Our Values and Practices

Petitgrain is an extension of every belief system I have about love, respect, and building an economically sustainable business. Every purchasing and hiring choice we make is intrinsically linked to this mission: creating a self-sustaining and self-determined community that can take care of its own.

We buy directly from farmers, roasters and millers. This direct trade leads to accountability to our communities, and that accountability strengthens them. Our purchasing decisions are made less with costs in mind and more about how each product creates resilience in our community, our economy, the health of our staff and our city.

What this looks like in practice

We offered to pay one of our farmers more than what he was asking for his eggs. He'd lost a big account that never paid him and was going to stop raising hens. His eggs have enormous value for us, and our small operation relies on systems that produces a good amount of volume with a limited menu, resulting in margins that can pay him more. We know that by paying a little more, he'll continue to produce these eggs for years to come. That's not charity - that's how we build sustainable communities.

Radical generosity is a cornerstone of our culture - not just in how we want you to feel when you walk in, but in how we support our partners. We don't fear repercussions when supporting a farmer who has to charge twice the price for berries as a large conventional farm. We know what it means for our food systems to have growers with the autonomy and financial support to make decisions based on quality and relationships rather than market volatility, and they, in turn, grow a product so sweet, so delicious, that we’re humbled by and proud to use them in our pastries.

Our farmers need to be able to afford to keep their land - or acquire it - in order to make long-term decisions and employ strategies to enrich the soil and preserve specialty crops. It takes 3-5 years for a stone fruit tree to bear enough fruit for commercial viability, especially when you're growing heirloom, lower-yield varieties. That requires the kind of financial stability that only comes from fair pricing and reliable partnerships. We support farmers who grow organically, whether or not they are certified. We have a direct relationship with them, visit their farms and engage in meaningful dialogue about varietals, challenges in processing and pre-purchasing seed and bare root trees when we know the investment will bear fruit in the future.

Our staff can afford to work one job rather than several jobs just to make rent and support their families. We can only do so when you choose to shop small, understanding the value of supporting a small business. The return? You’re supporting the families that live in and around their communities and circulate your hard-earned dollars in the city you love to call home.

The more we spend on cheaper, more efficiently-procured goods is another vote for the kind of economy that depends on cheap labor, subsidies and disastrous environmental consequences. We depend on each other to make more meaningful purchases in order to create communities less dependent on corporation's tax breaks and more on direct trade within our communities.