ETC Produce and Provisions
Learn about a husband and wife that wants to provide locally grown items to the Cincinnati area.
When it comes to food, local is better. Luckily for us, there is a business in the Cincinnati area that wants to help people experience locally grown produce.
“ETC is a micro local market, farm and home delivery service. We specialize in locally produced grocery items,” Toncia Chavez, co-owner of ETC Produce and Provisions, says. ETC, which stands for Estevan Toncia Chavez (a combination of owners Toncia and Estevan’s names), first began in 2017. “We started selling eggs and produce from our fam in Felicity, Ohio,” she says. “First, with a home delivery service, mainly to friends and family. In 2018, we started at Findlay Market in the fam shed. Our Findlay Market store opened in August of 2019.” The business is located at a storefront at Findlay Market at the north entrance.
The inspiration behind ETC Produce and Provisions came from working at farmer’s markets. “We saw the opportunity to make purchasing local food more convenient. People have busy lives, can’t always make it to the farmer’s market, but want the high-quality produce that is being grown: beef, pork and chicken that is raised by small family farms and wide and an impressive variety of health and beauty products, drinks and meals ready to eat,” Chavez says.
There are a variety of products offered through their business including locally raised meats, health and beauty products and Kombucha.
“Our Findlay Market location is open Tuesday through Sunday. Order online at www.etcproduce.com for next day delivery Monday through Friday,” she says.
ETC Produce and Provisions is unique because of their local selection and customer service. “Estevan and I spent most of our lives in the hospitality industry and that translates to grocery retail very well. We both worked in the restaurant industry in Cincinnati and then moved to bigger cities to find other ventures,” she says. “This has all translated to our team – taking someone’s basket while they are in line, making sure we are anticipating the customer needs before they do, making sure the handles of their bag are placed the right way on the counter so that it is easiest for them, making sure they have the most pleasurable shopping experience. It’s like a mix of fine dining and the farmer’s market.”
The business isn’t just a storefront, it is a job creator. “We create jobs in two communities, in Felicity where our farm is, as well as in OTR where our store is,” Chavez says. “Being able to create jobs not only for our business, but all the local businesses we buy from. When we buy more, they get to grow more, make more and eventually hire more.”
If you want to keep up with what ETC Produce and Provisions is doing, follow them on Instagram and their website. “Lots of new items daily and come on into the store. We always have lots going on,” she says.
