5Best2Buy
A map of small American food makers who will send you what they make — bakeries, smokehouses, dairies, and single-product outfits that have been doing one thing for forty years.
What it is
A map of small American food makers who will send you what they make. Bakeries, smokehouses, dairies, single-product outfits that have been doing one thing for forty years.
Why it exists
Most of the good stuff is made by people who never learned search engine optimisation. They are findable if you already know their name, and invisible if you do not, which is a bad arrangement for everyone involved. This is the list you would want if you knew the list existed.
How it works
- Look for what you wantBy what it is, not by who paid to be listed first.
- Find who actually makes itSmall outfits, most of which you have never heard of because they never learned search engine optimisation.
- Order it from themDirect. The list is a map, not a middleman.
What it lists
Independent makers onlyNot distributors, not resellers, not whoever bought the top of the search page.
People who actually shipA maker who does not send it to you is not useful, however good the product.
Findable if you already knew the nameThe good stuff is invisible if you did not. That asymmetry is the whole reason for the site.
Free to readNo account, no wall.
Recipes as a sourcing mapA dish, and then who to get the parts from.
Continuously worked onIt is a live catalog rather than a listicle from 2019.
Specifications
| Where | 5best2buy.com |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free |
| What it lists | Independent makers who ship |
Questions
- Do makers pay to be listed?
- The list is compiled to be useful. If you are a maker who ships and you are missing, say so.
- Is it just gift baskets?
- No. It is the people who make one thing well and will mail it.
- Why does this need to exist?
- Because the best small producers are findable only if you already know their name, which is a bad arrangement for everybody.