Let Them Eat Local

Let Them Eat Local is the brainchild of Charlyn Woolley, bringing together farmers and consumers to a digital platform that allows the two to meet and shake hands virtually.

Woolley wanted to be thoughtful in the diet of her family and herself and sought out grass-fed beef / truly pasteurized chicken all over the metroplex, even reaching as far west as Lubbock to obtain the quality product she knew was right for her family. By word of mouth, she soon became the encyclopedia of farms, whose standards were held as high as her own, for friends and family. In January, Woolley and her husband began brainstorming different ways to connect the consumer to the farmer, without wasting time and money on gas driving to each location. They reached out to city & state officials on how to create a co-op, without actually being a co-op. In October of this year, they officially launched an online store with retail warehouse space, and deliver your order right to your doorstep.

“My goal is to provide infrastructure for local small farmers to bring products to an online market,” Woolley says. When the community markets are off for the season, the products they do produce would still be available, and the farmers have the opportunity to grow their consumer base during a slower season. With minimal overhead, they are able to reduce the cost to the farmer for participating in this new virtual marketplace and allow them to benefit from having an additional online presence. “We want to grow the Denton farmers community and allow them to farm the way they want, allow them to make their passion into a full-time career.”

Woolley is also very passionate about fostering the relationship between farmers and the consumers and went the extra step to hire a video journalist to produce short 6 minute documentaries about each farmer and farm that you can experience through the website. Keeping it local allows you to create and cultivate a relationship with the person who is growing your food, and Woolley wants to do what she can to make sure the connection between the farmer and the customer isn’t lost.

Let Them Eat Local is already moving forward at full steam is partnering up with Johnson’s Backyard Garden out of Austin, so that they can start having weekly deliveries beginning in the early months of the New Year. Starting with a protein, you can build your own box that blends local meats, produce, and by utilizing JBG’s year round farming schedule you can obtain what may not be available in the local market.

Currently providing home made spices, pasta, cheeses, soaps, fresh produce, and grass-fed and pasteurized meats, you can learn even more about Let Them Eat Local, the areas they service, and farmers they currently work with on their website.

Header image design by Jason Lee