating for local food.
Growth comes with challenges though. Getting to the other side and building a strong local food network will require breaking through the awkward bit in the middle when supply and demand may not meet up all the time.
As the demand grows, it will take time for the supply to catch up. Eggs and cucumbers are great examples from this week (my kingdom for some eggs!) as we have been hit with double whammy of increased demand and reduced supply thanks to a cold snap that is acting like a house guest who has long since worn out their welcome. Remember though, if we can’t bring an item in your order, you are never charged.
We ask you to keep ordering – even when the cucumbers are as scarce as a hen’s teeth (and this week at least, their eggs). Send a signal to our producers that there is strong support for local food.
We will do our part by finding more local producers and working with existing partners to grow a robust local food network. Developing a facility that can support an even larger inventory and an ever growing range of local products is a step we will take this week. It is going to be an interesting adventure.
Here we go!
Andrew Rathwell – Owner, Local and Fresh
But wait, there is more!
I would be remiss in my list of three little words if I didn’t include another powerful trio: “new and improved”. We have over a dozen new products to announce this week, including:
Amado’s Pitas – Did you know Regina has the only pita bakery in Saskatchewan? We are thrilled to add these incredibly local and fresh pitas from Amado’s Pita to the store in both white and whole wheat.
Chatty’s Indian Spices – A little heat would be a good thing right now, and we have got that in a eight different spices and sauces from Saskatoon’s Chatty’s Indian Spices including: Calcutta Curry, Butter Sauce, and a Saskatoon Chutney.
NorQuin Golden Quinoa – You asked. We answered. We have added local quinoa from NorQuin Golden Quinoa. This high protein, gluten free ancient superfood is grown right here in Saskatchewan. We have added four varieties including quinoa, certified organic quinoa, crispy quinoa and quinoa flour.
Solo Italia – Marco calls it “Triangle Bread” – I call it awesome. If you have had his pizza dough you know how amazing it tastes. What if it was available in a bun form? Boom! It is now…in a frozen four pack perfect for popping into the oven for a just a few minutes for a warm dinner roll.
Stacey’s Kitchen One Dish Souvlaki Stock Box – Stacey has a fast and easy recipe for one dish and one click local souvlaki.