Why We Opened Our Organic Cafe

With so many great restaurants to choose from in Northampton, we didn’t take the decision to open ours lightly. However, we knew there was something about our mission that would set us apart from other restaurants in our community. Though we knew that our food costs would be higher and sourcing ingredients more challenging, we had a dream of opening the first completely organic cafe in Downtown Northampton – and that’s what we did. We’re so grateful to our community for receiving us with open arms! Here’s a little more about why we wanted to open Northampton’s first organic cafe.

Supporting Local Organic Farms

We source much of our produce and other ingredients from a growing network of local organic farms. We have close relationships with our suppliers, many of whom are Certified Organic, and others who use organic, sustainable practices. A few of the local farms whose crops and products you’ll consume at our organic cafe include Queen’s Green’s (Amherst, MA – kale, spinach, salad greens and other seasonal produce); Gill Greenery (Gill, MA – sprouts and wheatgrass); Dwight Miller Orchards (Dummerston, VT – apples and apple cider vinegar); Winter Moon Roots (Hadley, MA – carrots and beets); and Sidehill Farm (Hawley, MA – yogurt). Visit our Local Love page to learn more about these and other suppliers in our network!

An Organic Cafe for the Health of Our Community

Many of our customers choose organic when grocery shopping for themselves and their families – but when eating out, it can be difficult to find a restaurant serving organic food! Some restaurants feature just a handful of organic ingredients out of many. At Nourish, we flip the norm on its head. Almost everything we use in our kitchen is organic – so customers who value organic food know they have a truly nourishing choice in our local, plant-based, organic cafe.

Organic growing practices are better for our environment, for farm workers, and ultimately for our bodies.

“Organic farming works to increase sustainability, biodiversity, and to encourage good soil and air quality. This is maintained by the use of natural growing practices, the avoidance of harmful chemicals, and the continued practice of crop rotation and other natural farming methods.” – Fresh Connect

Browse Our Menu of Organic Dishes and Drinks

Organic Ideals

As more and more people effectively “vote with their dollars” by shopping for organic food, the availability of organic food is growing to meet that demand. However, not everyone in our community has the privilege to be able to choose organic over conventional, even when they wish they could. For as long as organic food is more expensive than conventional, access to the benefits of eating organic are not available to all.

We hope that by being the first organic cafe in our area, we can inspire existing and aspiring cafes and restaurant owners to think that such a thing is possible. We want to see more organic cafes and restaurants, more demand for organic groceries, and greater affordability as organic becomes the norm. In this way, we hope to be part of a movement towards fresh, organic food for everyone who desires it. We hope that organic farms continue to grow and thrive, and that equal access to organic food becomes a reality for more and more people.

Visit Us in Downtown Northampton and Taste the Organic Difference!

Sources for This Article:

Organic Farming vs. Conventional Farming – Fresh Connect

Photo by Brad Stallcup on Unsplash