Welcome back to Local Bites. Today we’re asking: what if your grocery store felt more like a farmers’ market? In Ann Arbor, Mich., Argus Farm Stop is doing just that. When big-box chains faced shortages in 2020, Argus “had abundance,” founder Bill Brinkerhoff recalled. By sourcing almost everything within 200 miles and skipping wholesalers, Argus returns roughly 70 percent of each sale to farmers—compared with the supermarket average of 15 percent. As chef Dan Barber says, farm stops are “a beautifully simple idea” that “throw[s] the supermarket on its head.” You’ll find handwritten price cards, vegetable misters, and fresh produce delivered daily by about 300 local growers. Profit margins are slim and meat processing remains a challenge, but small farms gain stable buyers and communities get true farm-to-shelf freshness. If you crave local food with supermarket convenience, farm stops might just be the future of grocery shopping.
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