Pick TN Products

The Buy Local movement is sweeping across the United States, as nutrition conscious consumers want to know more about where their food comes from. In Tennessee, it’s easier than ever to buy local thanks to Pick Tennessee Products, a Tennessee Department of Agriculture program that connects consumers with local food producers.

Though the Pick Tennessee Products campaign was launched in 1986, it really began attracting attention in 1995 when it went live online at www.picktnproducts.org. The site offers 2,000 agriculture and food businesses and lists nearly 10,000 fresh, local and unique products. Directories range from Christmas tree farms to fresh meats and local dairies to farmers markets, pick-your-own farms, wineries, pasta, pumpkins and artisan chocolates.

“Pick Tennessee Products has thrived for 28 years by providing real and valuable services and by adapting to changing cultures, consumer demands and technology,” says Debbie Ball, director of marketing for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Market Development Division.

The demand for Pick Tennessee Products grows every year. In 2009, the website received 160,000 visits, and in 2013 it received more than 300,000 visits. A Pick Tennessee Products mobile app will be introduced in 2014 that will allow consumers to “live local on the go.”

Listing products on Pick Tennessee Products is free for producers. To be included, they must be in compliance with all permits, licenses and inspections administered by the TDA Consumer and Industry Services division and go through an application process.

Besides food products, the website also links people to farmers markets, farm tours, pumpkin patches, wineries, pick-your-own fruits and vegetables, Christmas tree farms and more.

“Pick Tennessee Products helps participants by providing media exposure, education and marketing opportunities that many small farms or businesses cannot afford,” Ball says. “For many Pick Tennessee producers, this is their only Web presence. The increasing number of farms, food businesses and items listed on the site tell us loyal customers are supporting our participants. Pick Tennessee’s emphasis on fresh, local foods, farm-related recreation, and activities related to healthy lifestyles also helps Tennesseans choose a path to better health.”

Dustin and Justyne Noble own Noble Springs Dairy in Franklin, where they make chevre (a fresh, soft goat cheese), feta, gouda and a variety of other fresh and aged cheeses. The couple also sells Grade A Fluid Goat Milk for people with cow’s milk allergies, drinkable yogurts and goat’s milk soaps.

“Pick Tennessee Products has been a great way to distinguish our products at farmers markets as legitimate, farm-made products from Tennessee,” Dustin says. “Customers have found us through the PTP website, and it has helped us make connections with others in the industry.”

Sweetwater Valley Farm in Philadelphia makes 25 varieties of cheese, and visitors can tour the working dairy farm and sample their award-winning cheddars.

“We do cheese the old-fashioned way, giving them time to develop. High quality milk also makes a big difference,” says John Harrison, owner of Sweetwater Valley Farm. “I enjoy being part of Pick Tennessee Products because it gives me a way to connect and have a relationship with my customers like my grandfather did. It’s good to get back to that.”

In Old Fort, Barbara Leonard’s Blackberry Hills Bakery uses her time-tested recipes to create granola in a 7,000-square-foot wholesale bakery. The granola comes in five varieties: Crunchy Almond, Perfect Pecan, Maple Walnut, “No Sir, No Nuts” and Sugar Free.

“Our granolas have a great soft crunch, are packed full of whole grains and fiber, and are less sweet than most granolas,” Leonard says. “All our granola is handmade in small batches and baked in commercial convection ovens. It’s very rewarding to have people tell me they love my granola and that it’s the best in nutrition and taste of any they have tried.”