You know what I love? Grocery shopping. I make a strategic effort each week to make grocery shopping my time. I love the packaging and the marketing as much as I love finding everything on my shopping list. You know what I love more? Farmers Markets. If I could get everything I needed from one market each week I would be in Heaven! Nothing completes me like a walk through my local Farmer's Market. Insert Whole Foods Market and I can get everything I need in one place from many local food artisans and farmers that I would find at my local farmers market.
If you didn't already know, Whole Foods Market's seek out local products from small, dedicated food artisans who share the Whole Foods Market passion for excellence, tradition, purity and regional identity. No kidding. They even have a person called a Local Forager, whose job it is solely to seek out these small businesses in this particular region and bring them to the shelves of the store. I'll mark that one on my grand list of dream jobs next to bass guitar in a rock band and Carrie Bradshaw.
This month Whole Foods Market's have been celebrating these food artisans with a Meet the Makers event each weekend and the good news is there is still one more opportunity at the West Vancouver Park Royal Village store this Saturday August 23rd from 11 am to 3 pm to meet some of these makers and maybe even find a new favourite local producer.
Are you a local producer? Did you know that Whole Foods Market's also provides up to $10 million in low-interest loans to independent farmers and food artisans? It's true. They proudly support small producers that need a hand, not a handout, to help make their dreams a reality. For more information on the Local Producer Loan Program click here.
Check out my little local producer wishlist featured above. These are some amazing companies that provide tasty products that could easily fill my basket each week.
XO. Suzanne
