Valley House Market is bringing fresh produce and locally-made products to an area in Baton Rouge that desperately needs them. The market is currently being built in the old Valley House Hotel on Government Street and the opening is slated for April 2024.
The number one goal of Valley House Market is to address the food desert in this area of Baton Rouge. While some people use the term “food apartheid” when referring to areas with limited access to fresh, affordable food, food deserts tend to be associated with low-income areas with high minority populations, according to the USDA.
Owner Tonya Gordon Smith spoke with What Now New Orleans, and said she had a personal business opportunity that became Valley House Market when she decided to create something bigger than herself.
“I have a bakery business and someone approached me about a location for a bakery,” she said. “But when I realized the location of the spot, I realized it would be better if I opened an actual grocery store and sold my baked items in the store. Because this area is a high-traffic area, but it’s very underserved. There’s no fresh food. There’s no fresh vegetables.”.
People living in food deserts can fall into a vicious cycle. They rely on convenience and dollar stores for food, but the food at these stores tend to offer little nutritional value in return for their costs. So people end up spending more money on convenient food that’s bad for them. This also leads to higher levels of chronic disease in food deserts.
Tonya says Valley House Market will make eating healthy as easy as possible for its customers. The concept involves four themed walls where people can quickly find the types of items they need.
- The Wall of Freedom will feature sugar-free, gluten-free and other “-free” items.
- The TRAINing Wall will have fitness-focus products like protein drinks and bars.
- The Shop Local Wall will feature items from local producers
- A grab-n-go station will have fresh-made sandwiches, snacks and other items.
Valley House Market will also have regular grocery items available in a standard aisle format.
Tonya has a number of other plans for Valley House that include a fresh food trailer that will visit other food deserts in Baton Rouge and neighborhood lots near the market that will become community gardens. She is also currently fundraising and is open to bringing in additional investors.
But at the end of the day, Valley House is dedicated to making healthy food simple, convenient and affordable.
“We want people to come in and say, ‘Hey look, I’m on a diet or I just finished working out and I don’t want to go through all this stuff just to find my food,’” Smith said.
