In Southeast Michigan, the summer months bring plentiful local produce and local, sustainably farmed meat and poultry are readily available, but there just isn't much ocean fish available! I could easily visit my local markets and buy a wide variety of fish, but as with many other ingredients, once you are concerned with how the fish was caught or farmed, what the process cost the environment, and how much of what I pay actually reverts to the fisherman/farmer, that option becomes less appealing.
Enter the concept of a buying club. While CSAs are a form of buying club, they tend to focus on local ingredients. A more general buying club is a way for conscious consumers to obtain non-local ingredients from conscientious producers, often at a fraction of the cost, since the group's order is as large (or sometimes larger than) a retailer's order might be. As with a CSA, the middle man is often eliminated, ensuring that the producer sees much more of the food dollar the consumer spends.
Buying clubs are usually made up of a group of consumers who form a sort of cooperative: by eliminating the middle man, you do have to somehow provide all the services s/he would normally offer - identifying products that you are all interested in and that meet your standards for quality, production method, etc.; taking the orders; dealing with payments; setting up delivery and distribution. These tasks now fall to the co-op members. But take heart - some producers, eager to tap into this growing market, make the ordering thru delivery process very simple, often with the help of the internet. Want to try out a buying club without committing to it 100%? Many times you can split an order with a current member - be aware that you will be responsible for payment (often up front) and will need to arrange with that member how you will pick up your product.
Looking for buying clubs in your area? A good place to start asking about them is at your local natural food store or co-op and farmers' market, particularly the vendors who run CSAs - they are usually delighted to connect you with producers who offer products other than what they themselves bring to market. Other places that seem to know about such clubs are local, independently owned "foodie" hangouts (restaurants, coffee shops, food salons) and even many churches. If you're really lucky, buying clubs in your area will have a website that can be found simply by searching for the name of the product + buying club + your area! Found a product you'd like to have but can't find locally? It's worth a call to the producer to see whether s/he'd be interested in a buying club arrangement.
Just in the last 18 months, I have been lucky enough to participate in a buying club at Lummi Island Wild (sustainably caught salmon, cod, halibut, scallops, and more). I've also split orders at Bariani (olive oil) and Celtic Sea Salt. Purchasing through a buying club is, I feel, a healthy compromise between militantly buying 100% local and buying whatever you want to eat, regardless of whether the item is in or out of season or even native to one's locality at all. While I try to buy local and seasonal as much as possible, I do like coffee, olive oil, ocean fish, and chocolate....
