It may be the Austin mindset or it may be that we’re deeply in love with the land we grew up on— either way, a central tenant of CatSpring Yaupon has always been to source locally.
But why does local sourcing matter in the first place?
Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned from our work sustainably harvesting wild yaupon from Central Texas farms.
1. Job Creation. Sourcing locally has massive ripple effects on the community. It employs local people, which boosts the economy as they earn more income and can spend more. By setting the example, companies who source locally can encourage other businesses to also source locally, drawing additional job opportunities back to communities.
2. Labor Rights. Some international partners don’t have a strict wage standard or working condition regulations, endangering employees or even promoting trafficking systems. The close proximity of local sourcing allows for greater accountability in working practices and conditions, ensuring safety and fair treatment for workers.
3. Transparency. In the US, many suppliers must comply with Good Manufacturing Practices and be licensed by the FDA. At CatSpring Yaupon, we’ve worked hard to maintain transparency for our product and are now verified as non-GMO, organic, and kosher. And each of our suppliers has gone through extensive verification to ensure they meet these same quality standards.
4. Environmental Sustainability. By reducing the distance supplies have to travel from suppliers to our company, we are able to reduce our carbon footprint from vehicle emissions, packaging waste, and energy consumption.
5. Healthy Options. Particularly when food comes from local sources, there are less opportunities during transportation for contamination meaning you get cleaner food. It also allows for harvesting at the peak of growing seasons for the plants, resulting in more robust flavors in the finished products and more nutrients packed into the servings.
6. Personal Connections. Working closely with local businesses allows us to develop mutually beneficial relationships with them to support the growth of both companies. We are able to visit the farms that supply our yaupon and ensure the high quality you’ve come to expect and to manage issues face to face with our partners. This enables feedback, collaboration, and community development.
7. Improved Inventory Costs. Since we don’t have to ship in our product from overseas, we don’t have to process enormous shipping costs, taxes, tariffs, and other associated fees or have to strategize around potential economic or geopolitical upheavals. Rather, we’re able to pass our product along to you at a lower price.
Local sourcing has been our standard from the beginning. As we have grown and partnered with more farms, we’ve seen the incredible benefits it brings to the community and we’re excited to see these effects broaden with time.
It’s with pride that we can bring you a delicious, clean, and responsibly sourced drink every time you pour a cup of yaupon.
