Have you heard about the recent buzz about shopping at local stores and promoting small businesses? You must have! Do you know how benefitting it is for the entire locality when YOU shop locally?  And if you haven’t heard any of this before, well you can read it now!

"Shopping local is the act of everyday consumers, like you, deciding to buy your produce, clothing, and day to day items from a local business instead of going to a large retailer."

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has brought the economy to a standstill around the globe. The Indian economy has also been severely affected. But a few baby steps and some conscious efforts can help boost the economy again!

• While many people take pride in shopping from large, profit-driven commercial brands, and chain shops, they miss out on the point that making a big brand bigger will do little good to your community and country.

  According to a Forbes article, ‘for every dollar spent at a locally owned establishment, nearly 45% of that revenue stayed in the local community with another 9% being spent elsewhere in the state. These expenditures included employee wages/benefits, inventory, supplies, and services from other local businesses, profits accrued to the local owners, state and local taxes, and charitable contributions. While, for every dollar spent at a chain store, only 14% of the revenue stayed in the local community, mostly in the form of payroll. The balance of that money flows to out-of-state suppliers, or back to the parent corporation.'

  Therefore, when you shop local, significantly more money stays in the community, and new opportunities prosper.

• Another benefit of shopping local is to get to know the people and process behind the product since they are from your own locality. Otherwise, products from a large retail store, travel thousands of kilometers before they ultimately reach your hands. Transporting a product from thousands of kilometers impacts the environment in very harsh ways, especially in terms of CO2 emissions. It typically requires more plastic packaging making the problems of waste and pollutions even worse.

  

• A very easy step towards shopping local is to buy your vegetables and fruits from the farmers market. Farmers market provides you fresh local vegetables and fruits that make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle (especially during these tough times). With the emergence of online grocers and trending meal kits, consumers are getting disconnected from the source of their food.

  Purchasing from your nearest farmers market, directly from farmers, give the producers the profit they deserve by removing the intermediates of the process.

  Local produce is fresh and healthier as it does not have to travel long distances. It ripens for a longer time thus increasing its taste! Eating local reduces your carbon footprint and you also promote better air quality and reduce air pollution.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

• Not only this, but you also get more personalized and unique products. Instead of calling on a 1-800 number and getting transferred several times, you get better customer care directly from the business owner when you shop local.

  Shopping at local stores and eating at local restaurants is, however, the best way to build relationships and connecting to your community.

  
  

  

Buying local is not a new idea, but a return to tradition. Jaivik Setu provides all the opportunities mentioned above, making your journey towards shopping local easier. Jaivik Setu is the first in Indore and in central India to start a marketplace for organic farmers to directly sell to consumers. We provide seasonal produce at the farmers' market and seasonal delicacies at our café and strive to work with manufacturers who are closer to us.

If we want to fight away the high cost of cheap foods, protect our environment, strengthen our communities, and empower the lives of our farmers, then we are going to have to shift to more local options available. The success of our community is directly connected to us!