Homegrown and homemade are two lifestyle trends spurring product ranges.

 

Williams-Sonoma is the latest retailer to launch a new product collection “for customers who want to go beyond cooking by cultivating a healthy awareness of where their food comes from.”

 

Rooted in Global Locality & Less-ism (see our 2012 forecast here), the Agrarian line includes upscale gardening and cultivating supplies such as heirloom seeds, gardening tools by Sophie Conran from London, cedar raised beds from Farmer D, chicken coops, culinary herb seed bombs, and home canning & preserving supplies from Europe. For the customer who does not have time to visit the local nursery, live fruit trees, organic herbs, and heirloom vegetables can be delivered to customers’ front doors, ready for planting. Tapping into the DIY trend, cheese-making, kombucha, and sprout kits are available as an alternative to the new range of similar products at Whole Foods.

“Agrarian is yet another way for Williams-Sonoma to bring people together around food,” said Richard Harvey, President, Williams-Sonoma brand. “We’re excited to provide our customers with a collection of products that will enrich their culinary experiences, all while helping them to lead a healthier lifestyle.”

As part of the launch, all Williams-Sonoma stores will offer an “Intro to Edible Gardening: Seed Starting” class on Earth Day, April 22, with the $10.00 class fee donated to the Edible Schoolyard Project.

 

We like the retailers cause marketing tie-in and applaud efforts to raise awareness about healthy foods but question whether customers need to forgo local hardware store and nurseries for glossier versions of well-made products.

 

For example, while we feel that canning is a growing trend, we're concerned that the Weck jars within the range of canning supplies are not recommended by the USDA for water-bath canning. According to Canning Across America, an online resource committed to the revival of the lost art of “putting up” food, these jars are tricky to get a good seal with unless you are an experienced canner.

 

What's your take on Agrarian? Tweet us your feedback or comment on our Facebook page.

 

It was a shocking revelation that we hadn’t attended a consumer festival in nearly ten years.

 

Maybe we were tired after too many years on the trade show circuit, attending events like the International Gift Show, Fancy Food Show, International Housewares Show, Coffee Fest, Natural Products Expo and Gourmet Foods events as buyers.

 

It’s not that we’re jaded exactly—it’s just that the opportunity to spot something truly new and noteworthy in a sea of Chupa Chups and Beanie Babies is rare. For every 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, there are generally two or three products of note that you can not get or see online, or when connecting with a local vendor or distributor.

 

 

This connection between product and producer was evident this past weekend at the California’s Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma as we sipped and sampled alongside cheese mongers, cheese lovers, bloggers, and traditional media.  

 

Motivated by direct to consumer (D2C) sales, profits from events like these directly impact the bottom line thanks to the elimination of distribution and freight (remember that these purveyors need pricey cold transpiration to keep products viable at grocery). Events like these, which launched in 2007, have been popping up thanks to the influx of food savvy customers.

 

Our favorite session was the “Bacon, Bubbles + Brunch” event with Chef Duskie Estes, sponsored by Clover Stornetta Farms.  It was a wonderful opportunity to show the versatility of cheese—paired with meat (loved the Black Pig Meat Co. bacon) and wine (shout out to Iron Horse Vineyards).  Did we mention that Chef Estes is the Queen of Pork? She and her husband, John Steward of Zazu Restaurant + Farm in Santa Rosa won the Grand Cochon — the national 555 Cochon competition in Aspen, CO.

 

It’s events like these that showcase everything dear to our hearts—locally sourced foods, passion for craftsmanship, and community. These are products made in small batches by people with a passion for what they do.

 

 

Exhibitors at the Artisan Cheese Festival may not have a tradeshow booth at a national event but for these passionate trendsetters, the size of the stage is not the prize — it’s the quality of the end product that matters most.