what defines local?

Posted by Lynsie Watkins Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:47:00 GMT

This question is becoming increasingly popular.  And the answer, unfortunately, seems a difficult one to find depending on who you talk to.  According to Harris Teeter here in Charlottesville, "locally grown" signifies (oh the horror!) anything grown in the entire United States!  Even more horrifying, (as if this fact doesn’t already deter the true local eater): the flashy sign does not in any way explain where in the US the piece of produce was grown.  How awfully off course this grocery store chain is in terms of local consuming.

A different approach, one could argue, would be a "local consumer" website.  Better World Betty, widely known here in Charlottesville, is a shining example of this.  The site’s hostess, Betty, leads us on a tour of local businesses in the area that have her blessing in terms of green consuming.  She also offers advice to the visitor on how to live a greener life in general.  While the site is on the right track, I have to admit that I feel like it misses what I think is the goal of the local consumer.  For instance, a number of bakeries are listed on the site, encouraging us locals to support locally owned businesses.  That’s great, and I think we should all support as many local businesses as possible.  But for me, this does not fit into the idea of eating or buying locally that I’m going for.  The cookies are made on site, yes.  But does the flour come from a local flour mill?  Does the fruit come from a local berry farm?  That’s the question that I’m more concerned about.

Now, thank goodness, we’ve got a new site in town!  Locallectual.com is a great tool for those of us who want to buy locally from businesses that buy locally.  Get it?  Now, not every business Locallectual lists creates its products from materials derived locally on a state level, however it goes the furthest out of any other site I know in offering up business listings that keep their business in the US.  Thank you, Locallectual!

So, these are your options.  And, as it happens, these were the options I was faced with when the idea for Perfect Flavor was born.  It first took me asking things like: where does this come from?  How do I get it?  And from there, I have designed a business that is as local as possible.  From grain to tshirts (which are designed and printed in Manassas, VA using cotton from the US, and it is called Brand of the Free), we are not only a local business, but instead a local business that supports local business.