The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce held an annual showcase Wednesday for more than 70 vendors to show off local products and services. Their "Think Local" campaign has pushed grocery stores, restaurants and farmers to check out Hudson Valley suppliers before ordering online and out of state, helping to create a local food chain. Our John Wagner has the story.

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DUTCHESS COUNTY, N.Y. -- Poughkeepsie's Sprout Creek Farm has 200 acres of free ranging animals, producing award winning cheeses. They've gotten a boost from Adams Fairacre Farms who stocks their product for their locally minded customers.

"Quantities doubling, tripling in some cases, because, of course, consumers buying from them are catching onto that trend as well," said cheese maker Colin McGrath of Sprout Creek Farm.

"We love our local farmers because we are getting the best quality and the freshest ingredients as we need it, right to the store," said Adams Fairacre Farms cheese associate Debbie Decker.

By milking about 30 cows a day, Sprout Creek Farm is producing 40,000 pounds of cheese each year. The "think local" mindset is catching on and it doesn't just help the farmers.

"It is a reinvestment in ourselves, in our local communities and we're preserving jobs," explained Charles North, president of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"They don't use it to make a huge profit, they use it to run other programs that are important to our community," said Decker.

Sprout Creek offers year round programs teaching kids about nature and animals and how to live environmentally responsible.

"Things have gone down in other sectors," said McGrath. "Ironically, I think with good food, I think products that are produced in a way that people can see and get to know have become more important."

Sales of organic foods and drinks in America have grown from one billion a year in 1990 to twenty-seven billion last year. Despite the increase, those sales still only represent about four percent of the food and beverage market.

"You get into the bigger chain stores, they're buying from outside and not helping to support the people that are local who need our business as much as we need them," said Debbie Delaney, prepared foods manager at Adams Fairacre Farms.

Going full food chain circle, Adams has gotten a boost as well and will open a fourth store in Wappingers Falls next week.