Buy Local and Support Family Farms

ShoreBags was built around sustainable and eco focused principles. While the initial focus was on the materials, sourcing, production and workforce, it inevitably stretches to beyond that. Sustainability is not only about responsibly selecting biodegradable  raw materials, but also about living within our resources and minimizing going beyond “local”. When we think of objects we use every day, food and produce are front and center in our lives. We all yearn for clean, pesticide free, responsibly grown produce that not only tastes good but also fuels our local farm communities. 

During the course of creating our ShoreBags brand video, we came across a local San Diego farm that was doing just that - family owned and operated since the 80s, serving non-GMO, organic, fresh produce grown on the farm and distributed to local families through subscription deliveries and farmers markets. Working closely with JR Organics based in Escondido, CA, we learned how easy it is to resource local fresh produce when determined! To keep true to our mission, instead of going to a national grocery chain store, we sourced the produce used in our video from JR Organics. This gave us the chance to go behind the scenes and see hands-on distribution of dozens of seasonal produce.

Local farms such as JR Organics run several kinds of subscription programs to serve an individual family’s needs. Weekly, bi weekly or monthly subscription boxes offer varying quantities based on what is available and in season. In many cases these boxes are not ‘selectable’ meaning that you will get whatever the farm gives you instead of selecting your choice of produce. Aside from guaranteeing fresh fruits and vegetables in your fridge, this rotation of seasonal produce again promotes sustainable growing practices and reduces our need to depend on non local, transported food.

We distributed the produce used in our video with family and friends and it tasted especially good knowing that we were shopping from a local family owned farm thus promoting a localized and sustainable food network. We want to thank Mike from the team there who was gracious enough to let us on the farm and then customize a delivery for us to ensure a smooth scene set up for our video. 

In honor of our local food providers, big and small, we have created the perfect Farmer's Market Jute Bag. This bag is meant to raise awareness about local farmers and food networks and a reminder to deliberately stay as local as possible when it comes to our food. Lined with easy clean food grade laminate, this bag will be a conversation starter at any market. Whichever bag you use, we encourage you to find local farms in your area that can deliver eggs, dairy, produce as well as meat that is not only responsibly grown but also promotes a local sustainable food community.