Shop Local. Buy Local. Eat Local.
In most places, the average dinner travels more than 1500 miles from field to fork. Ward’s Supermarket strives to bring that number down. By purchasing local produce, meats, and a variety of other hand-crafted goods, we ensure the freshness of our food. Ward’s Supermarket is Gainesville’s premier source of fresh, local foods and goods.
Ward’s offers an ever-increasing variety of delicious and wholesome local foods, including:
- Locally made organic tempeh from The Tempeh Shop and Artie’s Tempeh
- Freshly baked bread, pastries, and bagels from Vine Bread & Pasta, G’ville Sweets, and more
- Certified organic, fair trade coffee from Sweetwater Coffee Roasters, Rembrandt Coffee, Strongtree Coffee Roasters, and more
- Homemade hummus, tzatziki, lentil spreads
- A variety of local honey, including orange blossom and tupelo
Benefits of Shopping Local
Shopping Local is Good For You.
When you buy your food fresh and local, it doesn’t take weeks to get from the earth to your dinner plate. Therefore, foods don’t need preservatives in order to last. Instead, our produce is picked hours before it reaches the store. Our local foods are proven to contain more nutrients and taste better!
Shopping Local is Good for the Planet.
Buying food that has been shipped across the world, or even across the country, is a huge waste of oil and contributes to pollution and global warming. Local farmers are a part of the Gainesville community that respects and protects our environment by practicing sustainable agriculture. When you buy local products, you’re getting products with minimal travel from the earth to your table.
Shopping Local is Good for the Community.
Buying locally produced food strengthens our local economy. Money spent on local goods stays in the Gainesville community and supports the families of local, hardworking farmers and food artisans. For every one hundred dollars spent at a local business in your community, $73 stays in the local economy. That statistic dwindles to $43 at non-local businesses – almost a full third less.
Want To Know More?
Here are a few resources to learn more about the benefits of eating local foods and goods:
- Gainesville Farm Fresh lists a variety of resources concerning Gainesville’s local food community.
- Hogtown HomeGrown offers recipes, menus, and more based on Gainesville’s seasonally available food.
