Be Local is the best investment I’ve made for my business.  Their staff and volunteers are top notch forward thinkers and consistently implement innovative ideas to better serve their customers and the local community.  No bones about it, I give great credit and many thanks to Be Local for helping make my business a local success.


Sue Carroll, Owner, Bones Du Jour - Treats so good, you’ll wish you were a dog!

Emma Smaldino

My passion for delicious food and close-knit community was a major player in how I found myself at Be Local Northern Colorado’s door. In August of 2009, I moved to Fort Collins from China, where I frolicked substantially, taught 4th grade and Kindergarten English, played Ultimate Frisbee, and indulged in the mouth-watering Chinese cuisine (grossly different….and more flavorful than Chinese food a’ la USA). One thing that drew me to Colorado was the culture of localization (which is a mere fantasy in New York, where I’m from)….in addition to 300 days of sun (who can complain about that?!). I began volunteering with Be Local NC and Happy Heart Farm (Colorado’s first CSA and the only farm within city limits) almost as soon as I arrived and I loved it! I felt, and continue to feel, deeply connected to the earth and my fellow community members. It is a beautiful thing to feel a part of something – an active participant working towards a mission of entrepreneurialism, sustaining the local economy and ecology, and doing so in an environment of understanding, kindness, and connectedness. I feel lucky to be part of the Be Local NC Staff and I look forward to the fun and frolic-filled adventures ahead.