Farmers’ market goes online

CUSTOMERS now have the whole range of Bendigo Community Farmers Market fresh produce right at their fingertips following the launch of the new online delivery and click and collect website.

Owner of Huntly Organics farmer Jordan Collins, who freelances as a web designer, has helped organise the new system and said it will help customers who can’t make the weekly market and assist producers with more opportunities for sales outlets.

“A lot of people say to me I just can’t get there on a Thursday, we can’t make it to that market, but we do want to support local producers,” he said.

“It’s been that logical conclusion of what platform can we use to get this out to people.

“It’s another option and it stacks on the current market’s functions and takes advantage of the current distribution network.”

Customers will have access to almost every store holder at the market, including Sandors Harvest and Collins Honey and more, with a vendors system style layout allowing customers to pick and choose with payment automatically collated and sent to the producers.

“It automates a lot of stuff and that’s really what it’s doing, automating the middleman and enabling us all to be in one place and just sell our stuff directly to the public,” Mr Collins said.

“We’re not taking a cut. It’s about building a distribution network for producers and them being able to get the full price for their products.”

Mr Collins’ farm work has been on a temporary hiatus due to his wife suffering an accident at the market and breaking her jaw in March, however he hopes the new system will kickstart Huntly Organics into the spring season.

He said he is encouraged by his fellow producers’ response to the idea and has even been contacted by Castlemaine’s farmers market to set up a similar system for their weekly event.

“Everyone’s really positive about it and loves the idea of all being in one place, even if they were already trading online, we’ve pretty much got most of the market onboard and they’re really enthusiastic about it,” he said.

The ordering times are between 10am on Friday to 10pm on Tuesday and customers are encouraged to get in early for the best range.

Once ordered, customers will have the choice to pick up their order from the store holders at the market or have it delivered.

Check out the new website at bendigofarmersmarket.online.