Real food. Local people. Better choices. A healthier community.
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you already know a little bit about Foster Farmstead Marketplace.
Maybe you have stopped into the store. Maybe you have seen us at the Chillicothe Farmers Market. Maybe you have picked up groceries, tried one of our skincare products, or stood in an aisle reading ingredient labels long enough that someone wondered if you were studying for a test.
We get it. We read the labels too.
But we wanted a place where we could tell a little more of the story behind Foster Farmstead Marketplace. Who we are, how we got here, why we care so much about food, and what we hope this place can become for Chillicothe and the surrounding community.
It Started With Our Own Family
Foster Farmstead started in 2021 with a pretty simple idea.
We wanted to know more about the food we were feeding our family.
Where did it come from?
How was it raised?
What was sprayed on it?
Why does this ingredient list need seventeen words when the food itself should probably need four?
The more we learned, the more intentional we became about what we ate, what we bought, and eventually, what we put on our skin.
Those choices led us into farming and eventually to the Chillicothe Farmers Market.
And that is where something really started to click.
We met farmers, growers, bakers, makers, artisans, and families from all over our community. We met people who were asking many of the same questions we were.
People wanted better options.
They wanted food that felt like food.
They wanted to know where it came from.
They wanted to support local families and small businesses.
And they wanted to be able to buy those things without driving all over southern Ohio with a cooler in the back seat and a carefully planned Saturday itinerary.
We realized there was a need.
That idea eventually became Foster Farmstead Marketplace.
More Than a Grocery Store
We opened Foster Farmstead Marketplace because we believe Chillicothe deserves easier access to healthier, more intentional choices.
That means local produce when available, quality meats, dairy, bulk foods, pantry staples, snacks, natural household products, handmade goods, skincare, and products from farmers, growers, artisans, and small businesses we are proud to support.
But filling shelves is only part of what we want to do.
We want to help reconnect people with their food.
We want you to know who grew it.
We want you to understand why one product may be different from another.
We want to talk about ingredients, farming practices, sourcing, and the things that often get hidden behind a pretty package and a marketing department.
And we promise not to quiz you at checkout.
Probably.
Why Local Matters
Buying local gets talked about a lot, but we think it is worth reminding ourselves what it actually means.
When you buy something from a local farmer, baker, grower, maker, or small business, that money does not disappear into some giant corporate machine.
It helps someone pay for seed.
Feed an animal.
Repair a tractor.
Buy equipment.
Hire help.
Grow a business.
Pay a mortgage.
Raise a family.
And hopefully come back next year to keep doing it all again.
Those purchases create a ripple effect throughout the community.
We love Chillicothe. This is our home.
We want to see local farms succeed. We want to see small businesses grow. We want young families to have good reasons to stay here. We want our downtown to thrive. And we want people in our community to have access to food and products they can feel good about bringing home.
Foster Farmstead Marketplace is one small part of that bigger picture.
We Care About What Goes In and On Your Body
One of the things you will probably notice around here is that we ask a lot of questions.
What ingredients are in this?
How was it produced?
Where did it come from?
Was anything unnecessary added?
Could this be simpler?
We do not believe everything needs to come with a health halo or an eight-paragraph explanation about why it is “clean.”
Sometimes carrots are just carrots.
And that is kind of the point.
We believe there is something valuable about getting back to foods and products that are simpler, recognizable, thoughtfully produced, and closer to the way they were meant to be.
That philosophy extends beyond food too.
It is one of the reasons we care about the ingredients in skincare, household products, and other things we use every day.
Nobody should need a chemistry degree to buy a jar of moisturizer.
This Blog Is About More Than Store News
We want this blog to become a place where we can share the stories and ideas that do not fit neatly onto a shelf tag or Facebook post.
You will meet some of the farmers, growers, makers, and small businesses behind the products in our store.
We will talk about food, ingredients, farming, nutrition, sourcing, and healthier living.
We will share recipes and seasonal ideas.
We will explain why we choose certain products.
We will talk about what we are learning.
There will be behind-the-scenes stories from the Farmstead and the Marketplace.
There will be new product announcements, community news, and probably a few stories involving farm animals making decisions that were not approved by management.
We are not pretending to have all the answers.
We are still learning too.
But we think asking better questions is a pretty good place to start.
Building Something Together
The Marketplace would not exist without the people who have supported us.
The customers who visited us at the Farmers Market.
The people who walked through our doors when we opened.
The farmers and makers who trusted us with their products.
The people who told their friends.
The customers who came back.
The person who stopped in for “one thing” and somehow left carrying three bags.
You know who you are.
Every purchase, conversation, recommendation, review, and encouraging word has helped us build this place.
And we want to keep building it with you.
Our hope is that Foster Farmstead Marketplace becomes more than somewhere you stop to buy groceries.
We want it to be a place where local producers and local families connect.
A place where you discover something new.
A place where you can ask questions.
A place where shopping local becomes easier.
And a place that makes our little corner of Ohio healthier and stronger.
Come Along With Us
If you care about real food, local farms, small businesses, healthier choices, knowing where your food comes from, or simply being more intentional about what you bring into your home, we hope you will keep reading.
There is a lot we want to share.
And if something you read here reminds you of a friend, neighbor, family member, or the person who has been trying to convince everyone at Thanksgiving to read ingredient labels, send it to them.
The best communities are built through relationships.
One farmer.
One maker.
One family.
One meal.
One conversation at a time.
We are incredibly grateful that Chillicothe has given us the opportunity to build Foster Farmstead Marketplace here.
We are excited about where this is going.
And we are just getting started.
Brett & Krystal
Foster Farmstead Marketplace
Chillicothe, Ohio
