5 reasons to shop local vs supermarkets
Lots of people make the effort to shop at their local greengrocer or farm shop. So why go to all that trouble?
Here at Stonefield Farm Shop, we think it is worth the extra trip outside of your supermarket run for a number of reasons.
1. Personalised Service
How many times have you asked the shop assistant in a supermarket which potatoes are the best for roasting (if they even have varieties rather than plastic bags of "white potatoes")? At our shop, you can ask the staff all about the produce we are selling. Need something special - just ask us. Need to order something in bulk - not a problem!
2. Food miles
We don't ship all our fruit and vegetables to a warehouse in the middle of England before we send it to our shop. We source our produce in Spitalfields Market, which is Europe's largest horticultural market specialising in fruit and vegetables. It is based near Stratford in London and we then bring the produce straight to the shop in Essex. The fresher the produce the more nutrients it retains. We also source produce from local farmers and small holdings which means even less food miles.
3. Reduced packaging
At Stonefields, we try to use as little plastic and packaging as possible. Customers bring their own bags, baskets and boxes, including reusing brown paper bags. We use the boxes that the produce is packaged in to pack up our customers shopping.
4. Any quantity you require
As far as possible, our fruit and vegetables are not pre-packaged. This means that you can chose each item of fruit or vegetables yourself and pick the quantity that you need. If you want one banana - take one! One onion - we don't mind. This means that customers who are living on their own or small families can pick a variety of produce without having to eat the same thing day after day as the packet has four portions in it. It also means that if you are the only person in your family who likes a particular fruit or veg, you can buy as much or as little just for yourself!
5. Support local communities
Local businesses provide jobs and support local charities and interests. We stock local produce as far as we can, including eggs, apples, potatoes, flour, jams, oils and sauces. We can't wait for the British growing season to really start so that we can stock a greater proportion of our produce locally.
These are just a few reasons why we think shopping at Stonefield Farm Shop is a superior experience than going to the supermarket. Come and visit us today and see if you like the different way of shopping for your fruit and vegetables!
We look forward to welcoming you soon...
