If you’ve heard that Central Oregon Locavore is coming to Discovery West this fall, you may be curious about what shoppers can expect from the new neighborhood market. We recently chatted with the team at Central Oregon Locavore about the products and services they plan to offer, how the new location will support local farmers and ranchers, and what they’re most excited about as they join the Discovery West community.
Q: For someone who has never shopped at Locavore before, what can they expect to find at the new Discovery West location?
Shoppers can expect a curated selection of fresh, local, and regional food from the farmers, ranchers, and food producers we work with throughout Central Oregon and the surrounding region. Think seasonal produce, locally raised meats, eggs, dairy, and pantry staples, all in a neighborhood market built to make choosing local food easier on Bend’s west side. Locavore is also a nonprofit grocery store, so every purchase supports the farmers, ranchers, and producers behind it.
Q: How will the Discovery West location be different from your main Locavore Marketplace on NE 3rd Street?
Discovery West is a smaller, neighborhood-focused version of the Locavore Marketplace. Our NE 3rd Street location will keep offering the full Locavore lineup, while Discovery West gives West Bend residents an easier way to work local food into everyday shopping. Both locations run on the same mission: to sell more local food for farmers, ranchers, and food producers. The focus will be on produce, protein, and pantry.
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Q: Will shoppers be able to pick up CSA boxes, farm shares, preorders, or other special orders at the Discovery West location?
We’re still finalizing which services and programs will be available at Discovery West. Our goal is to make local food as easy to access as possible, and we’ll share pickup details as we get closer to opening.
Q: How do you decide which local farmers, ranchers, and makers, and which of their products, make it onto Locavore’s shelves?
We start close to home. Our producers raise and grow within about 200 miles of Bend whenever possible. From there, we look at how the food is produced: for meat and eggs, that means pasture-based husbandry, humane handling, and traceability back to the ranch. For produce, we look for organic or organically aligned growing practices, even when a farm isn’t formally certified, since we know many small growers farm that way without the paperwork to prove it. We also ask producers to be transparent with us about their methods, and we check in as needed to make sure what’s represented on the shelf matches what’s happening on the farm or ranch. Add seasonality and what’s actually available at a given time of year, and that’s the short version of how a product ends up at Locavore.
Q: What are you most excited about when it comes to becoming part of the Discovery West and West Bend neighborhood?
We’re excited to make local food accessible to more people. Discovery West gives us a chance to become part of the everyday rhythm of another Bend neighborhood, not only as a place to shop, but as a way for people to connect more directly with the farmers, ranchers, and makers behind their food. We’re also looking forward to building new relationships and partnerships on the west side.
Q: What do you hope the Discovery West location will make easier or different for people who want to shop and eat locally?
We want shopping local to feel like a normal part of the week, not an extra errand. Bringing Locavore to the west side makes it easier for people to add local produce, meat, eggs, and other staples to their weekly grocery run. It also means more of their food dollars stay in our regional food system.
Q: Why does a grocery store need to raise funds?
We are a nonprofit, which means our model looks different from a typical grocery store. We return 65 cents of every dollar to the local farmers, ranchers, and producers we work with, the same rate a farmers market pays out, because we take on the costs of booth space, labor, and time that farmers would otherwise pay themselves. Opening in Discovery West means covering the buildout, equipment, and inventory to bring that same model to the west side. Residents and businesses can help make this buildout happen through equipment sponsorships or by joining the Founders Council.
Locavore at Discovery West is anticipated to open by Thanksgiving, but needs help to make it happen. To learn more about this project or to contribute to their current campaign, visit centraloregonlocavore.org/discovery-west. Those interested in supporting the project can also contact [email protected].