The Real Reason Patagonia Has A Food Line

What if we told you that you could buy a winter jacket as well as food and drink for your Thanksgiving table all from the same vendor? You actually can on the website of the famous outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, and its own food line, Patagonia Provisions. It sells everything from cider, wine, and sake to salmon. You can even buy items such as buffalo jerky and dried apples, which are perfect to pack in the kids' snack bags for school.

The products are completely sustainable. Plant-based products are sourced through regenerative farming practices, which is a method to keep soil healthy and the food extra nutritious, due to the lack of synthetic fertilizer absorbed by the crops.

Provisions also sustainably sources its seafood, which can be a challenge, especially in regard to salmon. Its wild pink salmon come from self-sustaining runs off of Lummi Island, Washington (via Patagonia Provisions).

Founder Yvon Chouinard explained in an essay titled "Why Food?" that Patagonia Provisions is an extension of his company's mission to spread a love and awareness for nature. The company actually launched in 2012, but Chouinard stated the pandemic made him realize the importance of making an environmental impact through food. 

In 2020, when he wrote the essay, he reflected on how people's priorities were not on traveling and buying expensive outdoor clothing at the time. "But we still need to eat. In fact, I think the only revolution we're likely to see is in agriculture, and I want to be a part of that revolution," he wrote.

Chouinard also explained the typical societal skepticism that arises when a company goes out of its niche. But Patagonia Provisions is actually killing the game. Fast Company rated them as one of its top innovative food companies of 2021, along with Thrive Market and Goldbelly. If you're looking for high-quality, sustainably sourced food, you might want to check out Patagonia Provisions.