While we strongly believe that farmers markets should focus on farmers, we also recognize that non-food vendors and crafters add a special element to the farmers market shopping experience. So this week, for the first time in Tent Talk history, we're chatting with an artist who sells at farmers markets! Our guest is Jess Pickering, fiber artist and owner of Jess Makes Macrame. In this episode Jess explains what led her to trade in her cushy 9 to 5 job for a 10 x 10 tent and a new life as a full-...
Jul 18, 2022•40 min•Ep. 198
This week on Tent Talk we dive deep into best practices for communicating with your farmers and vendors. From email to social media groups to texting services, there are numerous ways market operators can keep in touch and provide vital information. Tune in for helpful hints from market managers Cori Veverka (Oswego Country Market), Gina Johnson (Madison Farmers Market) and Rebecah Boynton (Richland Park Farmers' Market). We can’t promise we know the secrets to getting your farmers to open your ...
Jul 11, 2022•59 min•Ep. 197
Value-added products come in all shapes and sizes and flavors: pies, salsa, guacamole, fresh-squeezed juice, soups, salads! The list goes on and on and on! This week on Tent Talk we define what value-added means and talk about all the tasty forms they can take. We also discuss some of the barriers of entry for farmers to make value added products and how market managers can help. For more information about value-added products and the USDA value-added producer grant, visit usda.gov. This week's ...
Jul 04, 2022•28 min•Ep. 196
This week on Tent Talk we're joined by Max Petrich, Vendor-101 grad and founder of San Diego Tempeh. Max sells his soy-free fermented products at farmers markets in San Diego and has also built a thriving wholesale business. After a brief hiatus from farmers markets, he’s back with a banging new display and a spring in his step! In this episode we hear the story behind San Diego Tempeh and how Max and his team are pushing full steam ahead into the wholesale game. We also chat about the benefits ...
Jun 27, 2022•38 min•Ep. 195
Our most favorite week of the year is just around the corner! Of course we're talking about National Farmers Market Week, which is August 7-13! In preparation of festivities we're catching up with our friend and Communications Manager for Farmers Market Coalition, Hannah Fuller. In this episode Hannah shares FMC's focus for this year's celebration, how your market community can prepare, and tons of creative ideas for engaging your vendors and shoppers. We also discuss the return of the National ...
Jun 20, 2022•39 min•Ep. 194
As many farmers markets are held on city streets, occasionally other large outdoor events disrupt a market's regular location. When special occurrences such as parades, art festivals, sporting events or expos require the temporarily relocation of weekly farmers market, it can be a headache. Luckily, this is something the Farmers Market Pros are well-acquainted with! Listen in this week to hear us discuss all that goes into shifting a market footprint, rearranging vendors, and spreading the word ...
Jun 13, 2022•28 min
Opening a new farmers market is no small feat! There is endless behind the scenes preparation that happens long before your first market day: research, permitting, vendor recruitment, and so on. This week on Tent Talk, we're focusing on the fun part: the grand opening! Tune in for tips on how to prepare for, promote and execute the first day of a brand new farmers market and what you can do to ensure that shoppers continue to show up week after week. This week's episode is made possible by suppo...
Jun 06, 2022•40 min•Ep. 192
In this week's episode we're joined by with Emily Emmons, Executive Director of Hoʻōla Farms—a nonprofit that serves military veterans, caregivers, first-responders and their families by providing opportunities to heal, through agriculture educational training and hands-on experiences. In addition to beginner farmer education, Hoʻōla Farms operates a weekly online farmer’s market with curbside pickup and recently just purchased their own commercial kitchen to better serve the farmers and foodmak...
May 30, 2022•48 min•Ep. 191
This week our guest is Sina Pleggenkuhle, Director of Programs & Partnerships and Market Manager at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, Minnesota’s largest open air farmers market. Sina is such a ray of sunshine, it's no surprise she's able to keep her farmers and vendors joyful seven days a week, no matter the weather! In this episode we chat about how to make the market your happy place, the pros & cons of hosting resellers at your farmers market, and the importance of listening when it co...
May 23, 2022•43 min•Ep. 190
This week we're joined by Michelle Pusateri, Founder and Granola Master at Nana Joes Granola. After spending years working as a pastry chef in high-end restaurants in San Francisco, Michelle set off on her own venture in 2010 and launched Nana Joes Granola at local Bay Area farmers markets. Over a decade later, Nana Joes is a multi-million dollar company and Michelle’s delicious granola can be found in grocery stores all over Northern California, online and of course, still at farmers markets! T...
May 16, 2022•39 min•Ep. 189
Ok market managers, time to get real! This week we’re tackling the tricky topic of "uninviting" a vendor from your market. Maybe they can't follow the market rules, or they're burnt out and the quality of their product has slipped below your standards...or maybe it's a personality mismatch. If approached correctly, breaking up with a vendor doesn't have to be messy. In this episode we'll cover all the bases on how to approach vendors having a hard time and how to try to get them back on track, s...
May 09, 2022•44 min•Ep. 188
Our guest this week is Jake Johannes, farmer at Sacred Sun Cooperative Farm and Board Chair at the Brookside Farmers Market in Kansas City, Missouri. As a year-round farmer and vendor-run organization, the Brookside Farmers Market has a unique perspective on what it takes to operate a farmers market that serves its community and its participants. In this episode Jake gives background on how the Brookside Farmers Market came to be and explains how the organization works with an active board made ...
May 02, 2022•36 min•Ep. 187
"How much does it cost to pop-up a tent here?" If we had a nickel for every time a potential vendor asked us this question, we could retire from managing markets! No two markets are the same when it comes to collecting rent and fee structures vary greatly depending on a market's operation costs, number of vendors, location, length of season, foot traffic, and so on! Determining your fee structure can be tricky, so this this week we’re diving deep. Tune in to hear us talk about how to structure f...
Apr 25, 2022•38 min•Ep. 186
This week we're joined by farmers market manager and market musician, Kristin Eggen. Kristin is in her second year of managing the Decorah Farmers Market in a rural area of northeast Iowa. One of the many ways she makes the Decorah Farmers Market feel welcoming is by bringing talented musicians to the market each week. Tune in to hear us chat about the pros and cons of hosting musicians at your market, how to fund compensation for your musical talent, and some tips for booking performers. This w...
Apr 18, 2022•44 min•Ep. 185
Our guest this week is Sadie Scheffer, CEO and founder of Bread SRSLY. Sadie launched her gluten-free sourdough company in her home kitchen in San Francisco back in 2011. While her initial business plan was focused on selling direct at farmers markets in the Bay Area, after giving it a few goes, Sadie decided the market life wasn't for her. Listen along as we chat about gluten-free baking, farmers market trial and error, and how to find your own version of success. This week's episode is made po...
Apr 11, 2022•43 min•Ep. 184
This Tent Talk Live episode is from long-time farmers market vendor and InTents Conference veteran, Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce in Portland, Oregon. Sarah’s 2022 presentation “Can We Talk About Burnout?” will help you gain useful self-care and conflict management tools for market managers, vendors and employees, and accept that we’ve been through a lot and it’s ok to be feeling it. This week's episode is made possible by support from our sponsors including Square, MarketWurks, Farme...
Apr 04, 2022•29 min
This week on Tent Talk we're sharing another live recording from the 2022 InTents Conference! In his presentation “The State of the Market: Claiming our Place in the World," you’ll hear farmers market advocate and practitioner, Richard McCarthy, share some surprisingly good news from the world of farmers markets. You’ll learn about new market awareness, new models and new infrastructure linking rural to urban opportunities, and recent Market Cities and World Farmers Market Coalition developments...
Mar 28, 2022•32 min•Ep. 182
Earlier this month we hosted hundreds of farmers market managers and participants at our 6th annual InTents: the Farmers Market Conference. Over the course of the conference, we invited our attendees to share their “why”. Why do they do what they do? Why do they get up at 4 am to make farmers market magic happen week after week? Why do they keep going when they feel like they can’t? And this week on Tent Talk, we’re sharing those whys. Grab some tissues folks, this is a good one! This week's epi...
Mar 21, 2022•31 min•Ep. 181
This week on Tent Talk we tackle a question we frequently receive from market managers: where do you find new farmers market vendors? Whether you're looking to fill a specific vacancy left by a long time vendor who retired or your market is moving to a bigger location with more room, we've got some tips and tools to help you in your hunt for new vendor recruits. Tune in to this week's episode for ideas on where to find new vendors, ways to get potential vendors to seek you out, and how to avoid ...
Mar 14, 2022•32 min•Ep. 180
Hi Tent Talk listeners! This week we’re just doing a quick check-in to remind you that the Farmers Market Pros Team is busy hosting our 6th annual InTents, the Farmers Market Conference! Many thanks to our awesome sponsors including Square, Market Works, Farmers Market Coalition, The Food Corridor, American Farmland Trust and more, who are making the conference possible this year. We’ll be back next week with a brand new episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market podcast, so meet us back here then...
Mar 07, 2022•1 min
This week our guest is Jorge Bustamante, Vendor-101 grad and owner of MyPozole. When COVID-19 forced Jorge to shut down his previous business, he saw a new opportunity to follow his dreams and share a special recipe that had been in his family for generations. Now MyPozole continues to grow thanks to Jorge’s hard work and all the farmers market customers that enjoy and recommend his delicious product! In this episode Jorge shares tips on standing out at the market, the benefits of a focused prod...
Feb 28, 2022•33 min•Ep. 179
Spring is just around the corner and it's time for market managers, farmers and vendors to get in the zone for peak farmers market season! This week on Tent Talk we're chatting about all the things you need to do to get ready for those excited shoppers who'll be flocking to your market. Tune in to hear what you should be doing a few months, a few weeks, and a few days before the start of your market season. This week's episode is made possible by support from California Palms.
Feb 21, 2022•36 min•Ep. 178
In the last few years we’ve seen a huge increase in online services that allow shoppers to pre-order from local farmers and vendors and get their groceries delivered. Though these services may offer convenience, they're rarely able to foster relationships between producers and consumers the way that farmers markets are able to. This week on Tent Talk, we weigh the pros and cons of online grocery delivery services and what to consider if one of these services is interested in partnering with your...
Feb 14, 2022•34 min•Ep. 177
Our guest this week is Melissa Maltais, Membership and Program Lead at BC Farmers Markets in British Columbia, and facilitator of that organization's Hatch & Hype incubator program. Melissa was one of our favorite presenters at the virtual 2021 InTents: the Farmers Market Conference and she’ll be back with us for our 6th annual event, live onstage in San Diego next month! In this week's episode Melissa shares how to market your market through community outreach, simple ways to reel in spons...
Feb 07, 2022•38 min•Ep. 176
This week we're joined by Devon Van Noble, of Van Noble Farm in Trumansburg, New York. Devon raises, roasts, cures and sells his pork products at the Ithaca Farmers Market and at his on-farm butcher shop, and also caters special event pig roasts. In this episode we chat about Devon's transition from selling wholesale to direct, how farmers markets helped him diversify his revenue streams, and some of the challenges small farmers currently face. This week's episode is made possible by support fro...
Jan 31, 2022•41 min•Ep. 175
Our guest this week is Emily Josenhans, Vendor-101 Grad, farmers market vendor and Founder & CEO at Domaine Santé. After working as a clinical and private nutritionist and witnessing the struggles of her clients’ sugar addictions, Emily set out to develop a healthier alternative. By combining her nutritional knowledge and interest in viniculture, Domaine Santé California Grape Nectars was born! Tune in to hear how Emily educates her customers on her unique product line and her keys to conver...
Jan 24, 2022•32 min•Ep. 174
Since no two farmers markets are the same, it's only logical that there are many different ways they can be operated. Organizational structures vary greatly, but whether a market operator is an employee at a parks department or a manager on contract with a business development group, clearly established job roles and boundaries are vital! This week on Tent Talk we explore the pros and cons of different farmers market management options and provide some tips on how to make sure your market's mana...
Jan 17, 2022•45 min•Ep. 173
This week we’re joined by our good friend Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce and her daughter Adeline of Adeline’s Bunny Puffs. Sarah is a long-time vendor at Portland, Oregon area farmers markets and her daughter Adeline (age 8) is a newer market vendor, who sells her freeze dried snacks right alongside her mom! In this episode we catch up with Sarah about what's going on with Marshall's Haute Sauce and discuss all the ways to get families and children involved at farmers markets, both as...
Jan 10, 2022•46 min•Ep. 172
This week on Tent Talk we're joined by Lauren Wood, Director of The Fresh MARTA Market, a pop-up farm stand that sources produce from local farms and brings them to five MARTA public transportation stations in Atlanta, Georgia. Lauren shares how the Fresh MARTA Markets work and explains all the benefits of having ready to purchase local food at metro stations. Tune in and hear how Community Farmers Markets has successfully partnered with Atlanta's public transportation service! This week's episo...
Jan 03, 2022•37 min•Ep. 171
Happy Holidays! The year is almost over, but it’s not too late to post a last minute appeal for funds while your farmers market shoppers and fans have a few days left to earn 2021 tax deductions for their donations! Enjoy this Best of Tent Talk episode from last May, and find out how Kathy Newsom of The Corner Farmers Market in Greensboro, North Carolina gains financial support from community members, vendors, and local businesses.
Dec 27, 2021•41 min•Ep. 170
