Most of the participants we interviewed had a distrust corporations and “big ag.” C9 said that she didn't like shopping at chain grocery stores because “when you go to the grocery store you're not meeting the people who do this.. you're putting your money into this weird mechanism.” C11 phrased it by naming a chain store she didn't want to support, and saying that she liked going to the farmers markets because “I'm not supporting Safeway by shopping there.”

There were mixed feelings around Whole Foods as well.  One consumer said that she went there as a backup to more local options, since she would rather not go there because she didn't know the people who owned it (C4).  C1 was more vociferous about Whole Foods and said "to me, it's outrageous that people would even shop there.”

For the most part, consumers wanted to support small farms, and farms that treated their animals well and their workers fairly.

While many consumers mentioned wanting to support “small farms,” people had varying reasons behind this desire. Several said that small farmers were not trying to make a lot of money of farming and simply wanted to “make a living.” like C11, who said she wanted to support “Individually owned small farms, that are owned by individuals that are just trying to make a living off it and not corporations.” Others simply said that it felt right to them to buy from smaller businesses. C8 said “I always have this gut feeling that I’m interested in supporting small, local things” Some consumers mentioned small farms in the same sentence as “family farm” and “young farmers.” It was clear that they believed that family farms and new, young farmers were worthwhile people to support, and that these people would only have small farms.

The importance of supporting small farmers was sometimes tied to labor issues. C6 said that “I sort of hope that by buying local from small farmers that you'll circumvent labor issues... If you're working for yourself, you'll treat yourself right” C4 talked about her dislike of large corporations who sell organic, saying that these companies “make me want to puke. The way they treat their workers and the land is not loving.”

Some consumers also mentioned wanting to support farms that cared for their land and their animals. C11 said “I want to know that they have some respect for the landscape and the local wildlife.” C9 phrased the importance of humane treatment of animals in terms of flavor, saying “I want to know that the animals were happy... and then they'll taste better!”