letters.SURVIVING AS A SMALL ETHICAL BUSINESS IN TODAY'S MARKETPLACE In the March/April 2000 issue of Vegetarian Journal, you asked how ethical business owners make it in this cutthroat capitalist economy. My Wife and I are the owners of a small health food store (The Good Food Store) in a small town (Laytonville, CA, population, 1,500) and we are also practicing ethical vegans The following is a list of notable people who practise (or practised) veganism. Entertainers
First, it is very important to realize that although we are able to live up to our vegan vegan /veg·an/ (ve´gan) (vej´an) a vegetarian whose diet excludes all food of animal origin. ve·gan n. principles in our personal lives (excluding work), we cannot expect our customers to do the same, and as a business reality we do make certain compromises. Because we must cater to a wide range of consumers' tastes in order to stay in business, we sell free-range poultry, wild-caught, dolphin-safe fish, and organic rBGH-free dairy products dairy products dairy npl → produits laitier dairy products dairy npl → Milchprodukte pl, Molkereiprodukte pl . As much as we would like to eliminate even these products, to do so would be fatal to our business. Not only would customers who want those products buy them elsewhere, but they would do the rest of their shopping elsewhere. Also, if we were to become a strictly vegan shop, many of our customers would resent us pushing veganism on them. Having accepted these compromises up front, operating the store does afford us many opportunities to promote the products and causes we do believe in. Our in-house deli specializes in vegan sandwiches, soups, salads, and smoothies. We have carved out a healthy lunch niche. Customers return not because our food is vegan, but because it tastes so good. Our mostly organic bulk food section is the envy of even the large supermarkets in our area and we are proud to offer a completely organic produce section. We also carry as many organic processed foods as possible, a wide selection of bulk organic herbs, eco-friendly household products, and cruelty-free personal hygiene personal hygiene person n → Körperhygiene f products. The store also provides us a platform from which we can disseminate information about important issues such as pesticide contamination, genetically modified organisms ge·net·i·cal·ly modified organism n. Abbr. GMO An organism whose genetic characteristics have been altered by the insertion of a modified gene or a gene from another organism using the techniques of genetic engineering. , factory farming factory farming System of modern animal farming designed to yield the most meat, milk, and eggs in the least amount of time and space possible. The term, descriptive of standard farming practice in the U.S. , and yes, veganism. Since we took over this business two years ago, we have quadrupled our inventory and tripled our sales. We get many compliments every day on how wonderful the store is, especially from out-of-towners. We employ several people in right livelihood "Right Livelihood" can refer to:
Jon Spitz spitz Any of several northern dogs, including the chow chow, Pomeranian, and Samoyed, characterized by a dense, long coat, erect pointed ears, and a tail that curves over the back. In the U.S. and Toni Leet Laytonville, CA Letters to the Editors can be sent to: Vegetarian Journal, PO Box 1463 Baltimore, MD 21203 You may also post letters to our website at http://www.vrg.org |
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