Buy Local Produce Trend Continues to Grow
By: Kristin Mazur
Updated: July 29, 2009
Rick Meyer is getting ready to ship out his new crop of apples at Orchard Hill Farms in Kendallville.
“We have a large crop. It's more than our five-year-average the way it looks” says Meyer.
He says his sales have increased over the past couple years due to a growing trend: area stores supporting local growers.
“I’ve just seen more urgency in the stores in procuring local food in the last couple years” adds Meyer.
At Orchard Hill Farms, over 100-thousand bushels of apples are expected to be shipped off to local stores like Walmart. If you look at ads at stores like Meijer and Walmart and you will see words like “Fresh From Family Farm to Family Store.
“In our local Walmart store we have wooden bins on display with our name on them” says Meyer.
“It’s a remarkable effort they're doing to promote local fruit” Meyer says.
Orchard Hill Farms sells to Walmart along with a few other area grocery stores.
“They've gone out of their way to assist and help us” says Meyer.
He’s even worked with Walmart on a national level to come up with new ways of promoting local fruit.
“We've got a got relationship with them in promoting us, a local supplier” he says.
Meyer admits though he doesn't know why buy-local has become so popular or how long it will last.
“I don't know. It could be a multi-year trend or be done in a few years. I don't know” Meyer says.
But he does add that regardless if the trend fades, local supporters will always be out there willing and ready to buy his crop.
“I think there will always be a certain segment of the population that support local growers and source fruit closer to home” he says.
To find out more information on Orchard Hill Farms, head to www.orchardhillfarms.com
