Loco for Local

I’ve been a supporter of supporting my local community for years. Way before it was the cool thing to do and even before I had any inkling that there could be global reasons for doing so.

Long before I owned a small business or had even thought much about any far-reaching impact, I was a believer in buying locally, from the corner store. Hey, it wasn’t heroic, it was purely practical. If I don’t help keep them in business, they won’t be there when I need a quick quart of milk or loaf of bread.

And lord knows, I do not want to hop in the car and drive when I have a sudden, undeniable craving for vanilla ice cream with a thick, caramel swirl and chocolate chunks. Or, say, broccoli.

When I started my business working with entrepreneurs and small business owners, I came to more fully understand how much impact being a local customer has. As time passes, my interest in supporting local has expanded and become more conscious.

Sometimes in small ways. I prefer to buy my morning beverage from an independent coffee shop over a chain brand. A Canadian owned franchise over a foreign owned shop.

With a growing awareness of food and food sources, the concept is expanded to a more fundamental element of life, my everyday food. I accidentally find myself becoming quite interested in being part of this important, growing (pun intended) awareness.

I’m not an expert and I don’t have a soap box. I’ve just come to appreciate how doing just a little, on a regular basis, can mean quite a lot.