THE FULL STORY
The mission of Terra Cotta is to serve the community and environment through offering package-free goods and plant-based dishes centered around local, organic, and fair-trade foods. Terra Cotta hopes to fulfill the triple bottom line of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social justice in its local community, as well as support ethically grown products abroad. Terra Cotta is committed to establishing a strong communal network that financially and morally supports local farmers and businesses that advocated for sustainability. Our goal is to preserve the planet via our sustainable practices, give back to the community, and support our neighbors.
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Our vision is to inspire holistic solutions within our community that encourages harmony, unity, and balance in our local and global food system.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?
PEOPLE
As society becomes increasingly more hectic and our food systems stray from traditional home cooked meals, consumers mindlessly opt for quick, fast food, not considering how their decision is part of a larger whole and disruptive to the environment. Consumers only think of their immediate need to satisfy their own personal agenda for food. Terra Cotta Green Market Co recaptures what our society is losing: traditional cuisines, essential cooking skills, and the comradery built over cooking and sharing a meal. The social role of food today needs re-evaluation. We eat every day, yet take good food and good company for granted. We need to return to the days when food was grown in our backyard, when we made thoughtful decisions concerning the ingredients of our food, when food was cooked at home and enjoyed with good company.
PROFIT
Industrial agriculture has financialized food, turning it into an investment/commodity, rather than as a sense of nourishment, or a means to advocate the labor of farmers. When consumers buy from large food conglomerates they vote with their dollars, encouraging the government to continue subsidizing monocrop growers. As consumers we need to better support cultivating a sustainable food system by purchasing organic, fair trade, and locally sourced goods. When buying ethically produced foods, you financially serve your community (local & global), and food is turned into recognition of labor.
PLANET
The rapidly expanding practices of industrial agriculture and the coinciding development of the food supply chain create negative consequences on the environment. Purchasing seasonal produce strays from the current consumer demands for rice, potatoes and wheat. This choice avoids supporting the monocropping practices of big agriculture that wreak havoc and place stress on the environment. The creative recipes and use of seasonal ingredients at Terra Cotta destroys the lack of diversity that results from the mono-cropping culture perpetuated by our society. Using produce grown in environments and climates abroad, rather than cooking based on the produce available in the local season decreases global food availability and environmental sustainability. Seasonal purchasing leaves a wider variety of food options for communities both local and abroad. The amount of land needed to adequately feed each community reduces because no additional land is used to meet the food demands of external populations. Purchasing seasonal foods also reduces the carbon emissions of transporting goods overseas. The thoughtful decision to cook a seasonal meal with local goods further reflects the obligation consumers have to preserve the planet for future generations.
MEET THE TERRA COTTA TEAM
get to know us
JORDAN DECHIRICO
Co-Founder
Hi friends! My name is Jordan, I’m the co-owner, alongside my twin sister, Andie, of Terra Cotta Green Market Co.
When I was about 10 years old, I started to dream about opening my own bakery or café one day; now, 15 years later, this dream has become my reality. Andie and I always dreamt of opening our own bakery as kids, and as time progressed the dream faded until it was reignited amidst the global pandemic in the summer of 2020. As new undergraduates in a global pandemic, my sister and I had very little job options as many places were not hiring as a result of Covid-19. Quickly, our childhood dream of opening our own bakery was reimagined into Terra Cotta Green Market Co. as my sister and I were at a loss of our next chapter in life.
I graduated from West Chester University with a major in Communication Studies, and a minor in Media & Culture. While these degrees do not necessarily point to a career in vegetarian café ownership, my passion for cooking and baking (and coffee) blended with the creative skills I learned in college lead me to be the co-owner of Terra Cotta Green Market Co. My role as co-owner is to handle the marketing, advertising, graphics, social media, and general creative content that makes Terra Cotta shine.
In my free time, I love stumbling across unique coffee shops where I can chat with friends for hours, spending time outside, and cooking/baking. Terra Cotta has given me an outlet in which I am able to express the things I am most passion about in life, and we hope it does the same for you. Our goal for Terra Cotta is that it is not only a place where people can gather in community and feel at home, but also spark creativity and encouraging others to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle.
We thank you in advance for all of your support, and we hope to see your faces in person very soon!
ANDIE DECHIRICO
Co-Founder
As an advocate for cultivating a sustainable food system, I implement sustainable practices in my daily life to ensure earth's resources are available for future generations. Personally, sustainability expands beyond conserving the environment. As a society we are responsible for creating a just food system that fairly & adequately supports the individuals who work in our food system. Through buying local, seasonal, organic & fair trade certified goods, we can re-establish a food system that replenishes our ecosystem & recognizes our laborers. Leading a sustainable lifestyle requires determination, passion for the global community and total awareness of one’s surroundings. Overall, sustainability is concerned with longevity and making choices that have a low impact for the future, while also being able to live comfortably and healthily in our current situation.
After graduating Pennsbury High School (http://pennsburyhighschool.org/), and earning a degree in Sustainable Food Systems Management from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2020, my mission is to reduce food waste and food insecurity in my local community. Opening my own café has been a dream of mine since I was 12 years old, and I've worked in all facets of the foodservice industry for 8 years. I cannot wait to make an impact in my community and lead others to live sustainably!
OPENING HOURS
come visit
Mon & Tues: 8am - 5:00pm
Wed: 9:30am - 4:00pm
Thurs & Fri: 8am - 5:00pm
Sat: 9:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: CLOSED