The importance of supporting local products
By Nancy Only,  Published: Nov 7 2006

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One of my greatest frustrations occurs when I’m unable to find local products on supermarket shelves. I made a commitment to myself some time ago to support local industry for several reasons. Obviously, even if I sometimes have to pay a few cents more, it makes economic sense to me to invest my money in our local economy.

And besides, the output of Humboldt County food producers is at least equal, and often superior, to anything from the outside world.

So when I shop and can’t find Loleta Roasted Garlic Jack Cheese, for example, or Sweet Mama Janisse’s Soy-Gin Sauce, I become a little testy.

If a thoughtful checker happens to ask if I found everything I was looking for, I’m grateful for the opportunity to request local brands. Sadly, I’ve found that if I have to make a formal request, it usually falls on deaf ears.

I’ve ranted in the past about what I perceive to be our county’s poverty-consciousness. We’re surrounded here by plenty and splendor, yet all too often what I hear are complaints about lack and limitation. And as long as that’s what people choose to see, that’s what they’ll experience.

It reminds me of the story of a man sitting outside a store in a small town. He is approached by a stranger who says he’s thinking of moving to the town and asks what life is like there. “What’s it like where you live now?” the old man asks. “Oh, it’s awful. The people are cold and unfeeling. The job market is nonexistent. Real estate is expensive, and crime is rampant.”

“Well,” the old man tells him, “you’ll find it’s like that here, too.” Shortly afterward, another stranger tells the old man that his company has transferred him to the town, and he also wants to know what life there is like.

Again, the old man asks, “What’s it like where you live now?” “It’s great,” the stranger responds. “We have wonderful neighbors. Our children are in excellent schools, and the opportunities seem to be unlimited.”

“Well,” the old man tells him, “you’ll find it’s like that here, too.”

A successful entrepreneur once told me, “Most people say ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ But, in fact, we see it when we believe it.”

What do we think of when we think about our lives here?

For me, it’s the beautiful surroundings, generous and supportive people, phenomenal talent and creativity, and, of course, all the potential inherent in those effects.

And, not surprisingly, that turns out to be what I experience. I’m not oblivious to aspects and events that appear to contradict my experience, but I get to choose where I place my focus.

Call me chauvinistic, but I actually prefer local goods – not because I think the area will go belly-up without my support, but because I take a sense of pride in them. Each time I spread Humboldt Creamery butter on my Brio bread or bite into one of Sjaak’s wonderful truffles, I am aware that these products were made by my friends and neighbors, and it adds to my enjoyment.

Lots of people are learning to read labels for nutritional content. I read them for area of origin. If it’s made in Humboldt County, I want to know about it.



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