A friend recently made a statement that, for some reason, really stuck with me. “We should stop asking why organic produce is so expensive, and start asking why conventional food is so cheap.”
Even as a Fresh Harvest employee, cost is always in the back of my mind. It’s a reality for all of us. I wanted to share my candid thoughts with you–not as a Fresh Harvest employee, but the real “me”. A new dad with zero free time, limited income, and less-than-admirable kitchen skills. Through that lens, here are a few of the main reasons that I, personally, support FH & local farms:
1. For locally-grown, organic produce, the savings are real. If you ever go to Freedom Farmers Market (or any major ATL farmers market), take a look around & compare the vendors you see with the farmers page on the FH website. Nearly all of them are partnered with us, filling our weekly baskets with the exact same produce & artisan items. The only difference is, FH provides a discount since everything is ordered in larger quantities. Farmers benefit from the stability & convenience of bulk deliveries, and we (the consumers) enjoy the savings. Not to mention the convenience of free home delivery!
2. Connection matters to me. In a society that’s becoming more disconnected, I want my son to grow up recognizing the importance of true relationships. I want him to know our farmers by name, to see the challenges they face providing food for our family each week, to recognize first-hand the beauty of how food is grown & it’s impact on life.
3. I recognize the value of small-scale, organic farming. For most of the growing season in Georgia, it’s hot, humid and wet. Plants are prone to disease, weeds are huge and bugs are out in force. It’d be tempting to take the easier, conventional approach: spraying chemical herbicides and pesticides on genetically modified seeds. But our farmers choose the bugs and the weeds because they hold a vision for a future in which the earth is left revitalized rather than ruined. Yes, it’s more difficult. Yes, it’s more costly. But it’s absolutely worth it.
4. FH puts their money where their mouth is. Did you know that the average farmer gets only 7.8 cents per dollar spent by consumers? That’s insane. Their work literally keeps us alive, yet many small-scale farms barely scrape by. Because of our direct relationship, Fresh Harvest is able to give farmers at the minimum, 53 cents for every dollar we receive–nearly 7x the average. To us, reinvesting into our values & our partners makes sense. It reflects the true worth of their goods & allows them to focus on sustainable, healthy growth.
5. The subtle intangibles that other grocers just don’t provide. Hiring refugees from the local community, supporting their families through a subsidized market, hosting regular events at the FH garden, giving away freebies in baskets…the list goes on & on.
We’ll never beat the Kroger or Amazon’s of the world, offering rock-bottom prices or 2-hour deliveries…but that’s not our goal. We want to be a reliable source for people who value supporting farmers that care about their land & the communities they serve. We want the food we provide to mean something–to reflect a deeper story of “doing good” throughout Georgia.