Have you ever heard someone say “support local?” and then thought to yourself: “What does that even mean?”. Or maybe you have heard of the phrase and thought to yourself, “Why should I support local brands and businesses?” Or maybe you love supporting all things local to your country as a means of supporting small businesses.
What does it mean to support local?
Supporting local basically means buying anything that is made or grown locally to where you live, as opposed to buying products or food that is sourced from another country.
Why should we support local?
- Supports and strengthens small local businesses.
- Encourages job creation and the sustaining of jobs.
- It grows local investments.
- It encourages creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
- Encourages better quality of products.
- It encourages us to be more patriotic and supportive of our country and its produce.
What is local to us?
Depending on where you live, you can easily identify what is local to you. For example here in South Africa our local products are marked with a logo in the South African colours with the words “Proudly South African.”
There are also many other locally made or grown products that can be sourced either online or at your local market or store. Now, obviously we can’t buy everything that is locally made, as it depends if it is an option for you in your country. But I do think we can become more aware as to what is locally made in our countries, by doing some research and then taking the time to invest in our local businesses and supporting our country.
What are some of your favourite locally made or grown products in your country that you simply cannot live without? I would love to know!