Since I’ve become more conscious of how dangerous big corporations are to our personal and societal health I’ve tried to seek out smaller companies that are producing great products and give my business to them instead. A lot of these smaller companies are the manifestion of someone's dream to live a different and better life. These mega corps are almost always more interested in their bottom line than the safety or quality of their products.
Blinded by power and greed, many of these corporations are doing irreparable damage to human health, freedoms, the environment, and the future of our society as a whole. Sometimes it feels we’re powerless to escape the tentacles of their influence but we still have more power than we think, we can vote with our dollars. If more of us did this it would harm the bottom lines of the megacorps and send a clear message.
Recently, I’ve found a couple of these companies that I’m particularly impressed with and I’d like to shine a spotlight on them.
Dutch Meadows Farm
Dutch Meadows Farm is a Pennsylvania-based family run operation that produces high quality meats, bakery items, and raw dairy. So far I’ve tried the grass fed beef patties, cultured raw butter, and spelt sourdough bread. Their customer service has been amazing as well. You can really tell they care about the well-being of their customers.
If you're so inclined, you can use my referral link here to sign up with Dutch Meadows Farm.
VanMan
VanMan sells natural personal care products that work incredibly well. I’ve used the Honey and Tallow Balm and the Tooth Powder and both have been superior to anything I’ve tried.
The balm can be used on the face or as a general moisturizer and the tooth powder has done a good job of months of coffee/tea stains from my teeth. This is no small feat because I drink two cups of green tea and a couple cups of coffee a day. These products seem expensive on the surface but last a very long time. Both containers generally will last me about two-to-three months.
The general health and wellbeing of Americans have been in steep decline now for decades. It’s so important to take the time to educate ourselves about the toxicity of our food supply and the products we use on our bodies and in our homes. As consumers, we’re lucky that we all still have choices and we still have the power to vote with our dollars.
Do you have a small business that you're particularly impressed with? If so, please share their link in the comments below.
All for now.
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Thanks for these. I am going to sign up for Dutch Meadows and get their Einkorn flour. I had wanted to get heritage wheat flour for a while for my own sourdough bread, so now I'll try theirs.
This is amazing. I wish there was more incentive for the general public to support these efforts. I mean, the most obvious incentive is our health (mental and physical and spiritual) and also the environment, but most people seem to not care. Or, it is again about short-term gain. Supermarkets with their lobbying/subsidising and so on can sell things for so cheap and people probably too tired from working all day, will rather buy some inferior product as comfort over buying something more expensive and lasting. I have always wanted to open a sourdough bakery, and I have received so much good feedback from customers, telling me it is the best bread they have tasted. Yet, trying to open a bakery, and justify it, I needed to sell a staggering amount of product just to pay my rent of a premises. Big companies/corps as you know can carry these costs, while someone like me trying to start something from scratch cannot.
Sorry for the long-winded comment, I hope it makes sense! I hope your sourdough baking is also back on schedule. Keep well.
There's a growing movement here in America to support small businesses. People are beginning to see the true value in it, even if they have to pay more. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it is now a lot of peoples' budgets are stretched to the limit and I'm sure this has had an impact on these family-owned businesses. It's getting more difficult to launch a business, it was even tough when we ran our tea business (2008-2013) but it was enjoyable.
I would think a farmers market stand or something like that would be a good way to get started with baked goods...niche markets. You definitely have a passion and talent for it.
Thank you, Phil! I, unfortunately, never have resumed my baking but plan on doing so soon! I want to try sourdough croissants. Have you ever experimented with those?
I had so many markets contact me to sell my bread at local markets. But the same problem is evident there: the stalls cost about R1000 (local currency) per day and I can sell a bread for about R60 (going rate for them). That means I need to sell about 20 breads to just break even. South Africa doesn’t have such a big market for breads, so the markets that I have visited it is always sad to see the bread stalls have an abundance of bread left over. I saw one guy have about 30 breads left on his stand at closing time.
Problem is that most people here buy government subsidised breads, which sell around R15 a loaf (compared to sourdough of R50-60).
Anyway, I have actually tried sourdough croissants! And wow, it was not easy. I still need to work on the recipe, but sourdough and sugar and fat (enriched doughs) is a struggle. Will keep you posted!
That sounds like it would be a real challenge. You'd almost need to sell it off a truck or start a subscription service. We have one here called Brake Bread that does all their deliveries on cargo bikes. Pretty cool concept.
I can't even imagine how difficult the sourdough croissants are. We had one local baker here who mastered it during the pandemic but he's no longer doing it. OMG they were absolutely delicious. I'll be curious to hear how it's going for you!
I have thought about doing that as well! Putting paper pamphlets in people's post telling them about my bread baking, and then delivering on bike as this will be cheaper and more sustainable, plus you get to know your customers more intimately. Definitely something that I will still look into.
For sure, and I am sad along with you that they stopped! I can only imagine. Okay, you gave me some inspiration to delve into baking enriched sourdough! Keep an eye on this space.
Farmers or small business really are battling with big corporate taking too many sales. No comparison to persons who are proud of their product, totally agree supporting the places that need support and some promotion they are well worthwhile.
I agree! The business owners' love of what they're doing really is apparent when you deal with them and try the products. I'm always sad when smaller brands are gobbled up by corporations because the products are never the same.
Many disappeared here they buy out a good product then make it crap, prefer to support the small business wherever I am able.
The big corps try to hide the fact that they've bought the smaller, mostly organic, brands here in the US. They don't change any of the packaging but do begin to use cheaper ingredients and shrink the portion sizes.
Exactly same happens here, one simply stops buying the product when quality is lost.
That's so good to hear, shop small, shop local is how I try to do it. Around here there are local fishermen, so seafood is easy to source, lots and lots of ranchers, so grass fed or grass fed/grain finished is always available. Poultry and other small animals are readily available. We have Upick farms for all sorts of produce in season, so it's pick it, then can or freeze it. As close to home as possible is *the very best* and I love the vote with your dollars mentality!
You're lucky to have access to local seafood! I would love that. It really makes you feel like you're contributing to the community and the betterment of the world when you vote with your dollars. It's one of the last freedoms to bring about change that we have left, unfortunately.
It's not reassuring at all when one checks food ingredients!
Add to that the pesticides and hormones, a recipe for disaster, yet that's what we're being fed.
Our mass-produced bread also contains preservatives - 99% of the population consumes that. I simply cannot eat it so buy sourdough from a small artisanal bakery, slice, and freeze it. We have markets that sell organic, pesticide-free as well as hormone-free produce, but there's not enough, and of course, it comes at a price. I would rather eat less and know I'm getting real food than overindulge!
We only have one body, and it needs good nourishment to keep it in tip-top shape.
A very good issue to tackle Eric!
Oh, @lizelle, America is the worst when it comes to harmful ingredients. Our FDA also allows companies to hide things behind deceptive labeling which makes it even tougher to eat healthy. I have this app on my phone called "BobbyApproved" and you scan the barcode on the food package and it will tell you exactly how healthy it is and if there's harmful ingredients. It's astonishing how much of our food supply is totally toxic. Thank you my friend!
That must be a very helpful App, I don't think we have anything like that here!
My younger son is in food ingredients sales and tells me how some unscrupulous suppliers try to pull the wool
over their eyes, pure greed!
The taste of today's product is not as good as before anymore. I sometimes buy such products from such sellers. Next month, I will have a comb honey from a village
Nothing beats fresh honey!
What a pity that access to these types of services and products in Venezuela can be very expensive! However, if I have the possibility to buy natural, organic products, I do it. In the local markets you can find good products, such as coffee, coconut oil, natural clays, mother-of-pearl powder, made by local people and with local products.
Regarding my nephew's illness, I read a lot about the relationship of some diseases with food. And it is incredible how much “poison” we are consuming without realizing it. Dyes, chemical additives, pesticides, they are on the labels of the products and we still buy them.
There is a saying here: “Cheap is expensive”. In the long run, these “cheap” products end up costing us our lives. No more, no less.
Have a nice Thursday, Eric. Hugs to you
They can be expensive here too. Dutch Meadows is around 2x what you'd pay in a grocery store but they sell raw, unpasteurized dairy like they do in Europe. This has all of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients that pasteurization kills. That is a wise saying..."Cheap is expensive". It's nearly always true. Thank you, I hope you have an amazing weekend my friend!
Yes! 100%. That honey and tallow balm in particular sounds pretty damn cool. Good, natural, healthy ingredients don't get the credit they deserve. If a product does contain honey it's always something super expensive like manuka, just to shill out more money.
Yes to supporting small businesses and recognizing the power of a small, seemingly meaningless purchase. :)
This balm works extremely well. I just heard that archeologists found a Roman-era jar in the ground that had almost this same formulation in it. You have to be so careful with honey. Quite a bit of what is sold in grocery stores is fake. We buy from local producers at the farmer's market. That manuka variety is crazy expensive! My wife was using that for a while. Voting with our dollars is one of the last real powers we have left.
Honey's crazy. The real stuff can last for centuries. And it's got all these health benefits, so a jar of real honey is a fantastic investment (and a small one, too).
I like you. You always seem to see good. That's rare. So thanks for that:)
Very true! Real honey works great to heal wounds too. Oftentimes a cut won't even scar if you apply honey while it's healing. Thank you, @honeydue. I try to stay positive, some days that can be a challenge but we really do create our own realities. We can choose to be happy or miserable. I really believe that. I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Indeed, we vote with our wallets! Buying seasonal veg and fruit on the local market from farmers who've grown them not some middle-man is crucial. We're still a bit better off in Europe in terms of family businesses and small companies that truly care for their customers but things aren't moving in the proper direction here either. Agro conglomerates are buying up land; you have M&A and buyouts leading to centralization and more control in the hands of fewer players.
Farmer's markets are the best! We learned here that you have to be careful of the vendors you buy from. Some veg vendors were just buying commercially grown produce from distributers and selling it at the open air market as if they'd grown it. It's sad to hear Europe is going in that direction. Our food supply here in America is among the most tainted. The FDA has softened so many of the rules regarding ingredient safety and labeling that it's sometimes impossible to even determine what you're getting. Very scary!
I don't believe in coincidences. Today in the afternoon, I was thinking about the diminished ability to influence the attention we get in department stores. Indeed, you are quite right, in recommending those small businesses that strive to provide the best in their services. May it be worth every dollar you spend in these establishments.
As long as you can, you should make every dollar worthwhile. Although I am afraid that the tendency is for our power to diminish in the face of monopolies in disguise behind shareholder's meetings under the control of a few hands.
Greetings.
I don't believe in coincidences either, @janaveda. I'm rarely disappointed in what I get from small businesses. I usually try to do my homework about them before I buy. Thanks and I hope all is well with you!
In my place, there are many large companies that violate environmental sustainability, but the local government just stands by and watches the environmental destruction. While small companies are often unable to compete with large companies. Have a nice day,Eric
That's so sad to hear, Eliana. I hope you've had a great week, my friend!
#hive #posh
There are a lot of really good farm co-ops in the United States that will often send a box of produce to your door usually once a month or every other month. I looked into it a while ago, but you just get whatever is in season at the time, so for two people it was going to be way too much food and not necessarily stuff we would eat. Those sounds like really great places you highlighted. My cousin has cows, so I usually get my meat from him when he is trying to make room for a new slaughter. I end up getting ground beef for something like $2 per pound. It's crazy!
There really are. I think it's one of the only ways the small US farmer can still survive and compete with the large corporate farming operations. We probably have tons of local farmers we could buy from but it's tough for us to get out and about right now. I'm so pleased with the products and service from this company. I just found them randomly and it was a stroke of luck. You're lucky to know someone who raises them, that would be the absolute best to know, first hand, how they're being raised. You can't beat those prices either. We saw some of the huge feedlots in Oklahoma and Texas on our way to Arizona and it was absolutely disgusting the conditions the animals had to exist in. It turned our stomachs.
We saw a couple large cattle farms out west as well and I know exactly what you mean. We have a couple local farmers markets during the summer that usually provide more than enough of everything we need. The only problem is how long winter is here as you already know!
You can already feel the transition to autumn here! Yesterday was the first day I noticed that coolness in the air and the maples leaves are just starting to turn.
We don't have leaves turning yet, but there is a definite crispness in the air today. We had some high humidity over the weekend and it finally broke a bit. Though I remember some Octobers that were hotter than early August!
Nice Topic! So important to spread the Ones who care for Our Wellbeeing! Feels good to get to know Those
Thank you! Our food supply is so toxic here in the States. I'm glad we still have choices. Unfortunately it's expensive but getting sick is even more expensive. Hope you're well @mammasitta!
Supporting local and small businesses is always a good idea when you can. Yes, it's true that it most times cost a little more, but it's a good thing in more than one way.
I just ordered some of that interesting sounding tooth powder. :) It will be fun to see what it does.
I can't believe how much better the quality of some of the products are. It makes a difference when people actually have pride in what they're doing.
Nice! I use an ultrasonic toothbrush so I just use the powder once every other day and regular toothpaste the rest of the time. It feels like you've just had a dental cleaning after using the tooth powder.
When you said it feels like you've just had a dental cleaning, my brain instantly went to how that feels when my tongue runs across my newly cleaned teeth. Funny how good that feels.
That feels amazing. I, especially, need it because of all the coffee and tea I drink.
Actually for years ago, I love the fact that I am begining to open my eyes to see the importance of using the right cream
Good morning my brother. Greetings for today. The article you wrote is very good and very focused.