Our Mission…
The mission of Eat Local Eat Natural is to make it easy for restaurants to buy locally grown and raised natural foods and to connect local farmers with local restaurants.
We’re proud to be part of a growing movement toward sustainable, organic farming within our region. We want to encourage local restaurants to use locally grown foods and to encourage farmers to use sustainable and organic farming practices.
Our vision is to move away from a reliance on big agriculture and its unhealthy practices, to break away from dependence on the petroleum and chemicals used not only in transporting food but in growing and raising it as well. This will reduce the “carbon footprint” we’re leaving on Earth.
Our hope is to make this healthy, tasty food accessible to the Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan area. In the near future, we plan to open a store and café, offering our products to the general public.
What Matters
A not-so-long time ago in places not-so-far away…
Cattle grazed in open pastures on farms in almost every part of our country, converting green grass into protein-rich red meat as only ruminants are able to do. Chickens converted insects and grain into eggs and meat. Consumers enjoyed the health benefits of these natural products and tasted something much more satisfying than what we have today.
What Happened?
Big Agriculture, encouraged by governmental policies and assisted by savvy lobbyists, applied business-model strategies that have pushed local family farms to the brink of extinction. Most of the beef and chicken we consume today comes from factory farms in Iowa, California, and other faraway places. The cattle and chicken are fed a diet of corn, itself raised on petrochemical fertilizers and drenched in pesticides. They’re injected with antibiotics and growth hormones, and they’re even fed waste by-products of other animals. After a short, cruel existence, they’re processed and shipped an average of 1,500 miles, further extending our carbon footprint on this planet.
What we’re doing...
Eat Local Eat Natural is a small company formed to encourage a growing trend toward healthier and environmentally responsible living. Our suppliers are all within about 150 miles of Ann Arbor and practice sustainable, “beyond organic” farming. We believe restaurant patrons will value the benefits of local, natural food when given the option, and your restaurant will get due recognition for offering a healthier, tastier choice of meals.
To be more specific, here’s what we can offer…
- » Grass-fed and pasture-raised food
- » No nitrates, nitrites, MSG, antibiotics or animal by-products in our food
- » More vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and higher amounts of Omega 3
- » Leaner, lower-fat meat
- » Local products that get to you quicker and fresher
- » Environmentally –friendly products minimizing our “carbon footprint”
- » Cruelty-free products from conscientious farmers
- » A sustainable supply from people committed to sustainable farming
- » Support for our local economy
Reap the benefits and recognition of supporting local farms and natural food by doing business with us!