About Timberwood Organics:

Timberwood Organics is a family owned farm located about 17 miles from Company Shops Market Co-op Grocery, in Efland NC. They believe that growing food without the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides is the only way to grow. Their fresh and organic produce and herbs can be found at health food stores, restaurants, and farmers markets in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Burlington and Durham areas. They also offer a CSA subscription. “Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between grower and consumer with a view to responsibly promote and support local, sustainable agricultural practices for human, environmental and economic benefits.”

Meet Ray Christopher:

“My names Ray Christopher. I’m the owner and operator of Timberwood Organics. We’ve been a certified organic grower since 1992. You just go around and read a couple of the labels and you may become more interested in organic food yourself.”

About Our Process:

“Different crops required different types of nutrients. In our crop rotation we’ll work our legume crops, which are nitrogen fixing. Then we’ll go with heavy feeders after that. We also grow different cover crops mixed in worth our rotation.”

Why Small Local Farms Are Important:

“There should be 200 farms like mine, all over, with people able to stand on their own feet and be able to have a little bit of independence. This is really important for our society, for our state of North Carolina and for our nation. Small Farms. Small Shops. Localized…. Its got to go that way. To big to fail? Bigger is better? I completely disagree with that.”

Why We Are Excited About Company Shops Market:

This allows a lot of farms to take part in produce distribution. It also allows for more people, I hope, and more farms to be able to stand on their own feet (support themselves) and have a marketplace for their products.

Company Shops! Local food for local people.

Thank you to the Elon students at Live Oak Communications for filming this video.

Watch the full episode. See more NC Weekend.

* In case you are wondering, Tony was not compensated in any way for this review. He is just a supporter of Company Shops Market and a fan of Homeland Creamery.

What is your favorite item in the market? If you are a Company Shops Owner and you are interested in sharing your favorite item in the store with a 60 second review of why you love it, please contact pr@companyshopsmarket.coop. (A few rules: Sorry vendors, you can not review your own products. You can not be directly associated with the production or sales of the product you are reviewing.)

A Message from Company Shops Market Board Member David William with an update on Company Shops Market Co-op and a challenge to make a difference in your community.

Video by Steve & Peyton of Exum Photo

Why Local Food? : Several Elon University professors weigh in on why they choose to buy food grown and raised by area farmers. This video is part of the Telling The Story of Company Shops Market documentary series.

Dr Janet MacFall – Elon University Environmental Science Department
“Locally grown food is usually fresher. It’s usually harvested when its closer to ripeness… I know the people who grow my eggs. I know people who grow the meat that I eat.”

Dr Tony Crider – Elon University Physics Department
“I’m amazed at how much people will spend in the clothes they put on their body and the electronics they put in their pocket, and get the best brand names they can afford. But then they’ll put the absolute cheapest and most disgusting food in their body and think nothing of it. If instead you say that you want treat the people fairly, treat the animals humanly and eat a product that you know what went into the animal… then you want to buy from someone you know. And to do that, you almost always have to do it locally. Ultimately, you have to pay the price. If you don’t pay now, you’ll pay later. Either with your health or with your impact on the environment. I’d prefer to pay now.”

Dr Megan Squire – Elon University Computer Science Department
“Buy food grown by people locally that you know. You can can drive out to their farm if you want to see how its grown. That community feel spills out into the store itself. They’re generally fun and happy places to shop. ”

This video was created by Taylor Shain and Elon University Fall 2010 documentary class with Doug Kass for creating this video.

Thank you for creating this documentary that helps show what the local food community is all about. It’s about enjoying food that is super fresh, tastes great, and is full of nutrients. It’s about making healthy food choice that leave you feeling vibrant and alive. It’s about creating relationships with the people who grow your food, having the opportunity to visit the family farms and see knowledge and care and pride that goes into the foods they produce. Its about connecting with the people in your community and building friendships around a shared passion for good food. ~ Sarah C.

Red Oak Brewery, located in Whitsett, NC, makes their beer specifically for the local community. Red Oak beer is meant to be enjoyed fresh because they brew their beer using centuries old purity laws which means there are no artificial preservatives or harmful additives. Red Oak has been a supporter of Company Shops Market and hopes to sell their product in our store.

This video was created by Erik Keithley from Elon University‘s Fall 2010 documentary class taught by Doug Kass. Thank you for creating this documentary that helps show how choosing locally produced foods (or beer in this case) and also buying those local products from local businesses helps create jobs and keep money within our community.

Thank you to Derek Steed and the Wishart Norris Henninger & Pittman law firm for their continued support of Company Shops Market.

Company Shops Market owner and volunteer, Tony Crider, speaks about what we as owners need to do to get the market open this year.

1) Recruit new owners

2) Make a Loan to the Co-op: become an investor

3) Volunteer

Thank you to Meredith Gulley for putting this together. This video has been posted to YouTube. Find it and other videos at http://www.youtube.com/companyshops