I received this notification from loyal reader Rose at the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. Sounds pretty cool. Ingles is obviously working on its local food cred. That’s cool.
But I have a question and request of ASAP and Ingles.
My question: Why can’t I find Sunburst Trout Farm fish in my local Ingles stores any more?
My request: If supporting local farmers is so important, get Sunburst Trout Farm fish back in my local Ingles store. ASAP.
ASHEVILLE, NC ( July 30, 2009) The Weaverville Ingles Market will host a special event with farmer appearances, food samples, and kids activities on Saturday, August 8. The event, at 140 Weaver Blvd., will run from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is organizing the farmer appearances, “to help people connect with the farmers who are growing their food right here in the community,” says Program Director, Peter Marks.
Meet Billy Haynes of Black Bird Farms and Allan Henderson of Henderson’s Best Produce at the Weaverville Ingles event. Some of the other local, family farms that supply food to Ingles include:
– Apple Wedge Packers, Henderson County, NC – apples
– Hollar and Greene, Watauga County, NC – cabbage
– Hilda Rico Tipton Farms, Rutherford County, NC – tomatoes
– Robbins Family Farm, Duffield, VA – potted herbs
– Seasonal Produce, Haywood County, NC – Romaine lettuce
– Shelton Farms, Jackson County, NC – Bibb lettuce
– Sunny Creek Farm, Polk County, NC– sprouts
– Windy Ridge Farm, Henderson County, NC – apples
Local dairies and local nurseries also sell to Ingles.
To identify local food in your grocery store, look for the Appalachian Grown logo. The Appalachian Grown brand, created by ASAP, identifies food from family farm in the Southern Appalachians.
As a part of their work to keep farmers farming and reconnect people with their food, ASAP serves farmers and grocers. The nonprofit organization matches buyers with local, family farmers who can supply the products they need. ASAP also helps businesses market local foods and make them more visible to customers with signs and ads. Ingles distributes ASAP’s Local Food Guides at stores.
6 Comments
I wish Ingles would carry Sunburst trout too. I bought the Idaho stuff that Ingles is offering instead… it was so bad I threw it away after one bite. I now go to Greenlife or Earth Fare to buy Sunburst. Or you can get it at the farmer’s market on Charlotte Street Saturday mornings.
Please feel free to e-mail me about products as well. We strive to carry local produce throughout the year.
amen on the sunburst trout!
my ingles on the west side is usually pretty low on merch, esp when its something one might consider to be on the "gourmet" side… i have to give them props though bc i asked them about carrying big sky granola… low and behold… they got it and i love it!
Many Ingles seem to have stocking problems. At the Merrimon Avenue store you can expect to not be able to score about 20% of your list any time you go in.
Hello, this is Rose with ASAP.
I commend Ingles for carrying the local foods that they do, and thank them for working with ASAP to promote products from our family farms.
But I have to agree that I miss being able to buy Sunburst trout at Ingles. (I’m not sure why they stopped carrying it.) Now I buy directly from Sunburst at the Asheville City Market (every Saturday on Charlotte Street and Wednesday in Biltmore Park Town Square). You can also meet Sunburst staff and sample their products at upcoming events at Earth Fare. They’ll be at Earth Fare in South Asheville from 4:00-6:00 on August 19, and the Westgate Earth Fare from 4:00-6:00 on August 29. Greenlife carries Sunburst’s products too.
It’s important to let grocers know what you want to buy and that you’re looking for local food, so thanks for bringing this up. This wasn’t Evelyn’s experience, but I’ve heard that Ingles’ staff is pretty responsive to online comments. Try again here?
http://www.ingles-markets.com/comments/customer_service/index.php
Good for Ingles on this. BUT, I’m very disappointed with Ingles’ Weavervillle store. I have twice emailed Ingles main office with comment and complaint and I never get a reply. Do they care what their customers think? The problems they encounter? Do they know it’s just good manners to reply to customers who take the time to let them know about their shopping experiences?
The Weaverville store is so frequently out of stock on items I routinely buy there that it becomes a real chore to go shopping. I try to make one trip a week, and buy the same things every week. Except Weaverville’s shelves are out of many of the things I buy regularly. I always wonder when I arrive if I will find the things I want or will have to make a trip to Food Lion to complete my shopping.