What is localsalt?
Introducing a place that is as unique as Saltspring! localsalt is an online marketplace where you can conveniently buy from from a variety of local food producers directly- and pick up at the same time. We are on a mission to re-localize the way we buy consumables. localsalt is a unique model that has evolved over two years to fit a growing need for more connection with our food and community. Join us in this new food revolution!
How localsalt works
When making purchases on the localsalt Marketplace, you are buying directly from different “Stores/Vendors”. This takes out the middle-man and allows producers to keep more of their earnings. With this method of selling, there is no call-centers for customer service or fulfillment centers involved. Instead you are buying directly with the producers and they are generally busy humans. They will always do their best to make sure you are happy and well-looked after, but please remember to be kind and understanding. We are trying to get the freshest possible local food to your table and making sure that the producers are fairly compensated for their products.
Orders are placed up until Tuesday evening and then picked up at the Food Hub between 2:00 – 6:00 the following Thursday. The Food Hub is located at 189 Beddis Road (a ten second drive down from Fulford Ganges).
Your may place orders with multiple Vendors or “Stores” in the same transaction. If there is any supply issues or substitutions- the Vendor will reach out via email.
How did it start?
Localsalt started in early 2021 when I wanted to change the food on my plate. Upon moving back to Saltspring after a decade away, I was blown away by the incredible food being made and grown here. But I quickly became frustrated with the barriers that made buying local spinach less convenient than a pineapple from Mexico- I knew we were on the wrong side of evolution.
So I set out to find a way to reconnect with our food. There were lots of questions asked of food producers as well as buyers in the community.
Then, along with some generous local tech folk volunteering their time- we applied solutions and created a way to reconnect directly with the people growing and making our food. We have evolved along the way- such as establishing a food hub as a communal pickup spot.
Fast forward to now
The Food Hub is a bustling hive of activity on Tuesdays- vendors drop off their products in the morning and buyers come pickup all of their orders in the afternoon. We have partnered with The Farmland Trust to support the “Grow Local” initiative- which aims to help farmers get their products to islanders and schools. We rent space at “The Root”, a facility on Beddis Road built and managed by the Farmland Trust.
And... we're not done yet.
Another frustrating food moment came a few years later, but this time it was under the water. I am an avid diver and started recognizing the plastic I saw on our beaches as the same stuff I was seeing in my grocery cart. Without most of us realizing, single-use plastics has ingrained itself into our lives- and now we are eating them. We live in a closed-system, so it’s not just the sea life that is being affected by plastics. They are now discovering microplastics in vegetables- and humans as well.
Consuming consciously doesn’t stop with being local- it mans thinking about everything we are buying and inevitably supporting. We felt it was time to expand the offerings on localsalt to include access to high-quality household essentials free of plastic.
This is a win for our local vendors too! When islanders can check off more items off their essentials list, the likelihood of making a local purchases part of their weekly routine is higher. Need to buy milk and dishwasher soap? Might as well buy local spinach farmer-direct at the same time. Products coming local vendors are not required to be plastic-free, but it is encouraged.
Every time you make a SALT JAR refillery purchase- you are helping support our local producers by keeping the lights on at localsalt. Our vendor fees are kept as low as possible (half or less than even co-ops) to ensure that any scale of grower or food producer can afford to list their items and use the food hub facilities without charge. Thank you for your support in the mission to reconnect with our food!
~ Caitlyn Pal
Founder of localsalt