I have had this post sitting as a draft for sometime now, and I’m FINALLY going to put some meat on it’s outline bones it and push it out of the nest to fly into the wide wide web world.
Writing this post reminds me of a blogging friend – the Do Gooder Mama – someone whose awesome blog hasn’t had much to say as of late. I hope all is well with her and am including links to her blog for you to enjoy.
One of her posts Shop Small. Buy Local. Do Good. helps explain my reasons for buying cheese straight from the factory as part of our Cheese Ventures across this beautiful state of Wisconsin. Some of my loved ones who shall remain nameless have yet to understand my cheese obsession. With our latest visit to Cady Cheese, I realized that it is simply enjoying the BEST quality food straight from the manufacturer, while taking short, delicious breaks on our family road trips.
If you’re ever along Highway 94 past Eau Claire and heading towards Minnesota, I would highly recommend a short jaunt to Cady Cheese. Just follow the yellow brick road to the front of the store past the lovely landscaping. We were greeted by several friendly and knowledgeable employees, who offered us samples (YES)! We enjoyed freshly made colby cheese that squeaked as we chewed it. Amazing! And to think that I assumed only fresh cheese curds could squeak! We settled on three cheese: Golden Jack (picked by my 3 year old), 6 yr old Cheddar, and roasted tomato monterrey jack. Pairing these cheeses with Capital beer – also purchased along our road trip – made for a delectable combination of Wisconsin’s finest for our dear Minnesota friends.
The Benefits of Shopping Small
Recently I’ve been noticing a remarkable difference in the quality of food purchased locally instead of from the supermarket. We’ve picked and purchased apples from farmers and have enjoyed a lot of produce from our local farmer’s market. Food just seems to last longer and taste better.
Case in point – Daddy O. critiqued an asparagus and tomato side dish I made using grocery store produce, saying the tomatoes lacked flavor. And sure enough, a farmer at our market explained to us that tomatoes you buy in the store are typically picked when still green, leaving them to ripen during transportation. The longer they stay on the vine, the more they develop their flavor. (We’re hoping our tomatoes will ripen before the frost comes, so they’ll taste better!)
A few stats from Do-Gooder Mama’s post from E-Local:
– Throughout the United States, only about 33.6% of the revenue from national chains is reinvested into the community, which is very low compared to the 64.8% return from local businesses. (2009)
– If the people of an average American city were to shift 10% of their spending from chains to local businesses, it would bring an additional $235 million per year to the community’s economy.
In addition to great taste, the economic benefits are truly felt in your own community. Being employed by a small business myself, I plan on shifting some of my buying to local stores – especially to all of the amazing cheese factories!
Have you frequented farmer’s markets or bought straight from the producer / cheese maker? How do you support small business?
go mama o. 
I love your mission! Several years ago Matt and I vacationed as “tourists in our own state” and part of our travels included hitting every cheese factory remotely near our route. Our quest was for the best fresh curds. Yum!
Awesome! Glad you also did a cheese tasting tour too. It’s a delicious hobby!
Thanks so much for the shout-out! It has been far too long since I have focused my attention on my writing. We are well and there are no real excuses – simply that life got in the way. I am looking forward to rededicating some time to this project – thanks for inspiring me to get back in the game. Stay tuned for a post soon! (Though, it may have to wait a week or so because I am heading to Disney World today!!!) 🙂
You’re welcome! Yes, it can be tough to squeeze in blogging on top of everything else. Have an amazing time at Disney!