Students looking for healthier or alternative eating choices now have some new options in Platteville, thanks to some community members, including two UW-Platteville professors.

The Driftless Market on Main St. opened it’s doors on June 4, thanks in part to UW-P faculty members Bill McBeth, a professor in the School of Education, and Joe LeFevre, a professor in the criminal justice program, who are both founding members of the business. The store offers a variety of healthier locally grown food options for its customers, and serves as both a grocery store and a warm deli, serving soup and sandwiches during the lunch hours of the day.

Photograph by Lacey Vandermeer
Students looking for healthy food options, including organic Ramen Noodles, only need to walk down mainstreet to the Driftless Market. The store features a cafe, grocery section and art to sell.

They celebrated the return of the students to school with their Grand Opening from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14. During the event they had many locally produced items on display at the front of the store, ranging from bread mix to mustard made in the Platteville region.

Also coinciding with the Grand Opening were the final days of Wisconsin Eat Local Challenge, which prompted consumers to buy locally grown or produced foods to help stimulate local economies. The Driftless Market was one of many businesses across the state that participated in the challenge, which lasted from Sept. 5 to Sept. 14.

“The timing’s right. People are interested in food that’s safe, that’s healthy,” Heidi Dyas-McBeth, a founding member, said.
“It also seems like the students are often interested in finding those healthier options.”

The store does not only offer locally grown food, but food for people with special diets as well. This covers everything from vegan and vegetarian options to low-sodium items to glutton-free foods, and the store makes it a point not to mark up the prices on these items.

“In many regular grocery stores they look at these ‘special diet needs’ foods as an area to make gross levels of profit by setting very high prices. We do not do that. We keep our prices as level as our suppliers allow us to,” Lefevre said.

There are many benefits to eating locally grown and organic food, and not just for one’s health. Eating locally grown organic food reduces the amount of pollutant chemicals being sprayed into the air. Also, eating locally grown food means it wasn’t shipped from a long distance away. This means that not only are there less emissions let into the air through transit, but with a shorter transit time the food will be fresher as well.

“It’s about knowing what you’re eating was made with the earth in mind,” Bill McBeth said.

Even on a budget, college students can enjoy the healthier options offered. The store sells many items from bulk packages, so customers can only buy as much of an item as they need. The Driftless Market even offers a few college staples, like organic Ramen noodles.

“Our mission is to give people choices not available in the Big Box stores,” Lefevre said. “The ability for local producers to have an outlet for their products and the ability for people to find foods that are local and not so heavily processed and filled with chemicals.”