Beaufort local food business featured in national CNBC article

Beaufort local food business featured in national CNBC article

One of Beaufort’s own small businesses, Sea Islands Local Outlet (SILO), was recently featured in a nationally syndicated article on CNBC. The article entitled “As Americans Rush to Fresh Food, Supermarket Chains Follow” highlights several national big-box stores attempting to capitalize on the growing market for local foods, but it suggests grass roots businesses like Beaufort’s SILO and San Francisco’s Good Eggs Inc. may be a step ahead of them in bringing local food to consumers. The main difference between the big and small models is the community-building component of SILO and Good Eggs.

SILO opened its Beaufort’s shop front in the Habersham Marketplace in July of 2011 and offers a membership program, similar to a co-op, that allows members to place weekly orders directly from local farmers and food producers via the business’ website. The community building components include tactical experiences including cheese making classes, cooking demonstrations, meet and greets with farmers, and other events at the shop that aim to educate the public about where their food comes from. Co-founder Patrick Kelly describes SILO as a unique business concept that chooses to put its mission before its profit goals. “We aim to be civic-minded in providing a marketplace for small farmers, dairies and fishermen to sell their harvests directly to consumers with no retail price mark ups” Kelly states.

Businesses like SILO are beginning to pop up around the country and are attracting the attention of media outlets like CNBC because of their grass roots’ successes in meeting an ever-increasing demand for local foods. With SILO in Beaufort, it joins other well known foodie cities with similar concepts such as San Francisco, Richmond, VA, and Portland, OR. Beaufort’s rich agricultural heritage makes it a logical location for a business like SILO to plant its roots.

Sea Islands Local Outlet is located at 7A Market in the Habersham Marketplace, located off of Joe Frazier Road in Beaufort. For more information, visit www.silobeaufort.