City Feed Values:
Buying & Sourcing Locally whenever possible
Featuring Organic Produce & healthy food options.
Better for the planet,
better for us.
We serve ONLY organic
Fair-Trade coffee in our Cafes!
and offer many other
Fair-Trade items.
POWER TO THE FARMER!
As a Sustainable Business Leader we practice environmentally sustainable work methods, like our recycling and composting program.
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By Shopping at
you help support
the local economy.
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from over 10 local farms, supporting Massachusetts agriculture & helping to preserve farm land.
City Feed features over 600 local products making your money work twice as hard supporting the cause of buying local! 
City Feed employs more than 40 people, most of whom are
J.P. residents.
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The Sustainable Business Network of Boston has a BUY LOCAL campaign that shows you how to make a shift in your spending to local businesses. Visit 10% SHIFT
to sign the pledge,
find Shifters in JP, read reports &
try the Local Calculator. |
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If
you would like to read more about how buying locally makes your money
work twice as hard by going back into the local economy click on:
Why Shop Locally? |
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Visit us at our two JP locations:
672 Centre St
617-524-1700
66A Boylston St
617-524-1657
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The Value of
City Feed and Supply
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We are proud of what we do
and know there is a lot of value in it.
Some folks have asked us "why are your prices this high." We'd like to take this opportunity to talk about what goes into the price of an item and what that price reflects:
is a family owned and operated small, local, independent grocery store & café. We serve only organic fair-trade coffee, and our deli uses the highest quality ingredients, sourcing locally whenever possible. We practice environmentally sustainable practices, including a composting and recycling program.
We have designed our spaces to be inviting and foster community.  Many of our products are locally produced, high-end specialty, organic, fair trade and all natural and are typically higher in price than conventional products due to the quality of ingredients and the higher cost of production.
We try to have a wide range of products to choose from, including more affordable ones, but we feel strongly about the where and the how a product is made and feel that value is well worth the cost.
As a buying practice we
do not try to drive down prices on local farmers or small producers. We view our relationship with our local independent suppliers as one in which it is important for everyone to be able to make a living while also providing value to our customers. This in the long run helps
the local economy, and we feel is a good business practice.
On these particular products: high-end specialty, fair trade and organic, we are competitively priced with other small, independent retailers.
But why are some of your prices higher than the co-op or other markets that carry similar products?
It's a matter of scale:
 First we want to make sure we are comparing
apples to apples, not apples to giant pumpkins...
We are a small independent grocery store, café & deli. The Centre St. City Feed is much larger, 3000 square feet, than the Boylston St. store, 1000 square feet. But overall, by industry standards, we are tiny!
The markets folks typically compare us to are giant pumpkins...
Trader Joe's average size is 15,000 square feet with 325 stores.
Whole Foods' average size is 29,000 square feet! They operate 285 stores in the U.S. and abroad.
Even the local Co-op Markets are over 3 times as large as our Petite Feeds.
Larger markets, especially giant national chains have incredi ble buying power. Small independents can't compete with larger natural food co-ops or national chains on price. They are
buying national brand merchandise in a much larger volume than we are, and they receive substantial
discounts on the very same items we carry. The same items a larger store buys wholesale may be HALF as much as we, a small independent grocery store, pay for it.
The small independent store is not "marking up" the same product and making a "killing." The small store is paying more for the same product and is forced to charge more for it. More times than not we make much less on items than a larger grocery, even if our retail price is higher.
This is the Economy of Scale small independents are up against, and is one of the main challenges for a small local independent.
We aim to provide the most competitive prices possible, (check out our sale items!), while still remaining a sustainable, viable market for the community.
So why would you pay more for something when you may be able to get it somewhere else cheaper?
We can not always compete on price, but we feel we do compete on total value. By
shopping at City Feed you are supporting a local independent market
that fosters community and adds to the neighborhood's unique quality.
You support the local economy by shopping at a J.P. independent store that is locally owned, and buys from over 200 local suppliers, making your money work twice as hard by supporting local business & local producers in one fell swoop.
 City Feed and Supply is proud to work with local service providers whenever possible, staff our stores with J.P. locals, and support community organizations through sponsorship and donation. We also have a lot of added value in being conveniently located in the neighborhood, and having sincere customer service.
In contrast, when
you shop at national chains the profit from the money you spend goes
into the pockets of executives and shareholders who have no inkling of
who you are, nor real concern for the neighborhood you live in.
City Feed is: For the neighborhood by the neighborhood! We live and work in the
neighborhood that sustains us and are proud to be a part of the J.P. community.
& while you may not be able to afford to do ALL your shopping at City Feed, a small shift in your spending habit can help keep a local J.P. store you love alive and kick'n.
So
next time you are shopping at City Feed or another local small
independent store keep in mind all that goes into the price of an
item and the embedded value of shopping locally.
Every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. Vote for local!
We are proud of what we are doing
and hope you see all the value of supporting We appreciate your business.
Thank you for shopping local!
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We would love to hear your feedback on values!
If you have any feedback for us please send it to [email protected]. Thanks for reading THE FEED! COME ON DOWN!
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 Illustration by Zea Barker  POWER TO THE FARMER! |
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