Bigger isn’t always better in the eyes of one businessman.

“Why did we decide to focus on local? Because it’s difficult for the big players to do.” That’s the business strategy used by Jim Beveridge of B&H Your Community Grocer, an independent retailer in Kemptville.  His grocery store uses its small size to its advantage in the David and Goliath struggle for market share and sales.

Grocery retailers, chefs, and other food buyers are looking for local product and they want to buy local  says Jessica Kelly, a direct farm marketing specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).  “Yet, when it comes to buying from farmers and small food processors, they say there’s often a gap between what they need, when they need it, and how they do business” she adds.