Snail of Approval awardees in the South Sound are committed to the quality, authenticity & sustainability of our local foodways.
Congratulations to our South Sound Snail of Approval Awardees!
The Snail of Approval is awarded to restaurants, farms, markets, and other food and beverage artisans that contribute to the quality, authenticity, and sustainability of our local foodways and are regarded as outstanding in our communities.
The award is based on evaluations that focus on the following six areas: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and business values. For program and application details, please check out our Snail of Approval page.
Image: Sundowner Farm
SNAIL EMERITUS
Chicory Restaurant (closed) melded the food traditions and techniques of the American South with sustainably sourced ingredients from farms, ranches, fisheries, and wineries of the bountiful South Puget Sound region of Washington State. They earned the first Snail in the Olympia area for their enthusiastic, comprehensive commitment to Slow Food values.
Chicory sourced about 70% of their ingredients from local, sustainable sources, nurtured close relationships with producers in their region, and centered menu items around foods that grow well in their area. They prioritized fair labor practices, minimize waste, and are active and generous participants in their local community.
Colvin Ranch is a fifth-generation woman-run cattle ranch in Tenino and is the first ranch to receive a Snail in Washington State. Their Red Angus, Black Angus, and cross-breed cattle are born on the ranch and raised entirely on grass and winter hay. All beef is free of antibiotics, hormones, and additives.
The Colvin family is dedicated to prairie conservation through partnerships with the NRCS and Washington State. Their sustainable grazing practices contribute to biodiversity by allowing native and endangered wildlife to flourish, such as golden paintbrush, the Mazama pocket gopher, and Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly.
As part of their business practices, the ranch also invests in their local community, donating beef to the local food bank and regularly hosting ranch visits and workshops.
Contact Information
Jennifer Colvin, Owner & Rancher
16816 Old Highway 99 SE, Tenino, WA 98589
Phone: 360-339-8465
Website: colvinranch.com
Dancing Goats and Singing Chickens Organic Farm is a 12-acre farm in Yelm, Washington that focuses on education. With a great amount of enthusiasm and passion, volunteers in their intentional community hold educational events for children at their petting zoo and hold open house educational events at the farm to share knowledge through workshops on soil fertility, greenhouse construction, solar panels, wind turbines, composting, Hugelkultur, honey bees, rain water harvesting, and more. They also welcome high school and college students to work and learn simultaneously through thier internship program.
They practice regenerative agriculture, value worker health, and offer a wide range of thoughtfully produced products, such as eggs, honey, chickens, fruits, vegetables and other goods.
“On your quest for happiness, please consider stopping by the farm to find tranquility!”
Contact Information
Farmers Dolphin Ayub & Lizzie Lake
14062 Yelm Highway SE, Yelm, WA 98597
Phone: 360-489-2830
Website: dancinggoatsandsingingchickens.com
SNAIL EMERITUS
OlyKraut (closed) crafted raw, organic sauerkrauts, pickles, and sipping brines in Olympia, Washington, starting in 2008. Out of a belief in happy gut microbes, they used locally sourced, nutritionally powerful ingredients.
OlyKraut's products were prepared by hand, naturally fermented, and kept alive and full of healthy probiotics. Made with local produce whenever possible, the B-Corps Certified business won a string of Good Food Awards and prioritized fair labor practices, minimizing waste, and utilizing traditional preservation techniques.
Folk Bread incorporates principles of low waste into every part of their operations, from how much they bake to how they source their ingredients.
Meg cultivates relationships with farmers, millers, and distributors whenever possible, ensuring not only the quality of the food being fed to the community but also the longevity of responsible food producers in our region.
Because locally produced, high-quality food costs more to produce, Folk Bread attempts to span the gap of accessibility by offering no-cost subscriptions for those that need them.
Contact Information
Meg Chernoff, Owner & Baker
Email: hello@folkbread.com
Website: www.folkbread.com
Sophie’s Scoops is a small-batch-from-scratch gelateria in downtown Olympia that supports our local food system.
Sophie Landis and Chris Proctor source the majority of their ingredients directly from local farms and producers. They use a traditional method, processing fresh, raw milk using a low-pasteurization technique. a crucial practice for preserving both the flavor and nutritional value of their gelato.
In addition, they maintain an almost zero-waste kitchen and deeply engage in the community by contributing to local events, supporting various organizations, and partnering with EIJ businesses.
Contact Information
Sophie Landis & Chris Proctor, Founders & Owners
Locations: 222 Capitol Way N #116 (at the 222 Market) and 510 State Ave NE #105A (at the Westman Mill Apartments)
Website: www.sofiesscoops.com
Helsing Junction Farms is not only one of the oldest, most established CSA programs in the country, the owners and staff are also dedicated to regenerative agriculture and soil health and to practices such as cover cropping and rotational sheep grazing that help them grow beautiful, long-lasting, highly nutritious vegetables for their many subscribers.
Helsing also works with neighboring farms to reduce food waste and they partner with the local food bank to make farm-fresh produce available to more people in their local community.
Contact Information
Jessica Armstrong & Angie Camp, Owners
Location (Farm Stand): 12013 Independence Rd SW, Rochester, WA 98579
Phone: 360-273-2033
Email: helsingfarm@gmail.com
Website: www.helsingjunctionfarms.com
The Wandering Goose, part of the historic Tokeland Hotel on the Washington coast, features Southern-inspired food reminiscent of owner Heather Earnhardt’s North Carolina upbringing and centers hyperlocal ingredients. The hotel’s working farm, Little Goose Farms, provides the restaurant with heirloom produce and edible flowers year-round.
Earnhardt and her husband and business partner, Zac Young, and sous chef, Ryan Monks, work with as many local vendors as possible, including vegetable farms, creameries, ranches, shellfish farms, breweries, wineries, and more.
The Wandering Goose has a robust waste reduction program and provides staff with a family meal every shift. They currently house seven full-time employees, rent-free. This team puts an immense amount of thought into every purchase and every dish.
Contact Information
Heather Earnhardt, Owner
Location: 2964 Kindred Avenue, Tokeland, WA 98590
Phone: (360) 267-7006
Email: info@tokelandhotel.com
Website: www.tokelandhotel.com/thewanderinggoose
Urban Futures Farm grows delicious, nutrient-dense food for their immediate neighbors through a CSA program and on-site farmstand. Over time, they have built robust agricultural soil through the use of cover crops, green manures, quality compost, and targeted application of essential micro and macro nutrients.
TJ Johnson, full-time farmer and former food and agricultural policy visiting faculty at The Evergreen State College, has grown various Ark of Taste varieties of fruits and vegetables, including Rockwell beans, Speckled Trout lettuce, Ozette potatoes, Incillium garlic, and more. They also grow a wide variety of vegetable and herb plant starts each spring, and produce pastured eggs.
The farm donates food to the Thurston County Food Bank and to Senior Services for South Sound, hosts interns and WWOOFers on the farm, and organizes a yearly music festival on the property that raises funds for farmland preservation.
Contact Information
TJ Johnson, Owner
Location: 928 Wilson St NE, Olympia, WA 98506
Phone: (360) 338-8654
Email: urbanagrarian@comcast.net
Website: urbanagrarian@comcast.net
Farm + Flourish is an all-local grocery store located in downtown Centralia. Alliyah Perry opened the store in late 2023 because she wanted to create a place where producers could be paid fairly and where consumers could find local products all gathered into one space, a place to make local foods accessible, for everybody, year-round.
The store carries hundreds of local products, from honey, eggs, and produce to locally produced and packaged goods, like spice mixes and sauces. The producers are the stars here. All of their products are clearly labeled—so you know who you’re buying from—and artfully displayed.
Contact Information
Alliyah Perry, Owner
Location: 202 S Tower Ave, Centralia, WA, 98531
Email: farmnflourish@gmail.com
Website: farmnflourish.com
Riverbird Farm is led by first-generation farmers who raise high-quality pastured poultry. They rotate them on pasture and feed them a Washington-grown feed mix that is non-GMO and free of both corn and soy. They source their chicks from regional suppliers, raise them until fully grown, and process them humanely.
We’re especially impressed by the farm’s commitment to regenerative practices when it comes to reducing waste. Riverbird is committed to providing high-quality food for its community, offering a selection of products that spans a range of price points. They offer discounts through CSA membership and accept EBT at their farmers market stands. Their products are also on local menus of select Olympia restaurants.
Contact Information
Maia Erickson, Farmer/Co-Owner
Location: 2984 SE Kamilche Point Road, Shelton, WA 98584
Email: riverbirdfarm@gmail.com
Website: www.riverbirdfarm.com
Tracking Y Ranch is a first-generation, family-operated beef cattle ranch that focuses on regenerative ranching and land stewardship. They manage over 1,000 acres of grazing land across four counties in the South Puget Sound region. Two-thirds of these lands are protected in conservation easements, which safeguard endangered species and help restore native ecosystems. Tracking Y’s rotational grazing practices go hand in hand to support South Sound prairie restoration and protect local waterways. They even utilize the cattle to tackle invasive fescue!
Every step of managing their herds meets the highest ethical and environmental standards. They sell grass-fed beef directly to consumers; no cattle are ever sent to feedlots or confinement. From locally grown feed to embroidery on branded hats, the family makes business purchasing decisions that prioritize the regional economy.
Contact Information
Jake and April Yancey, Owners
Location: 2901 104th AVE SW, Olympia, WA 98512
Phone: (360) 352-7707 or (360) 561-4083
Email: TrackingYRanch@gmail.com
Website: www.trackingyranch.com
Flying Cow Creamery offers a single product, high-quality yogurt, using only two ingredients: yogurt cultures and great milk. Made using traditional and sustainable practices, the yogurt is full-fat and full-flavored. Founder and primary yogurt maker Selma Bjarnadottir focuses on supporting a happy, healthy herd, treating her business partners fairly, and centering sustainability.
A model for a low-waste business, Flying Cow’s yogurt is sold in reusable glass jars. With the help of dedicated local customers, 80% of the jars are returned to the creamery for sanitation and reuse! The type of yogurt they make produces no food waste.
Selma partners with Keith Fagernes of Fagernes Dairy, located across the road from the creamery. This small-scale dairy milks an average of 10 cows daily. This tight relationship between the dairy and the creamery helps ensure transparency and traceability. The finished product has subtle changes in flavors over the course of the year, reflecting where the cows graze as the seasons change.
Contact Information
Selma Bjarnadottir, Owner
Location: 209 Hyppa Road East, Rochester, Washington 98579
Email: info@flyingcowcreamery.com
Website: www.flyingcowcreamery.com
Sun Dog Farm provides people in the community with a diverse array of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. In addition to cultivating heirloom and heritage varieties, owner and Caleb Poppe prefers starting plants from seed in order to build his relationship with the plants. He saves seeds and experiments with his own varieties, prioritizing “food that is meant to grow here.”
Caleb is learning Korean natural farming methods, like making fermented plant juice from on-property nettles and comfrey, to boost plant health and growth. He also uses pollinator hedgerows, cover cropping, and follows as many plastic-free practices as he can.
Sundowner makes food as accessible as possible for the community and works in collaboration with Kiwanis Food Bank farmers to address invasives and steward the land. And he has an attitude that meshes perfectly with good, clean, and fair principles.
Contact Information
Caleb Poppe, Owner
Email: poppecaleb@gmail.com
Instagram: sundogfarm_
Corbeau Tacoma is the first restaurant in Pierce County to receive a Snail of Approval!
With a rotating menu every six weeks and good relationships with local farmers, this Franco-Tacoma restaurant is a model of thoughtfulness. They care not just about the seasonality and provenance of their ingredients, but about all aspects of their business practices. Their values are expressed in the details, like using vintage, thrifted flatware instead of buying new, matching plates, avoiding single-use plastic in the kitchen, and maintaining a low pay differential between owners and staff members.
Corbeau is unapologetic about supporting issues that matter most to them. From immigration to labor to being transparent about the reality of owning a small restaurant business, they use their social media platforms for social good.
Contact Information
Trevor Hamilton, Owner
Email: trevor@corbeautacoma.com
Website: corbeautacoma.com
Location: 3819 N 26th St, Tacoma, WA 98407
Grist Urban Stone Mill Flour Shoppe & Grainery was opened in 2024 to provide community members with flours that are milled from Washington-grown wheat, mindfully sourced products, and opportunities to learn about grains and sourdough. Jay travels the state himself to pick up grains for the mill, including einkorn, spelt, sonora, red fife, rye, and other regional and organic grains.
The grainery is dedicated to curbing waste through bulk packaging and reusable containers and cuts byproducts out almost completely by not milling or selling all-purpose flour. Jay educates people through classes in his demonstration kitchen on sourdough technique and gives away sourdough starter for free to encourage people to bake at home.
Contact Information
Jay Ryan, Owner
Location: 216 N Tower Ave, Centralia, WA 98531
Email: gristcentralia@gmail.com
Facebook: Grist
Baker/Potter is a small small bakery nestled in the woods on Harstine Island. Ryan and Kristen keep things simple, beginning with sourcing the best organic grain they can find from responsible farmers in Washington State.
All grain is milled fresh in-house and is hand mixed, naturally leavened with wild yeast, and baked in a wood-fired oven. Each loaf and pastry celebrates the unique flavor and character of local grain. The small crew—Ryan, Kristen, and June—deliver breads and pastries to co-ops, cafés, restaurants, and farmers markets across the community.
Baker/Potter’s is dedicateed to sourcing heritage wheat and other grain varieties that are grown using regenerative practices, including Blue Tinge Emmer, Einkorn, and Sonora Wheat. They also bake with heirloom corn (Abenaki) when it’s available.
Their dedication to sourcing locally extends beyond grains; they prioritize purchasing dairy, fruits, and vegetables from nearby farms and businesses, ensuring every ingredient reflects the region's agricultural richness. They minimize waste by donating excess baked goods to food banks and community kitchens.
Contact Information
Ryan Lee and Kristen Jones, Owners
Email: ryan@bakerpotter.com
Website: bakerpotter.com
The Olympia Food Co-op has been a pillar of the Olympia community for decades and has long been committed to local farms, fair labor practices, food waste reduction, and community engagement. The produce department contracts with local farmers for an entire season, guaranteeing a market for a single product. They partner closely with the deli team to use excess products and turn them into prepared foods for shoppers.
They reduce food waste by encouraging bulk food and produce purchases, using “first-in, first-out” principles, and offering “eat today” produce at drastically reduced prices. They donate large amounts of almost-past food to their local food bank. They also adhere to a long list of fair labor practices, including 30 hours full-time work weeks, interviewing and hiring using trained DEI practices, and offering robust health coverage.
Contact Information
Location: 921 Rogers St NW and 3111 Pacific Ave SE, Olympia, WA
Website: Olympiafood.coop
Instagram: @olympiafoodcoop
Sasquatch Family Farms sells pork, beef, lamb, and eggs. Many of their practices are guided by their commitment to conservation. They work closely with a government agency to protect the rare prairie ecosystem where their family and animals live.
Sasquatch is committed to organic practices and regenerative land management and takes steps to reduce waste, including a partnership with a local food distributor to source produce that would otherwise go to waste to feed their animals. Their animal welfare practices center around creating environments designed to support natural animal behaviors.
The farm is a family-run operation and is highly involved in the community, notably through open farm days for the public, a partnership with Future Farmers of America, and the Dark Sky Network.
Contact Information
Shauna Perez, Owner
Instagram: @sasquatchfamilyfarms
Email: chfamilyfarms@gmail.com
Website: https://www.sasquatchfamilyfarms.com
Summit Farms serves as a habitat for local wildlife while also growing food for the local community. They sell seasonal starts and herbs, a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, Italian plums, pears, apples, and English walnuts. And they host events in their restored 1910 barn, serving as an important community gathering place.
With 28-acres, Mitch and Michelle use regenerative practices on their historic property to manage their growing spaces while also preserving wetlands and riparian areas. They have a project with the USDA to promote bat and bee populations, a conservation plan with Thurston Conservation District, and a collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to increase habitat for the endangered Oregon Spotted Frog.
Contact Information
Mitch and Michelle Lewis, Owners
Instagram: @summit_farms_
Email: mitch@summitfarms.co
Website: summitfarms.co
Shona’s Cafe is a British pastry shop, inspired by her background as the daughter of cafe owners in Northern Ireland. Many of the elements of her meals are crafted from scratch, including pastries, sausage, filings, and sourdough bread. Many of her foods are made using traditional techniques she learned from her family.
During the high season, she sources 80% of her ingredients from local farms, creameries, and meat producers. Shona personally visits every farm and knows each farmer personally. Shona's is a powerful presence in the community and is involved with local organizations, downtown Chehalis events, and is designated as a safe space for LGBTQ+ people.
Contact Information
Shona Smith, Owner
Location: 570 N. Market Blvd. Chehalis, WA 98532
Instagram: @shonascafe
Website: shonascafe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shonascafe
Simple Goodness Sisters capture the flavors of the Pacific Northwest in their bottled syrups, such as Blueberry Lavender, Herb Garden, and the perennial seasonal favorite, Huckleberry Spruce Tip. They’re committed to sourcing ingredients locally wherever possible, starting with the herbs and edible flowers that they grow on their “cocktail farm” and buying overripe or unsellable produce from local farmers.
At every stage of their impressive business growth—cookbook, brick-and-mortar soda shop, mail subscription service—sisters Belinda and Venise have stayed true to their values. Their historic soda shop-turned-event-venue highlights their commitment to place, their rural mountain community of Wilkeson.
Contact Information
Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham, Owners
Location: Wilkeson, WA
Instagram: @simplegoodnesssisters
Website: simplegoodnesssisters.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplegoodnessfarm
Spotted Frog Farm is a small, family-owned farm that produces organic, pasture-raised eggs and stewing hens in Olympia. Their deep commitment to responsible land management practices includes maintaining vegetated buffers around the sensitive wetland areas on their farm, protecting local waterways and native wildlife. To promote soil health and the regeneration of their pastures, Spotted Frog Farm employs multispecies rotational grazing. And with solar-powered mobile coops, their hens are able to move freely to feast on the diverse array of plants and insects.
They offer stewing hens, which are mature laying hens at the end of their productive egg-laying life. While stewing hens were historically common in home and small-farm food systems, they are now rarely available in modern grocery stores due to industrial poultry production favoring young, fast-growing meat birds. This whole-animal approach to farming ensures these hens may continue to provide nourishment and cultural value for customers preparing heritage recipes, preserving food traditions that are otherwise underserved by conventional retail supply chains.
Contact Information
Sarah George, Owner
Instagram: @spotted_frog_farm
Email: sarah@spottedfrogfarm.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/spottedfrogfarmllc