Before we go on, we have to admit that we’ve got a bias. As a Québec micro-roastery, we obviously love buying local! What’s great is that consuming local products is as trendy as ever. We don’t even need to explain why it’s a great advantage for our economy anymore!
On top of benefiting local businesses, Québec-made products are increasingly numerous and varied, which means that they’re easier to find and cheaper too. This can only come as good news for consumers!
Buying local is a cause we hold dear, and here are a few reasons why you should get into it too.
In general, local businesses are not only smaller than international companies, but they’re even more committed to providing quality service. Even when ordering online, you can often get personal advice about what to buy when you do your shopping.
This can be particularly useful when looking for very specific products: very specific kinds of coffee, clothes made of specific textiles, gluten-free muffins, etc. You can get direct recommendations from a real person, something that’s getting rarer all the time! In some cases, you can even chat with the founders or owners, particularly when they’re a neighbourhood business. You can rest easy knowing that if there’s an issue with your purchase, it’ll get figured out as quickly as possible.
Whether they’re roasters or sugar-free jam makers, many artisans have been able to draw attention to their region by offering new products (or products known only to their regions) and unique know-how. Buying local allows you to discover products that are impossible to find elsewhere.
Have you ever heard of the expression ‘culinary heritage’? It’s what defines the culinary tradition of a given place. For example, French, Italian, and Chinese cuisines are part and parcel of those countries’ local cultures.
So what is Québec’s culinary heritage? Québec is full of innovative artisans that have adapted traditions from everywhere around the world by adding their own personal touch, including cheese, beer, and coffee. Naturally, there’s also pâté chinois and poutine, but our culinary culture is experiencing such a major revolution that we could even say it’s being created before our very eyes. So when you buy local, you’re also participating in the creation and evolution of Québec’s own culinary heritage!
Of course, quality and freshness (particularly for food items) are the watchwords of Québec’s products! Just in terms of labour, Québec-sourced goods and services pay and treat their employees properly, which is rarely the case for imported products.
And our local artisans make sure to provide quality goods; that’s a promise! When we sell products that are more expensive than what’s generally on offer, we have to make sure to provide added value for the customer. That’s why we make up for it with quality and freshness.
As we’ve already mentioned, Québec-made goods are often products that can’t be found anywhere else. What’s more, local businesses can often afford to create wilder and more unique products given that they tend to work in smaller batches. For example, this means that microbreweries often produce very limited editions of seasonal beers. This gives consumers the opportunity to discover products that really get off the beaten track; they might be a bit strange, but they’re always fascinating!
Buying local provides all kinds of benefits for every product imaginable! From coffee to cleaning products and from cultural goods to services: we dare you to buy just one more local product a week!
