Barn to Boudoir

I keep coming back to the question: At what cost am I willing to buy products? Cost is a loaded term defined as price, value, sacrifice, loss;  the price is only one factor.  What's the cost to the environment?  To the people making it?  To my health?  And which definition am I considering?  A recent article in the New Yorker magazine highlighted Belcampo Meat Co. in California, a vertically integrated, organic, sustainable, humane, grass-fed, meat producer. The meat is healthier for people with higher Omega-3's, healthier for the environment using sustainable farming, and healthier for the animals using humane animal husbandry. Americans eat more meat than ever, but the quality has dramatically declined. The company's philosophy is simple; buy quality, not quantity.

All across the country, people want to trust that the products they buy are made with integrity. The Wall Street Journal published an article in November featuring American manufacturers of high-performance wool clothing. Like Suite Sleep, these entrepreneurs are also looking to the high-quality wool grown right here at home, which has revitalized our domestic wool industry. One such company is Farm to Feet, that manufactures 100% American wool socks. 

So why am I willing to pay more for fresh, local food direct from the farmer? This is the question I ask as I peruse the farmer's market Saturday afternoons. The answer is simple. Trust. 

Trust is the building block of our business. I can have a conversation with the person in charge of how it's grown, why it's done a certain way, what is and isn't in the product. Is it GMO free, pesticide free, organic, sustainable? Was it made in the US by our local labor force or by factory workers in China?  During so many visits to our retailers' showrooms engaging with sales associates and customers, I was delighted to hear more and more people asking about the story behind the products being sold. I have met more people who get their farm fresh eggs from friends and neighbors who have "backyard farms" and seek out local businesses for quality products.

As I watch this movement of bringing our producers closer to home, it's clear that the decision we made, to forego imported organic wool from factory farms across the globe, was the right decision. We love knowing that our growers are close to home, use only humane animal husbandry practices, and produce some of the best wool in the world. Our growers are small family farms that care about the health of their flock, the health of their land, and the health of their families. The first step was to look to our North American producers.  The next step is to delve deeper, and look to our local producers. Join us as our journey has just begun!