By Lisa Herrick
The husband-wife team of Tom and Celia Husmann set out to help the small, local farmer. The Husmann’s wanted to bring fresh and organic food to people in an affordable and convenient manner. Their goal materialized in 2009 as Olympia Local Foods, which was an organic online provider. The burgeoning success of Olympia Local Foods and the desire to include even more organic options led the Husmann’s to open Farm Fresh Market, a quaint grocery store with a farmer’s market feel on the westside of Olympia.
I happened to stop in just as the gourmet free range chickens were coming off the rotisserie. The aroma was luscious and I knew for sure I was taking a rotisserie chicken home for dinner. The chickens are certified organic, Washington grown from Draper Valley Farms. Simply sprinkled with a bit of kosher salt, the rotisserie chicken is available Thursday-Sunday either by calling in advance or just stopping in. Alternatively, these same certified organic chickens are packaged fresh.
“People are busy with work and family. They want to support local farmers but it is not always convenient. With our regular store hours you can shop and make a meal using local and organic ingredients the same day. And our rotisserie chickens make a great alternative to fast food or take out” explains Husmann.
Husmann shares that their customers come from all over particularly for the fresh meat and rotisserie chicken. Farm Fresh Market has a dedicated room for processing their meat delivered fresh from the farms. They work with several local farms including Stiebrs Farms in Yelm for grass fed beef as well as fresh eggs, Heritage Meats in Rochester who is an artisan butchering company that specializes in locally grown sustainable meat, and Colvin Ranch from Tenino offering locally raised grass fed beef. Another well known item offered is the fresh pork sausage including chorizo, breakfast, spicy Italian, and nightshade free breakfast. The pork comes from Niman Ranch but Farm Fresh Market uses their own spice mixture that they have prepared at Buck’s Fifth Avenue-Culinary Exotica.
Farm Fresh Market has a unique selection of dairy products including duck eggs from Farmer Jon’s Valley Pride, goats milk from The Laughing Goat Farm in Roy, raw milk from the Dungeness Valley Creamery in Sequim, fresh organic eggs from Olympia’s Egg Lady, organic dairy products from Tunawerth Creamery of Tenino and local eggs from Tachira Farm, the Husmann’s own farm.
“We consistently offer the best price in town for raw milk, which is a primary reason people with large families continue to shop here,” Husmann claims. In fact, the day I visited I had the pleasure of meeting Monica MacLean who shops at Farm Fresh Market several times a week. She admits she just stumbled upon Farm Fresh Market at a time in her life when she was changing her eating habits to local, fresh and non-GMO foods.
“I love shopping here because I can get things like raw milk where I can’t easily get anywhere else,” explains MacLean. “I can buy apples or other produce and Celia can tell me exactly when they were picked, when they were delivered and where they came from. In other grocery stores, they can’t tell you that and you have no idea how long they have been sitting there. I enjoy that when I walk into Farm Fresh Market I see Tom and Celia. I love the relationship I have with them. I could never walk into a big grocery store and feel the same. They have really changed my opinion about buying local and supporting local farms. And I have learned so much from them about fresh food.”
Farm Fresh Market adds up to 20 new products a week. “Almost everything in the store is a suggestion from a customer. We research the item and then that is how we grow our shelves,” Husmann explains.
The market offers a wonderful assortment of items from fresh organic produce and meats, gluten-free items, paleo bread, local honey, health and beauty products, coffee, and so much more. They also act as a pick up location for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) from Helsing Junction Farm, Rising River Farm, Boistfort Valley Farm, and Creation Organics.
What is even more exciting is that for a small grocery they are extremely price competitive. In some cases their products are priced lower than the larger grocers. Husmann comments, “We try really hard to keep our prices down. We want people to be able to afford to eat healthy.” After all that was their original goal – helping the small farmer and making local organic food affordable.
Click here to learn more about Farm Fresh Market or visit them at 2010 Black Lake Boulevard Southwest in Olympia.
