Sausage Man

Brian Danihel, once a line cook, decided to turn his passion for gourmet sausage making full time. He is the “Man” behind Sausage Man, where you can buy uncooked sausages to take home or delicious sausage sandwiches he makes to order. He buys whole cuts of meat and grinds them himself, adding his custom blends of toasted spices, cheeses and other ingredients to make sausages free of all the weird stuff often associated with industrially produced sausages.

@sausageman88

Leashed! LA

Peter Kleronomos brings the vegan ethos to dog accessories — cruelty free and stylish leashes and collars. I asked him where his leather-free dog leashes are made and got an answer I was not expecting! Turns out he works with an Amish family to craft a sharp looking, quality line of vegan dog accessories.

Vibrant Choice

Instead of cutting and packing their brightly flavored microgreens ahead of time, they bring them to the farmers market still growing in soil. They are alive and fresh, and cut as needed. If you’re looking for living, raw food packed with nutrients and flavor, this is definitely for you! Unlike sprouts, which are germinated in water-only, microgreens are grown directly in soil and are grown to peak nutrition. Popular varieties are kale, amaranth and herb microgreens.

@vibrantchoice

Las Lilas Coffee

George Poppe’s family has been growing coffee in El Salvador for over 150 years. Now he’s importing the green beans and roasting them in small batches at his craft coffee roasting facilities in Los Angeles. Controlling that process from start to finish — from growing, to importing, to roasting and distributing — allows Las Lilas to ensure both high quality craft coffee and a high standard of land stewardship. It also means there aren’t a bunch of middle men grabbing profits and squeezing coffee farmers to produce beans for increasingly meager pay. You can pick up their coffee at the farmers market, or online at Amazon.