BigBarn Crop for the Shop

Crop For The ShopOur new Crop for the Shop initiative helps local shops source more local fresh produce and encourages people to grow food and make money from any surplus. We can all join and improve the food industry!

What better way to help BigBarn reach our mission of 'reconnecting consumers with producers and help build local food supply chains' than to encourage consumers to become producers!

I first heard the sentence 'Crop for the Shop' when I met Alan Wyle at a conference. Alan had thought of it when helping a number of communities set up their own village shop, run and owned by the community. I saw the potential for small shops losing customers to the supermarket.

The shop would get great produce to sell and by cutting out the middle men be cheaper than the supermarket. They also get new customers, from those bringing their produce, and others buying it.

Suddenly local shops can fight back and satisfy the needs of local customers, especially if those customers buy local every week and leave the supermarket to once a month (if they have to).

And if you are a shop you can also download our Crop For The Shop poster here and a basic agreement between you and a grower to cover EHO requirements. (Simply type in your shop's name at the top and print off some copies for your local growers to complete and sign.)

Exciting times! Local food is getting cheaper and better and we can all profit from the local food revolution.