Mid-week market supports region’s producers

THE Bendigo Community Farmer’s Market mid-week events at The Good Loaf Sourdough Bakery and Café have gone from strength to strength.

Running from 3pm to 5.30pm every Thursday, organiser Chris Hain said although the mid-week markets didn’t take off initially, people started taking advantage of them once lockdown hit.

“We’ve been running a monthly market on a Saturday for 10 years, and about two years ago we tried doing a mid-week market to test the community’s appetite for it and it didn’t really cut through,” he said.

“In March, last year when the first lockdown was ordered, we were scheduled to have a market on the Thursday and we got a call the day before saying our permit had been cancelled.

“We had farmers who had already picked and packed so we didn’t want that food to go to waste or for them to lose income, so we organised with the Good Loaf who have been long-term supporters to set up a small pop up in their car park.”

After kicking things off at the new site that Thursday, Mr Hain said it just went from there and quickly the market went from three to 25 stallholders.

“People felt safer shopping outside rather than in supermarkets and ended up falling in love with buying directly from the producer and maker and supporting local business,” he said.

“All the stallholders are either from the City of Greater Bendigo or a neighbouring Shire, we only have one regular stallholder that comes from Melbourne.

“Many of the stallholders like that it’s just a short market during the day, they only have to sacrifice half a day off the farm and can be home before dark.”

With the market currently successful, Mr Hain said it’s great to be able to offer security and safety to so many of their loyal stallholders.

In addition to the current offerings, Mr Hain said after 2020, the mid-week market is always seeking to support more.

“We’re always looking for people especially stone fruit and berries, we’re interested in talking to anyone who is an accredited producer with the Victorian Farmers Market Association,” he said.

 

Huntly Organics

Run by young farmers Jordan and Emma at their family farm in Bendigo, growing chemical free vegetables are Huntly Organics talent.

“They attended the Bendigo Farmer’s Market as their first market in Australia, a young couple, had been living in New Zealand but Jordan grew up in Bendigo,” Mr Hain said.

“They moved back to Australia and because he was from a farming background and started up his farm and started attending markets at the end of 2019.”

“Having a weekly market for them to attend actually have allowed them to be ahead of their business plan by a couple of years and have expanded their offering.”

 

Collins Honey

Locally owned and operated family company, Collins Honey, is constantly innovating and finding new ways to retail good quality honey products.

“Collins have been beekeepers and making honey for a couple of generations, Richard has gone out and set up his own business,” Mr Hain said.

“He’s been with us now for coming up to three years and was one of the foundation stallholders for the weekly Thursday market.

“They’re doing some great things at the moment, even collaborating with a local chocolate maker and always exploring new and different products.”

Bridgeward Grove Olives

Harvesting olives and harnessing their flavour at their property, Bridgewood Grove, is what Peter and Julie Howard do best.

“Both Julie and her daughter, Millie, went at the end of 2019 and did a course in Spain which is like the sommeliers course for olive oil,” Mr Hain said.

“They are probably amongst the best educated of olive growers in the state, it’s quite a unique qualification.

“They’ve just invested in a new stall set up, they are really smart merchandisers doing really interesting things.”

Wattle Gully Produce

With a flair for organic flowers and vegetables, Wattle Gully Produce was recently established and continues to be tended by Thanisa, a first-generation farmer.

“She’s a brand-new young farmer, just starting out the market garden,” Mr Hain said. “She came to us only two months ago but people have fallen in love with her vegetables and her flowers.

“Now she has a weekly marketplace and some certainty around what she grows, she has some security about what the future might look like.”