Find Farmers and Local Foods in Your Community

Farmers, restaurants, businesses and institutions are increasingly responding to consumer demand for local foods. Statewide, consumers support more than 200 farmers’ markets. The number of farm-direct to-consumer partnerships—known formally as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs—are also on the rise, as are local buying clubs, home delivery businesses, food co-ops and grocery stores offering local foods, promoting local farmers and engaging in the community.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension is supporting the 10% Campaign by designating a local foods coordinator in all 100 counties. These in-the-field experts are a great resource and can help you find local foods, farmers and community events.

Help us grow! Let your community/businesses leaders know that buying local foods is important to you, your friends, family and colleagues. Tell them about the 10% Campaign and encourage them to sign on today.

EXPLORE these ON-LINE DIRECTORIES to help you find North Carolina foods. If you have a proposed listing, please contact


National (searchable by state)

  • Eat Well Guide: Lists local, sustainable and organic farms, CSAs, restaurants and retail markets in the U.S.A. and Canada.
  • Food Routes: Lists farms, CSAs, farmers' market and other local food sources.
  • Green People: Lists farms, CSAs, farmers’ markets and other local food sources, including dairy.
  • Local Harvest: Lists farmers' markets, farms, CSAs, event listings, forum discussions, how-to guides and more.
  • Eat Wild: Lists pasture-based, grass-fed beef, lamb, poultry, egg and dairy products.

Statewide

  • Carolina Farm Stewardship Association: Farmers, farmers' markets, restaurants, grocers, manufacturers and more. Also includes an iPhone/iPod farm locator application.
  • Gottobenc Logo NC Choices, a Center for Environmental Farming Initiative; provides a meat product buying guide and profiles of more than 30 farmers raising pasture-based beef and pork in North Carolina.

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (NCDA&CS) has three statewide directories and marketing programs to support local food producers:

  • Gottobenc Logo Look for the Got to Be NC logo when shopping at grocery stores owned by Harris Teeter, Lowe’s Foods, Kroger and Piggly Wiggly. If you don’t see it, ask for it.
  • Farm Fresh: Lists pick-your-own farms, roadside farm markets, CSAs, and farmers markets throughout the state
  • NC Fresh Link: Lists major North Carolina growers, packers, and shippers to help larger venues find top quality fruits, vegetables, herbs, greenhouse, and organic produce.

Regional

  • Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP): Lists tailgate markets, restaurants and bakeries, grocers, caterers, bed and breakfasts, and artisan food products in Western North Carolina.
  • Buy Haywood: Offers Haywood county listings of restaurants, producers & growers, grocers, and more.

  • Appgrown Logo Look for ASAP’s Appalachian Grown™ label — a model branding program that certifies food and agricultural products grown or raised on farms in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Southern Appalachian mountains.
  • Brunswick Catch: Profiles and promotes Brunswick County fishermen and businesses.
  • Carteret Catch: Profiles and promotes Carteret County fishermen and businesses.
  • Farm to Table Restaurant Guide: Asheville, NC highlights farm fresh food served at local restaurants.
  • Farmers’ Fresh Market : An on-line market linking growers, chefs and individuals serving Rutherford, Polk, Cleveland, McDowell, Gaston, Buncombe and Mecklenburg counties.
  • Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems Program Feast on the Southeast: Local food guide serving Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Robeson counties.
  • Foothills Fresh: Local food guide serving the foothill counties of Western North Carolina: Alexander, Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties.
  • Growing Small Farms: Locate farms, CSAs, retail outlets and restaurants in Chatham County and beyond.
  • NCDA & CS Fresh from North Carolina Seafood Directory.
  • NC Sea Grant: Provides a directory of NC fisheries, seasonality charts.
  • Ocracoke Seafood : The Working Waterman’s Association established this to promote the island’s fisheries. They list local restaurants serving fresh, local seafood.
  • Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative, “Neighbors Feeding Neighbors”: An online co-op supporting 970 local food advocates in Moore County and beyond.
  • Tar Heel Guide to Restaurants and Caterers Using Local Food: Includes resources for Orange, Chatham, Durham, Alamance and Wake counties.

CSAs, Multi-farm CSAs


Find CSAs also listed in some of the National, State, and Regional databases above
  • Core Sound Seafood/: Community supported fishery providing year around fresh seafood. Their website features recipes, availability chart, and a members forum.
  • Charlotte Local Foods: Online directory of CSAs in the Charlotte area.
  • Farm to Fork Meat: Meat and seafood CSA serving Wake County.
  • Growing Small Farms: Lists CSAs in many counties across the state.
  • High Country CSA: Multi-farm CSA offering produce in Western NC
  • Know Your Farms: CSA serving the Charlotte/Mecklenburg county region
  • Walking Fish – a Community Supported Fisheries program Consumers pre-pay for a ‘share’ of fresh, locally harvested seafood (i.e., a set amount of seafood generally picked up by the consumer on a weekly or bi-weekly basis).

Food Buying Clubs & Delivery Services


Ncfoodnet Logo Visit NCfoodnet.com, a Center for Environmental Farming Systems Initiative, for listings and to add a business.



Wholesale Businesses with Local Focus

  • Eastern Carolina Organics: Farmer-owned and organic
  • Farmers’ Fresh Market: An on-line market linking growers, chefs and individuals serving Rutherford, Polk, Cleveland, McDowell, Gaston, Buncombe and Mecklenburg counties.
  • Pilot Mountain Pride: Connects mid-sized farms in the greater Winston-Salem market (Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties) to area restaurants, grocers and institutions interested in sourcing locally grown produce.

Co-ops & Grocers

Many grocers throughout the state have demonstrated a commitment to selling local foods, supporting local farmers, local food initiatives and communities.

Gottobenc Logo Look for the Got to Be NC when shopping at grocery stores owned by Harris Teeter, Lowe’s Foods, Kroger and Piggly Wiggly. If you don’t see it, ask for it.

Whole Foods Market stores throughout North Carolina are featuring locally grown and produced foods. As one of our founding partners, Whole Foods Market is committed to the 10% Campaign.

Community and farmer owned Co-ops are growing in North Carolina. These offer a great way to invest in your local food economy. Find a co-op in your area here: North Carolina co-ops

Appgrown Logo In western North Carolina, look for the Appalachian Grown label, a symbol displayed with farm products grown or raised in Western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian mountains. Visit Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP) for a listing certified grocers and more.

As North Carolina’s food system grows, we’ll continue to provide sources for local food. Please check back often.