One of the promising trends in the restaurant industry is the movement towards environmental sustainability. More and more businesses are seeking ways to become more eco-friendly, largely in response to customer demand.

As part of that trend, we are seeing an increase in the number of restaurants that are buying their produce locally. Until recently, it was primarily small restauranteurs who were supporting local agribusiness. But Chipotle is one of the first national chains to support the “buy local” mentality. According to the latest issue of Nation’s Restaurant News:

The 730-unit fast-casual chain, based [in Denver], recently announced plans to buy this summer at least a quarter of its produce from local small and midsized farms, making it one of the largest restaurant chains to undertake such an initiative.

Figuring out the logistics of accomplishing the local-purchasing strategy took more than a year, according to company officials.

Chiplote’s move is certainly not new. Alice Waters popularized eating locally back in the 1970’s at her Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse. The entire philosophy of Chez Panisse is that the best-tasting food is grown organically and must be eaten in season.

Although this is not a new trend, it is certainly promising in these uncertain economic times. After this year’s flooding in the Midwest, smaller farms could use the infusion of cash that a contract with a large, national chain like Chipolte would provide.

“We have more than 730 restaurants around the country and serve some 2.5 million customers a week,” said Chris Arnold, spokesman for Chipotle. “With those volumes, it is challenging to find enough supply.

“Most of the farms we are working with through this program are midsized farms [500 to 600 acres], which seems to be a really serviceable solution at the moment,” Arnold said. “With really small farms, it’s hard to get the supply we need on a consistent and reliable basis. The midsized farms provide a great alternative between really small farms and big agribusiness operations. Ultimately, we will probably add some smaller farms into the mix as well to expand our supply.”

The company said produce, such as Romaine lettuce, green bell and jalapeño peppers and red onions, would be sourced from local farms when seasonally available.

Kirk Holthouse of Holthouse Farms in Willard, Ohio, said in the company’s announcement that his farms will provide peppers and lettuce to Chipotle restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. “Chipotle is the first national restaurant that has made a conscious effort to support the local economy where their restaurants are located,” Holthouse said. “My hat is off to them, and we are hoping the program is a boost to the local farming economy and our bottom line.”

Last week I asked readers over at The Bilerico Project what they are doing to weather the economic storm. I mentioned that I have been going to the farmers’ markets in order to save money on produce. It has been exciting to get to know the farmers in our area. What’s even more fun is that many of them are “family.” There’s a cute lesbian couple at one of the Tucson farmers’ markets who sells organic cheeses. (Please believe that I’ll be interviewing them about their business for future articles.)

Here’s my point in sharing this: I think that the movement towards decentralized food is wonderful. It’s good for the environment. And it reduces the factor of increased fuel costs that are driving up food prices. But the best part is that the produce just tastes better. After coming home from the farmers’ market last Sunday, my partner and I had enjoyed a tomato sandwich on a fresh baguette. These tomatoes were so fresh and juicy! Do you honestly need a better reason to eat locally? At $1.50 per pound, we saved quite a bit of money versus what we would have paid in the grocery store for the same quality of produce. And let me tell you, it was the best damn sandwich I’ve had in a long time. So here’s to your wallet and your palate!