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Importance of Sourcing Ingredients Locally

• March 02, 2020
• Recent News
• CTC Corp

There are many reasons why you should use locally-sourced ingredients for your restaurant. The benefits to your community, customers, and yourself for using locally-sourced foods are often understated.

Here are just some of the reasons locally-sourced food options are preferable to industrial produce: 

Reliable Quality and Delivery 

A local grower has their reputation on the line with every piece of produce that comes into your restaurant. When there’s a problem or quality issue, you’re not calling a service help line, you’re calling your neighbor. That kind of accountability isn’t possible on the industrial scale. When you’re a small fish, your concerns just aren’t that important. 

Consistent, timely delivery is another quality of local produce sourcing that’s stronger than in their industrial counterparts. With less distance to travel and greater familiarity with the community layout, local growers are generally on time. 

Truly Regional Dishes

If your menu caters to the region and has dishes that reflect its history or qualities, produce from that region is a must! Not only does this capture a greater essence of the experience for your customers, but it’s also a more honest representation. The variables that go into the flavor of a certain produce are hard to quantify. It’s entirely possible that local harvesting is integral to the recipe! 

Selling Point

There’s a reason restaurants that source their food from industrial operations states away don’t advertise it. The stigma attached to these operations isn’t without reason. Between yearly, highly-publicized outbreaks of bacterial infestations and widespread pesticide and herbicide usage, there’s just no public appeal. 

Locally-sourced produce, on the other hand, carries exactly the opposite connotations. It implies safe, ethical practices, land-owner control and benefit, and organic quality. 

Healthier Products

Locally-sourced produce is more likely to be organic than those produced in an industrial setting. With how little we know about chemicals found in non-organic food affect the body, exposing your patrons to as little of them as possible is always a safe bet. 

Another issue in factory farming is the genetic similarity between its crops. If a vegetable strain is resistant to weather or chemicals, it will be chosen for production in mass. Then it’s cloned and reused. This might benefit the grower’s numbers, but it does no favors for the plant’s long-term interest. Fields with genetic diversity between its produce require more attention, but they’re healthier in the long run. 

Supports the Local Economy and Community 

When you buy from a local, independent grower, you’re not only supporting their effort and family, but the whole community as well. Farmland generally contributes more in taxes than it uses in assistance. Those tax dollars are put to use in community building and other purposes. 

Your Restaurant Linens Should be Locally Sourced, Too

Having your restaurant’s linens locally rented or laundered has similar benefits to using locally-sourced ingredients. CTC is Oklahoma’s premier, local laundry facility. We have the supply, resources, and customer service mentality to ensure your materials are there when you need them. For more information, give us a call at 800-926-5646 or contact us here.