Local Harvest Grocery

I used Local Harvest to cater a small event that I had at my house. I worked with Erin and she was a pleasure to work with. I had about 45 – 50 people to my house and we ordered mini quiches, mini muffins, coffee and fruit. The mini muffins and mini quiches were excellent. We should have ordered 2 more trays of mini quiches as they FLEW off the table! The delivery was a breeze and everything was great. I will definitely be using Local Harvest again to cater an event. Thanks again !!

I went here to buy to-​go food because their confusingly-​labeled «café» across the street is apparently not a «café» anymore, or something?
Anyways, I was already confused about that experience, when we went across the street to this confusing, over-​priced mini liquor store/​Whole Foods/​parody of a Portlandia episode about itself. Like some sort of cruel joke, I found a section of confusing, barely labeled food from the «café» where we had just been rejected.
I asked this employee about a sandwich that was labeled «vegetarian» because I noticed one product labeled «vegan.» I literally cannot have any dairy, not even stuff made around dairy, so I wanted to make sure because it seemed confusing to not label it either «vegan» (which I’m not politically a vegan, but technically I do eat a vegan diet) OR more appropriately «dairy free,» if it were actually either of those things? So all I did was ask «do you know if there’s dairy in the bread?» Way too much for this fella, so he went and got this woman who immediately became a total parody of herself (unintentionally, I think).
So this young woman comes out of the back and is just annoyed and mono-​tone and said the word «whatever» a lot. But here’s the line that earned these people a one-​star review: «well, I identify as vegan, and I ate one of those yesterday, so it should be fine, or whatever.» Well, thanks for the diagnosis, Dr. Quinn, but I think I’ll be making food at home!
Okay, bad service at 8 am isn’t so surprising. But how about this one? Local Harvest makes Whole Foods seem economical, with the drive time and cost included! An odd array of «local» produce seemed overpriced for its overall droopy conditions, and they had some bulk bins which seemed more like a cute decoration than an actual attempt to offer staple items for less.
Let’s get one thing straight: this place is a boutique liquor store, and not a grocery store (I still don’t know what Local Harvest «café» was/​is, but I imagine it sucks). There is so much cutesy-​labeled beer and wine and [yes] Liquor in this place, and it really reminds me of the woman who recommended Local Harvest to me in the first place: On the surface, she’s all organic and cutesy, but on the inside she’s an artisinally-​crafted, hand brewed, all-​natural alcoholic.
So, I’m sure this place is cleaning up on alcohol sales, which must be what keeps everything else afloat? Because the grocery store section of this boutique is exorbitantly over-​priced. Are you at the airport? In a foreign country? At a ski resort? I don’t go to those places, but I imagine them to be the only other places with prices this high. It is difficult to imagine what metrics the owners of the place have been using to price their groceries? I grew up in this neighborhood, and people here don’t shop at these prices. Also, they’re tossing this term «local» around very liberally. If it’s crappy and it’s local, it’s still crappy.
I’d rather A) not buy stuff or B) but stuff I must have from absolutely anywhere else.
Pretentiousness you could slice and sell as «artistically-​crafted local Ego wedges,» this is a liquor store masquerading as the feel-​good project of trust fund babies. I’m way into tattoos, and stylishly long armpit hair for all genders, and being at work but not really
«working.» I hope to do all of those things today! But really, this place is more palpably afraid of its goals (glamorously splattered by some bored housewife all over the walls and windows) than in any way achieving them.
If you need a health-​food store with supplements, nutritional and health-​conscious products, go to New Dawn which is literally right up the street. That place has been there forever and is super trustworthy to tell you what they do know, and not tell you what they don’t know.
If you need a real-​life Portlandia vignette about an artisanal 7/​11, go to Local Harvest.
If you need an actual 7/​11, there’s one up the block.
If you need a «café,» LH cannot help you in any way at all, and don’t ask or they will get so totally annoyed.
If you need a boutique craft beer store because you’re lying to yourself about how good craft beer tastes, then you’re lying to yourself, and this place is a ¹⁰⁄₁₀!

Now carrying kombucha from St. Louis’s first commercial kombucha brewery, Companion Kombucha aka COM KOM. They have Ginger, Elderberry and Lavender, both regular and slightly sweetened with organic stevia for those that like things just a little sweeter. Yay! By local!
Cheers.

In our current global situation, with tremendous amounts of pressure being put on the environment to keep our lives running smoothly, local harvest is the future of groceries.
It pulls seasonal foods and packaged goods from surrounding farmers and producers. These products may cost a little more than your average grocery store, but the result is worth every penny. The items from local harvest are organic and local. Your purchase supports small scale farmers in your community who grow food the way nature intended it to be.
The difference will speak for itself, may it be bread, eggs, tomatoes, beer, granola, etc.. They also sell household cleaning supplies, toiletries, beer, wine, local art, meat, etc.
These goods are delicious and sustainable.

You can get produce for around 30% of what they sell it for here… I understand smaller stores with local ingredients are going to be a little higher than Aldis but holy cow. Also, at the counter, there is a $ 9 candy bar if you have a sweet tooth and enjoy being swindled.

Do you want to spend $ 25 on some snacks and a bottle of jello-​ey juice drink with super-​food seeds in it? Are you generally a person who likes over paying for things?
If so, you should go here. You’ll love it.

Pros:
I love the idea of Local Harvest! Supporting a local business, buying local produce and meats, and having a variety of vegetarian and vegan options are all awesome, cool things that I support.
Also, they have a free seed library! They have it organized by what kinds of plants you’re trying to grow as well as the level of experience required to successfully grow it. There are instructions on how to harvest seeds from what you do plant so that you can give back to the seed library and keep it going.
The beer and especially the wine selection quite large, considering the tiny size of the store. The alcohol section takes up probably a good quarter of the store!
Cons:
However, I just can’t make it my main grocery store because it’s on the pricey side and the selection is pretty limited.
Overall, though, what small selection they do have is fresh and local, so if you’re willing to pay a higher price, go ahead and do it! You won’t regret it!

Great place with plenty of both unique and standard produce. They have ready made foods (haven’t tried anything but the hummus –aka– yummus), but I regularly stop by for the beer and wine selection on the way home, never a line, and can also stop and get as much (or as little) popcorn by the weight as needed!

Amazing selection of organic, grass-​fed, pastured animal meats. Their organ meats are highly affordable, as well. They make their own kefir and it’s delicious. I’d do all my shopping here if I lived closer.
Some people argue that it’s more expensive than, say, Aldi, but you are supporting a local farmer and a small business AND the environment. I love this place so much. It’s just another added bonus that the employees are so nice, too!

LHG is a little expensive, especially for a college student like me. However, if you’re into supporting local businesses, enjoy seasonal produce, or just plain like food (they always have ready-​made food from their café across the street), it wouldn’t hurt to check it out!
It’s a pretty small space but it’s got a huge following and for good reason. When you walk in, you just feel good. There’s not really a way to describe the feeling — but then again, I might be the only person that it happens to! Hahaha
They have signs that say whether or not the produce was locally sourced, if it is organic… etc. I come here for my favorite local yogurt and occasionally their baked goods (which they make themselves or some of which are from local bakeries) and seasonal produce. Their produce section is relatively small but I’m always tempted to buy something.
Also, despite having extremely limited funds to shop here, I NEVER feel bad about spending money here and supporting local businesses!
If you do happen to check out LHG, just know that their café is (to me) a thouuuusand times more amazing!!! SWOON. But that’s probably because while I like buying local & organic produce, nothing beats having local & organic produce that’s already made for you! Mmmm… :’)

Hey Local Harvest Grocery! I’m back to give you my thoughts. Lucky you.
I know you guys are having some financial problems. You sent me the email. You asked for money from me. i give you quite a bit of my money, already.
My family has been in the produce industry for six generations in the US. I have several years of service in the health food grocery industry under my belt. In college, I worked in the produce devision of a health food store for years. I know how health food stores are run. I know what it means to be a health food store shopper and customer. My favorite «me time» activity is going to the grocery store, especially a health food store, and ESPECIALLY a locally owned health food store. I know what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, what you are doing right, and what you are doing wrong.
I think you are doing a lot of things right. I shop at your store at least once a week. I get my meats primarily at your store. Todd Geiserts pork for me and my dog, unless I am out at Greens Country Store for chicken feed, then I get it there. I get my dairy from your store. I like the Kalona brand particularly because it is only semi-​pasturized and it’s delicious. I might get some soap, or coffee, or artisan liquor.
You know what I don’t get at your store, EVER? It’s your produce. I shouldn’t have to explain to you why I don’t buy it. But then again… if that’s what you’re trying to sell me, clearly you have no idea what you are doing wrong.
Oh my god. Seriously. Why is all of your produce limp? Wrinkled? Soft? Placid? How many words can I described produce going bad, but still for sale?
You need a produce expert. You need someone that knows what vegetables go into cold water and what goes into warm water, to perk it up. You need to peel away the outside leaves of a head of cabbage, so that it doesn’t look like it’s dying. Cause it is. It’s DYING produce. How appealing can that be?
And there’s no ORGANIZATION? Clump things together that should be. Make it presentable. COME ON THIS IS YOUR LIVELIHOOD. Stop sending me emails for money and start fixing your produce. It looks awful. What local farmer would want to hand over their produce to you and say, ‘I trust you to sell this.’? I don’t know who. Someone that hasn’t spent months growing that crop?
I have friends that live in Kirkwood, so I visited the store a couple times. Your employees there were practically idiots. Everyone that lives out in Kirkwood told me that no one could make a sandwich under 15 minutes. I like Local Harvest, so I decided to give you guys a try out there a few times. Every time, it took about 15 minutes to get someone to slice me some GOSH DARN bologna. Why would I wait that long? Oh, because it’s the only local bologna I can find. So I wait. But I’m not happy about it. Other customers who WILL eat commercial bologna wouldn’t wait like I would for it.
I wish the best of luck to your business. I don’t want to see you go under, but how could you mess up so bad? More money isn’t gonna fix your problems. Someone in charge needs to do things differently. St. Louis needs you. Step up.

Love this place. Love the employees. The food is great and seasonal and local. They were the only place open on Christmas day that had fitz’s rootbeer which we took down to relatives in TX.

A great little grocer. Everyone there is super helpful and friendly and they have a lot of local food (eggs, veggies, bread, beer, and more) and they have a great Weekly Harvest program.
The only Cons are that no, you might not find every thing you’re looking for and they might be a little more expensive — but a part of that is because they’re not buying the bulk quantities that someplace like Schnucks or Target will. So it’s a little pricey but that’s the cost of supporting local, responsible businesses.

This would work in a pinch but they have a very limited selection of goods. They are also a bit pricey. I’m all for local businesses but they need to step it up a little.

This is clean eating, responsible eating, vegan, gluten-​free, all-​natural, organic, hormone-​free, free-​from-​any-​other-​food-​concern heaven. If you’re someone who has a food allergy, who is big into sustainability, who cares about supporting local efforts, or just someone with a small but appropriate suspicion that everything in regular food is trying to kill you, this is your happy place.
Although the produce section is limited (just one aisle), it’s pretty much all locally grown and organic. It’s always super fresh, not to mention that it’s nice to know where your food comes from, and the way it was grown and transported gave the poor Earth a break for once. I love that they even sell milk and eggs from a local farm (though this can be a bit pricey, at about $ 5 a carton of eggs). Maybe it’s placebo effect, but I swear it tastes better.
They also sell dry goods by weight, so you can fill up your own baggies with organic lentils, organic flour, organic couscous, and GMO-​free soybeans. Did you know GMO-​free soybeans were even a thing? It’s like discovering that unicorns exist.
There’s also a big selection of health conscious frozen and canned foods, a sizable beer and wine selection and lots of environmentally sound home products to browse, like cleaning and personal products.
Did I mention there’s a whole refrigerator of kombucha? Lololol.
OK, sorry, it’s just too easy to tease a hippie food store. But in all seriousness, I want to give this place a hug for existing.

good place to find a selection of local goods such as free range chicken, fresh eggs, pastas, herbs, veggies and craft beers. the purpose of my group’s trip was to hunt for arne’s hot pepper sauce-​something every hot sauce enthusiast should have! i also found marie sharp’s belizean hot sauce which is hard to find at most stores in the US.

Local Green is in!

Love the selection, especially for vegetarian fare, even though the prices are a bit steep.
Wine, beer and liquors are crafty and focused on local options while the packaged foods are great too.
They often have 2 vegetarian sandwiches, one which is a wrap, filled with fresh veggies, hummus and the like but my favorite, is the veggie on a pretzel bun from Companion. This is my fav to-​go, cold, veggie sandwhich option.
Not only is it worth a good 2 meals, it is super wrapped and even holds up to float trip conditions — which is saying allot!

Love the concept, produce offering poorly executed.
Local Harvest will have you believe, and there’s no real reason to doubt this logic, that local means a healthier fresher product. While the selection and quality of EVERYTHING refrigerated and on the shelves is impeccable, their produce quality is extremely lacking.
Totally understand and endorse local & seasonal arguments, but I am consistently horrified by the quality and price of produce that is offered.
Price can be stomached if you retain quality, folks in here even on a semi-​regular basis can easily justify spending more to support local, especially when it tastes better.
For the love of concept, please put in a real hydration and cooling system. Myself and others would definitely frequent this place more often.
Yes, this isn’t whole foods, but it would be nice to walk into the store without being greeted by aged greens and wilted product. Local? Yes. Fresh? Not so much. If you don’t have the resources to preserve quality, don’t sell it.
We all know an expanding company in a recession with three brick and mortars doesn’t scream economic setback. Step it up or ditch the wilted produce.

Yes