Why a local food co-op?
In 2008, several Michiana families noticed that despite an abundance of local farms, the products from their grocery stores came from thousands of miles away, often coated with preservatives to make the long journey. Finding these local farmers and locating this food had been a challenging task. So, they began working with a few Michiana farmers, hoping for a reasonably priced, local and convenient alternative. Weekly they picked up their fresh produce at one member’s purple porch. Now their vision has expanded to include more families and farmers in the Michiana region.
Purple Porch Co-op producers post their fruit, vegetable, meat, dairy and dry good products for sale on our web site. Customers can shop online for their food, and pick up their purchases at a nearby distribution center. It’s a win-win: producers have a market for their harvest, consumers can live their values of buying locally and naturally grown whole foods with the convenience of one distribution center.
We are a member-owned cooperative enterprise in North Central Indiana committed to growing a local, sustainable economy that will reduce our carbon footprint through the purchasing of whole foods. We aim to connect people in Michiana who want to buy local, organic and/or fair trade food with local growers who produce that food.
Local food may be all the rage now, but it’s not another passing trend. Food grown nearby, by a farmer you know, is fresher, in season, consumes less energy to get to your table, and is ultimately healthier for you and the planet.
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