There are many "Buy Local" campaigns actively recruiting local consumers throughout the nation.  FoodRoutes is a national leader in this effort.  Visit their "Buy Local" website by clicking here!

Rural Roots, in cooperation with the Moscow Food Co-op, sponsored the "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" kick-off celebration on June 26, 2004. 
View photos from that event!

Buy Fresh, Buy Local Campaign Comes to the Inland Northwest

Written Summer 2004

By Colette DePhelps, Executive Director

Rural Roots and the Moscow Food Co-op are excited to be launching the Inland Northwest Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign in Moscow this summer.   This campaign is part of a national effort led by FoodRoutes Network to nurture strong regional markets for locally grown foods.  Rural Roots is one of 16 regional partner organizations creating and implementing a “Buy Local” marketing campaign to help bridge the gaps between community farmers and consumers.

As a member of the national Buy Fresh Buy Local partnership, Rural Roots receives information from FoodRoutes Network and other partner organizations about their experience designing, launching, and implementing successful "buy local" food campaigns and market education initiatives.   In addition to assistance with designing the Inland Northwest Buy Fresh Buy Local label and logo, we have received print ready ads, templates for a variety of stickers, shelf tags and other point of purchase materials.  We have also received consumer research reports compiled by regional campaign partners. This assistance is strengthening our ability to plan an effective campaign. 

A very valuable piece of advice we received from the other Buy Fresh, Buy Local partners was to start small, plan, implement and evaluate.  We are doing just that!  This summer, we are using the new Buy Fresh, Buy Local label and logo in all of our regional directories and are piloting the use of point of purchase materials at the Moscow Food Co-op and Moscow’s two farmers’ markets.  This fall, we will evaluate our Moscow campaign and hold roundtable discussions with Rural Roots’ members in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint to talk about ways to expand the campaign to include other Inland Northwest communities.

Our goal for the Moscow campaign is to raise the visibility of and to educate people about the importance of buying local, sustainable products sold at the Moscow Food Co-op and Moscow’s two farmers’ markets – the Tuesday Growers’ Market in the Co-op parking lot and the Saturday downtown Moscow Farmers’ Market. 

By identifying local products in the store, at the Tuesday Growers’ Market and at the Saturday Moscow Farmers Market we are…

• Increasing shoppers ability to identify and purchase local, sustainably produced products.

• Educating community members about the importance of buying local, sustainable food and farm products and supporting locally owned and operated businesses.

• Encouraging and supporting existing and new sustainable farmers, ranchers and market gardeners in expanding their products and sales through local direct marketing venues.

• Increasing regional sales of local sustainably produced food and agriculture products in order to allow small family farmers to survive and prosper.

We are letting consumers know that buying locally grown and processed food contributes to the health of their local economy and when they buy locally grown food, they are supporting their neighbors. 

We kicked-off this summer’s campaign with a Taste Fair Saturday, June 26th, at the Moscow Food Co-op.  The Fair featured local producers and processors handing out free samples in the store and deli items made with local, sustainable ingredients.  We also staffed information tables at the Moscow Farmers’ Market and at the Co-op.  To find local products in the Moscow Food Co-op, customers can look for point of purchase cards, shelf tags and posters featuring the Inland Northwest Buy Fresh, Buy Local label. In-store products identified by the Buy Fresh, Buy Local label and logo include fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, flowers, fibers and locally processed products -- all grown sustainably and/or processed by locally owned and operated businesses. 

Individual farmers, ranchers and food businesses wishing to use the Inland Northwest Buy Fresh, Buy Local label and logo in their sales displays, on their promotional materials, or on their products must be Rural Roots members and must have submitted to us a sustainability statement that includes their approach to sustainability and a description of their production practices.

To define the geographic scope of the Moscow campaign, the Co-op and Rural Roots hosted two round table discussions about developing a Buy Local campaign for our region.  During those conversations, people told us that “local” to them is the greater Palouse and “regional” is the Inland Northwest which extends throughout Idaho, east to the Rocky Mountains of Montana and west to the Washington and Oregon Cascades Range.  As a result, our Buy Fresh, Buy Local label and logo will be used to identify sustainable products coming to Co-op shoppers from this Inland Northwest region.  Products from Montana will need to use the Montana Buy Fresh Buy Local label.

The Inland Northwest Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign is supported, in part, by a grant from New Priorities Foundation. 

You can also contact Rural Roots to request a free Buy Fresh, Buy Local postcard, bookmark, or copies of our 2004-2005 Inland Northwest Farmers’ Market Directory and  2004 Inland Northwest Farm Fresh Buying Guide.