Agri Advisory Council Member James Loucks – The Community Market

 

 

James is one the owners of The Community Market in Long Sault, Ontario. He and his partner Stacey started the business in 2016 and it has been steadily growing ever since. The Community Market space serves as a one-stop shopping experience for a large variety of local food from the region as well as an offering of wellness products and services as well as artisanal products.

 

Q&A:

  1. What brought you to the decision to open The Community Market?

We felt a need to have local food, but we couldn’t find all that we wanted so we thought we would open a place that had local food available to people who couldn’t go to their local farmers market.

  1. What’s your favourite thing about owning this business?

My favourite thing about owning this business is that I have great conversations about alternative ways to improve health and this leads to increased knowledge sharing which empowers others to improve their own health.

  1. What are some of the local food items produced in this region some people may not know about?

We have some amazing food producers that make items you may not have thought of such as crab apple syrup, maple vinegar, and grass-fed beef – all produced and raised right here in this area.

  1. What are some of the agri-food related future activities you plan on featuring via The Community Market?

At the present time we are working on launching an open-air market that is completely focused around food,  similar to a farmers market. We also have local produce that we promote when it is in season. Many people aren’t aware of what is available seasonally. We focus on educating people as to which crops are in season and what is currently being harvested.


      5. What issues do you think are most important for the new Food & Agriculture Advisory Council to address?

We would like to find ways to help small local producers connect with the people who are looking for their products. This will be a great start on what we need to achieve across the value-chain!
      6. What is something you’d like to see come out of this new council?

I hope that through this council we can do the work needed that will see local foods feeding local families.

      7. What’s your favourite thing about this region?

My favourite thing about this region is the diversity of crops and foods grown here- many featured right here at The Community Market!    

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