The Country Today, Eau Claire: May 21, 2008 -Page 1b
Eau Claire, WI
“The Newspaper That Cares About Rural Life”
Close to home
Madison-area grocery store helps consumers buy locally
P
AOLI — Ken and Sher-
rie Ruegsegger have
taken direct marketing
to a new level with their new
grocery store in southern Dane
County.
The Ruegseggers opened Paoli
Local Foods about a year ago,
selling food purchased from as
many as 80 local producers. The
store is attracting Madison-area
consumers who are looking for
locally produced food.
The store is an expansion of
what the Ruegseggers have been
doing since 1992, when they sold
their dairy herd
Paoli is and began sell-
along ing meat, poultry
Highway 69 and eggs directly
between to consumers.
They’ve been
Verona and marketing their
Belleville. farm products
For more through farm-
informa- ers markets and
tion, call a home-delivery
(608) 845- business.
3663 or Mr. Ruegseg-
ger had been
visit www. thinking about
paolilocal opening a local Paoli Local
foods.com. foods store for Foods owner
a long time, but Ken Ruegsegger
bagged and
he was called into action when weighed granola
he drove past a Paoli store with a to be sold in
“for rent” sign on it. his store.
“When I saw the sign, it
clicked that it was the right
thing to do,” he said. “By the
time I got down to the next cor-
ner, I had the store owner on the
phone, and I turned around and
we started negotiating a contract
that day.”
That was in March 2007. Mr.
Ruegsegger handled most of
the renovation himself and the
1,200-square-foot store opened
June 8.
Mr. Ruegsegger, 48, used the
community-supported agricul-
ture model to enlist financial
support from customers. So
far, about 50 people each have
invested up to $1,100 in shares
to finance the store, and in
exchange they receive compara-
ble store credit for a year.
“It keeps us from going to the Above: Jill Lundberg, a customer from Fitchburg, checked out grocer-
bank,” he said. ies at Paoli Local Foods with the help of storeowner Ken Ruegsegger.
Mr. Ruegsegger said he’s not Right: Dan Brent-Allegretti, a Madison Area Technical College culinary
sure if there are any other food student, is the in-store chef at Paoli Local Foods. He recently washed
stores financed in the same and prepared a batch of spinach.
manner.
The store features food pro- The store includes everything College students work part time
duced on the Ruegseggers’ 140- from locally produced dairy preparing the food entrées.
acre farm. The Ruegseggers products to jam to honey to Mr. Ruegsegger said the store’s
raise about 160 head of beef and maple syrup and baked goods. clientele has continued to grow,
butcher about 200 meat chickens The inventory varies depending mostly from word-of-mouth
a month and 50 pigs and lambs on the time of the year. advertising.
a year. They also sell eggs from “We know most of the people “The walk-in traffic has been
their 400 laying hens. who bring products in here per- tremendous,” he said. “People
Their son, Mitch, returned to sonally,” Mr. Ruegsegger said. hear about us and they just come
the farm in December and is the “We do what we can to support from anywhere.”
farm manager. every local farmer who does Broni Maranger of Oregon
“Things happen at the right a good job of farming without said she buys most of her meat their home-delivery system, by Although Paoli might seem to
time for reasons,” Mr. Ruegseg- chemicals or pesticides.” and other family food items at participating in food shows and be an out-of-the-way location for
ger said of his son’s decision to The store also has a certi- the store. via their Web site. a grocery store, Mr. Ruegsegger
join the farming operation. “He’s fied kitchen, where they make “I just love the store,” she said. They’ve cut back the number said the store is along a major
been living and working in Mil- salsa, jams and jellies, pies, sal- “I love their meat because it’s of farmers markets they attend commuting route from Green
waukee the past several years, ads, and food entrées served natural — there are no chemi- — at one point they were attend- County to Madison.
but he has his roots planted back fresh each day. Their special- cals in it. I like to know what ing as many as 13 per week — “We’re three minutes off of
on the farm. He appreciates the ties include lasagna, soup, I’m eating. I don’t trust the regu- to a market in Milwaukee and Highway 18-151 and only 12
way of life.” smoothies, burgers and pie. Mr. lar grocery stores. a local market that Mr. Rueg- minutes off of the Beltline in
The Ruegsegger farm is about Ruegsegger said they are consid- “I also love buying locally. I segger manages in Paoli. They Madison, so it doesn’t take long
eight miles west of New Glarus ering adding a patio for outside like to support our farmers. I still make home deliveries to to get here,” he said. “When peo-
and about 20 miles southwest of dining. think it’s important to support about 100 customers in southeast ple find something they really
the store. Two Madison Area Technical our own community.” Wisconsin. like, they talk about it.”
Mr. Ruegsegger said they are Higher fuel prices recently A delivery person recently
building their business on the prompted the Ruegseggers to commented that more communi-
store’s reputation for local, qual- institute a $40 minimum order ties should concentrate on sell-
ity food. for most home deliveries. ing food produced locally.
“People really trust us to eat “We’re very efficient about “He didn’t buy anything,
healthy,” he said. “We’re getting where we deliver,” he said. “We but hearing him say that just
bigger to supply our demand. It’s don’t drive 100 miles for a $40 makes my day,” Mr. Ruegsegger
all flowing together.” order. We block our home deliv- said.
Mr. Ruegsegger said he doesn’t eries very economically.” Mr. Ruegsegger has been
monitor prices in other grocery Mrs. Ruegsegger has a full- approached by other communi-
stores — he prices Paoli Local time job for a local health main- ties that are interested in open-
Foods prices to make a profit for tenance organization, but she ing local food stores, but he
the producer and the store. pitches in at the farm and store said he wants to make sure he is
The Ruegseggers don’t adver- after work hours. doing things right in Paoli before
tise or put up billboards entic- “She’s an integral part of the he considers taking on similar
ing people to their store. Instead, operation — I couldn’t do it ventures elsewhere.
they get the word out by attend- without her,” Mr. Ruegsegger Jim Massey can be reached at
ing farmers markets, through said. jimmassey@mhtc.net.
Story and photos by Jim Massey
Ken, Sherrie and Mitch Ruegsegger deliver farm products to about 100
southeast Wisconsin homes.