Market Rewards
Tree House Market Rewards It Pays to Buy Local
June 15, 2010
Largely known for its whimsical and decidedly delicious cakes, cupcakes and other baked goods, Santa Fe's Tree House Pastry Shop & Café is at its core an all-organic, vegetarian restaurant based on local agriculture.
"Ever since we started," says owner and Pastry Chef Maria Elena Bustamante-Bernal, "we've made what's available from local farms the heart of our menu. There's just so much good stuff to eat here in New Mexico—it's part of what makes our community unique." Though it's not possible to run a restaurant entirely on local products, Bustamante-Bernal says that in the summertime, about 90% of what Tree House serves is from local growers who sell at the Santa Fe Farmers Market.
"It's getting to be the time," she says "when the farms are bringing in all this great stuff—and that variety, that's what makes our menu really exciting. So we're dependent to a great degree on the success of the farms, who, in turn, are dependent on people buying their produce.
"So we thought, 'how could we work together to support each other?' You know, give people a reason to buy more at the Farmers Market. Market Rewards is what we came up with."
Tree House's Market Rewards program is similar to many loyalty programs offered by other retailers—purchases earn you discounts on future transactions—with one difference: Tree House's program offers customers at the café discounts for purchases made at the Santa Fe Farmers Market.
"I was talking with some of the farmers that I purchase from regularly, and they told me that if every customer would just spend one or two dollars more, they'd be doing a whole lot better," says Bustamante Bernal. "So we decided we'd encourage people to spend a few extra dollars at a farmer's stand by giving them a coupon for 10% off at Tree House. If it gets people to spend a little more locally, we all win."
Here's how Tree House's Market Rewards program works:
- On your next visit to the Santa Fe Farmers Market, look for one of Tree House's "featured farms." Tree House is an all-organic restaurant, so only vendors that grow or produce products without pesticides, GMOs or chemical fertilizers are participating in Market Rewards. Currently, the list of participating farms includes:
- Monte Vista Farm
- Desert Fungi
- Romero Farms
- Santa Cruz Farms
- Sweetwoods Dairy
- Green Tractor Farm
- Buckin' Bee Honey
- Santa Fe Premium Compost
- Corrales Garden Nursery and Farm
- Babylon Gardens
- Jacona Farm
- Purchase a minimum of $10 worth of produce and ask for your Market Rewards Purchase Voucher. The Market Rewards program rewards purchases of $10 or more with 10% off the total cost of a purchase at Tree House Pastry Shop and Café. Vendors at the market will distribute vouchers for any purchase over $10.
- Bring your voucher to Tree House and enjoy 10% off your purchase. Tree House Pastry Shop and Café is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00am to 3:00pm and for brunch on Sunday from 9:00am until 2:00pm. Baked goods—muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes and other treats are available throughout the day. Come early, as Tree House treats rarely last long—especially when they're on your table. Tree House also makes gluten free items for those with allergies and custom, all-organic, special occasion cakes to help celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or any other special event.
- Take pleasure in the fact that you're supporting the local economy and that your purchasing decisions are helping to ensure the future of New Mexico's farms and New Mexico's natural environment. Your purchase at the Santa Fe Farmers Market and Tree House Pastry Shop and Café helps support a thriving local food system and an economy based on ecologically sustainable practices. By supporting local, organic agriculture, you're helping to make our state a better place for future generations.
Tree House Pastry Shop and Café is located at 1600 Lena Street, Suite A2, off Second Street in the Lena Street Lofts. For more information, call Tree House at 505-474-5543.