Ryan and Amy Scheide have a vision for SWCA. Successful veterans of the restaurant industry, they also have launched a new venture – providing their own manufactured products (jams, jellies, sauces) for sale through their Eatery restaurant and Great Expectations custom catering.

The Scheides are committed to using ingredients grown, packaged and distributed within 100 miles of Wisconsin Rapids. They view their supply chain as an opportunity to keep money flowing through the local economy. “Buying from multinational suppliers sends money out of the community, and too little of it ever comes back,” says Ryan.

Great Expectations has grown its local buying power to 53% of overall food product purchases, sharing its success with over 40 local suppliers and 750 workers within a 100-mile radius. To the Scheides, it is worth the modest added cost to reap the extra economic, nutritional, and community value of buying locally. They are committed to increasing their local purchase power as the value chain strengthens. They not only know where the food comes from, they also return more of its financial value back to their home community.

The Scheides see the Tribune Building as an opportunity to further build our local infrastructure and realize a true value chain. “We have brewing expertise and talent right here in south Wood County. Food services in the café and pub will not only offer local food, but also will use that local food to tell the area’s history and establish a regional brand that can in turn be leveraged by food-based microenterprises that use the building’s commercial kitchen,” says Amy.

Like Amy and Ryan Scheide, what informed choices can you make to help strengthen the local economy?