It’s May, and that means that new crop, fairly-traded, exquisite garlic has arrived on our doorstep via the garlic bus! Lest you think I exaggerate: check out the attached photo of Ben, current trustee of the bus and its precious cargo.
A May tradition
The story of the bus coming to Ft Collins is a long one. It’s probably been 20 years now that I have greeted the bus in May, and helped it to find acceptable downtown parking while I shop from its contents.
Back in the day, it was Ron who drove the bus. He would just “arrive” and inquire about my garlic needs. He drove a circuitous route, from the Baja farmers’ collective where he overwintered (and where the braids were produced), back to his own farm in Idaho where he grew Huckleberries each summer. He drove an old schoolbus, hand-painted, and packed to the gills with garlic braids that he sold to small co-ops and health food stores along the way, at the speed that Ron socialized with like-minded businesses and friends.
When Ron drove the bus, it was filled with the remnant of pot smoke, and it was generally expected that I “take a seat on the bus” for a while, and chat with him while my order was filled by his girlfriend. Seriously, I wondered every year how Ron got across the border with my garlic and with whatever other “supplies” he trucked back into the US. But it was certainly business ”old school”, in the relational fashion that is so rare today. We always looked forward to Ron’s springtime visit.
Going legit
Nowadays Ben drives the bus. It appears to be a more “upstanding” arrangement and business (that’s my story, and I’m sticking with it!) He takes “pre-orders” by phone, sells to some more mainstream establishments, and the bus has a fresh coat of paint. He even has a laminated handout for me about the collective where he works, and the amazing quality of his garlic. Interestingly, Ben and Ron are nextdoor neighbors in Idaho. Ben also grows Huckleberries in the summer. The lovely constant is the gorgeous selection of fresh garlic braids, fashioned by hand, and fairly-traded with Ben. We still have them on our shelves, for a limited time.
Come check out a Ft Collins Food Co-op tradition! Support an ideal and relational business model of direct trade between co-ops. Your purchase helps to support a vanishing group of farmers and artisans. And if you’re lucky, one of these times you might even catch the bus.
