PLATTSBURGH — Big business and fast money may be what controls the food market in today's society.
But some people say it doesn't have to be that way.
"Wall Street is all about fast money," said Raymond Johnson from Chazy.
"Slow Money is the reverse of Wall Street. It's capitalism with a small 'c.'"
Slow Money is an non-profit organization founded in 2008 by investor and philanthropist Woody Tasch that focuses on supporting small food enterprises and local food systems.
LOCAL, ORGANIC
The mission of the organization, which is based in Brookline, Mass., is to build local and national networks and develop new financial products and services.
After hearing about the concept from a friend, Mr. Johnson and his wife, Lola, decided to attend a Slow Money national gathering in Shelburne, Vt., last month.
The Johnsons said they walked away from the conference inspired by its people and missions.
Slow Money supporters such as the Johnsons, who are retired, believe that big business has diminished the quality of food markets through chemically infested products, soil destruction and other environmental and social wrong-doings.
Slow Money aims to make local organic food markets more profitable and available through investments and ideas, so more people can turn away from big-business foods.
With big-business products, the Johnsons say, people are "divorced from the source."
"Our economy has become too big too fast," Mrs. Johnson said. "People are not in control, which means there is a sense of fear in what they buy.
"With this (Slow Money), it brings back that sense of control. It is investing in a business where it is transparent and you are part of the company, not like Wall Street."
GETTING ESTABLISHED
Slow Money does not require supporters to invest their money, though that is an option.
The Johnsons believe it is going to take time for Slow Money to really take effect.
"There is so much momentum with fast money that it's not going to be easy," Mr. Johnson said. "You have to start and stay on track.
"For example, the CSAs (Community-Supported Agriculture) in Vermont had a couple of tough years, but now they're doing well. It's a new idea, and it takes a while to get a track record."
SPREADING THE WORD
The Johnsons feel that lack of recognition has been a hurdle for many local food businesses.
"There is a lot of activity in the area, but it's not on the radar," Mrs. Johnson said. "The scale is small enough where it can be overlooked."
Laurie Davis, coordinator of Adirondack Harvest in Westport, is also a member of Slow Money, and she agrees it is hard for the local food businesses to get their name out there due to a lack of capital and advertising.
Davis thinks Slow Money will help improve the already growing popularity of local organic foods in the Adirondack and North Country region.
"I absolutely think Slow Money is going to help pick up speed here," she said. "In Vermont, there are CSAs around what seems like every corner, and though it's not as prevalent here, there are more CSAs now than ever. It's growing in baby steps."
The Johnsons said local farmers markets and food co-ops are the best ways to discover these businesses and products.
NATIONAL TREND
Though the three-day conference in Shelburne was Slow Money's second national gathering, it attracted hundreds of farmers, investors, entrepreneurs and everyday people from all over the world.
Davis, who also attended, believes the founders were astonished by the turnout.
"This is a national trend where people are looking around and saying that we need to make changes."
SHARING IDEAS
The Johnsons said they were most impressed by the new ideas some of the young entrepreneurs at the conference had for improving the overall quality of food and the environment.
"One person had an idea to have mobile slaughterhouses come and slaughter animals on site," Mr. Johnson said.
That idea saves costs to the farmer while also cutting down animal stress and energy consumption caused by transportation.
Other ideas mentioned included a man in Vermont who developed a way to compost dead livestock and someone who imported bulls from New Zealand because they were grass-grazing, unlike the corn-fed bulls in America.
"It can be spread by a number of directions with investors and young people having ideas. There is no one vector where it's going to surface."
Davis said Adirondack Harvest is planning to have a conference in Paul Smiths in the near future, where she hopes to have Tom Stearns of the Slow Money Vermont chapter as one of the speakers.
"There's not enough people in the North Country who know about this yet, and we're looking to change that," Davis said.
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