Farmers & Ranchers Comments

Central Oregon Locavore has been a home base for Busy IZZY Foods. Not only is it a favorite place for me to find the tastiest produce that I know are grown and made locally, but as a base for me to launch my products and brand.

There are several reasons Central Oregon Locavore has been critical to my success as a quality brand here.

When I launched at farmer's markets in 2018, I needed a place for consumers to go to find my products when not frequenting the markets. This llowed me to grow a base for my brand and without your support, would have been impossible. You helped me understand the logistics of being a vendor and I've grown to appreciate our relationship. THANK YOU.

Locavore was the first store we got our product out through to central OR which was pretty huge for us as a 2 person operation, especially after farmer market season. Able to chose price we want for our product in pretty unusual for selling in a store so it’s been great to get the full value our of what we are growing, would have t bring price down to sell to larger grocery stores.

WWOLF days have been incredible. Two years back had a daunting harvest ahead because had to harvest garlic then haul it to new property to hang and cure. Did not know if it could work out, called on WWOLF to help and 15 volunteers came out and we got down early and it was super hot, close to 100. We had lunch and fun, and people had smiles and were enjoying being there. It made it so much better to have the hands, so grateful for that day, it was amazing.

Locavore is a huge help for our business, they brings awareness to the exact people we seek to sell to – people who want to buy local.

Locavore has provided a steady market for a lot of our produce for many years. Used to deliver CSA boxes and locavore was a drop off site. Now we sell mainly through farmstand in sisters but buy produce from other farms and locavore is willing to be a drop spot for other farms to drop of there so we can pick it up. Locavore is willing to use whatever resources they have to help the local farm community and we’ve benefited from that a lot.

We’ve had some really great volunteer days organized through locavore. Every year we have a WOOLF group come out and it’s a highlight of the year, it’s really fun!

Locavore is a big deal for us – our primary wholesale outlet for our meat. In slow season it’s a big percentage of our sales, as much as 25-30%.

Gwen putting together the WOOLF crews and hooked us up with 30-40 cadets and what they did in 4 hours would have taken staff 3 weeks – huge, we were giddy. Got all weed barrier off the ground and clean up after pumpkin patch. This was a highlight of the year, having so many people to help, love volunteer crews. And having our CSA pick up there is priceless. We are so appreciative of locavore, it’s the backbone to supporting the local farming community and getting our product to market and getting a constant availability that otherwise would not be there.

Locavore has impacted us a lot. We sell all of our products through locavore. Just a small amount off of the ranch but outside of town so not convenience for people to come through. Supported locavore since they first started.

Locavore really helps us out. They do a good job on social media letting people know when fresh chicken is coming in and available – very helpful. We sell goat meat. A lot of people don’t know about goat meat so locavore will cook and eat it, then put on freezer door a recipe to get people to try it – very helpful. Doing a great job so please keep it up. Our main source of outlet for our products.

Locavore allows us to not have to do farmers market anymore so everything we sell is at the farm or Locavore. Keep doing what you are doing – retail and connections. It’s great that employees can explain our business model – no chicken in winter. Educational aspect is great.

Early fan – Jamie Axly who started WWOLF was an intern at our farm and she convinced an entire crew to come out and pick rocks in our field which was once dry and this year the field is thriving as a pasture for chickens and locavore helped build this field through WWOLF event.

Without locavore I would not have a business. Locavore makes it so easy. Taking care of animals takes time so I have no time to market my product. The only place I sell through is locavore. They have been a dream come through. I’m so thankful for the partnership.

When came to Locavore, single mom, teacher, trying to make farm work on the side and went from $50-$1500/month in 6 years – just by dropping off meat at Locavore. Helps her business grow. Loves getting a market report so she can track sales and understand the demand.

We have sold our beef products at Locavore since it started. Over the last ten years, we hae attempted to get our product in other grocery stores to no avail. Locavore has always welcomed us ina professional manner. Locavore handles marketing, selling and paying us for our beef sales. 

Ranching is a very hard buiness to be in, we struggle annual to keep it going financially. Breaking even is a huge victory for us. Locavore has been a consistent year-round sources for us to sell product. I can't say it is what keeps us afloat each year but I can say that without Locavore, we would have a huge hole in our business.

As a lcoal farmer and buiness, we are so grateful for your support in assisting us in getting our products out to the local community. We love to shop at Locavore and it has become a large part of our grocery shopping because of its abundance of local and healthy food. Not only does Locavore support our biness but it also is a host for some of the more high-quality food we have found in our community. 

From local greens, to our farm fresh goat milk, we are so nourished by this organization. Shopping at Locavore is like visiting your neighbor farmer and getting the freshest ingredients for the dinner table. I really do see a future and expansion in Locavore and we are so grateful to be a part of it.

I have been associated with Central Oregon Locavore almost since its inception. I had just started selling my handcrafted products. When I approached Locavore about selling my products on their online marketplace and then in the market itself, I was welcomed with open arms. This was the beginning for me to promote my business, sell my products in the most awesome environment, make so many lasting friendships among the customers and simply get me up and running. I know that I can speak for so many of the vendors at Locavore when I say that most of us would not be where we are today had we not been given the opportunity to sell products at Locavore.

This community is so very lucky to be able to buy the bulk of products for their families, all of which are produced or handcrafted with love right here in Central Oregon. There is so much longevity among the producers at Locavore. The horrible realization that so many of us would no longer be able to fulfill our dreams of providing locally made goods to the community and to lose so many customers that have supported us throughout the years is unimaginable.

Please allow all of us to continue to provide the best local products that Central Oregon has to offer!

I run a small organic farm on leased land in Sisters, Oregon along with my wife, Carys. Our business is called Mahonia Gardens and we are in our sixth season of farming. Our small farm accounts for almost all of our income.

A few years ago, Central Oregon Locavore reached out to us and said, “How can we help you?”, and since then they have become crucial to our existence as a business. They allow us to use the parking lot of their Bend location as a drop-off point for our weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) customers, free of charge, even though in doing so we are in direct competition with their marketplace. They even let us store CSA boxes in their very limited refrigeration space, and only occasionally ask for a few dollars to help cover the electric bill.

Central Oregon Locavore also organizes a series of volunteer events on local farms, called WWOOLF (Willing Workers on Organic Local Farms). We have held one such event at our farm, which brought about 20 volunteers out to spread compost over the vegetable beds. Locavore staff organized and promoted the event, and provided food for the group of volunteers. They asked us for nothing in return.

Another way we benefit from Central Oregon Locavore is by selling our veggies to them at a generous price. The Locavore marketplace pays us more for our vegetables than any other wholesale account—closer to retail prices we might receive at a farmer’s market. Why? Because their mission is to support local farmers. While most retailers we work with try to negotiate lower prices from us, the Locavore makes every attempt to give us the highest reasonable price possible.

As a farmer, I work with many produce retailers and I am positive that Central Oregon Locavore is not just a business trying to turn a profit. Their mission is to support local farmers and a vibrant local food system in our region, and any income they derive is used in this mission.

Here at Lark Ranch and Gardens, we are so very grateful for our relationship with Locavore. When we moved to Central Oregon and onto a property with land, irrigation and two large greenhouses, we realized our potential for growing and raising our own food. We began doing this immediately! We also realized we were producing more than we could ever use. 

Our excess was given to friends and family, local food banks and anyone who would take a zucchini, but we still had excesses. Enter Locavore. At that time, Locavore was in a different location, much smaller and brand new. They welcomed us with open arms and gave us a place to share our home-grown food wealth. Locavore has grown, and we are proud to have grown with them. 

We provide hundreds of pounds of tomatoes each year for sale. We sell grass-fed beef and lavender, potatoes and squash. Whatever we can grow in excess has been sold at Locavore. 100% of our sales take place at Locavore. We have attended the annual dinner’s many times and are proud of our affiliation with such a great organization. 

We encourage friends and family to shop at Locavore because we are proud that there is a non-profit organization that supports buying and growing local in an ethical and healthy way. We love the monthly Locavore newsletters we receive and the updates on farms, healthy food and making the world a better place. We are so happy to have found Locavore.

I am writing in regard to the great service and benefit provided to myself and my family by Locavore. We are small ranchers and gardeners that produce too little product to sell commercially. Both my husband and I work full time, as ranching does not provide a livable wage. On our weekends and evenings, we maintain our gardens and care for our small herd of cattle and chickens.

In our area of Powell Butte, there are many large cattle ranches that sell locally and regionally. We cannot compete with them, nor do we want to produce on such a large scale. All of our cattle have names! We tried selling at a local farmers market, but they put up many hurdles which we found unprofitable and insurmountable. We were at a loss as to where we could sell our products. Then we found Locavore. They provide the storage, marketing and guidance we needed to get our product to the people of Central Oregon.

We humanely raise grass fed beef. Our cows eat the grass and hay that we grow on our property. Our chickens are cage free and spend their entire lives with us. We do not cull them, we treat them like family. We grow vegetables in our greenhouse to include tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage and the like. Our vegetables are grown without pesticides or herbicides. We are doing good things with the land and we are proud of what we do.

Because of Locavore, we can sell and market our products. These are products we produce as a family, and as small farmers. We simply grow and produce them, then take them to Locavore to be marketed and sold. Locavore has a set mark-up they take, and the amount we take home is up to us.

Locavore is an amazing resource for small businesses and the community. They hold workshops, sustainable cooking classes, a seed exchange, and educational functions. They are a wonderful group of people, an exceedingly beneficial business and Central Oregon is lucky to have them.