Farmers’ Markets Ontario ® 2022 Award of Excellence

BY COURTNEY DENARD

Congratulations to the Innisfil Farmers’ Market, chosen as the 2022 Market of the Year by Farmers’ Markets Ontario®

MARKET OF THE YEAR Innisfil Farmers’ Market

In 2011, the brand-new Innisfil Farmers Market launched with eight regular vendors. Fast forward 12 years and the market, now home to 35 regular vendors, has been named Farmers’ Market of the Year for 2022 by Farmers’ Markets Ontario.

“We know how many amazing markets are out there, so this is such an honour and a proud moment in our history as a true farmers’ market,” says Innisfil Farmers’ Market Manager Jaime Grant, a former market vendor and board volunteer who took over its management in 2017.

The market is seasonal, running from the first week of June until approximately the end of October. As a “true” farmers’ market – one where the vendors grow what they sell – the strategy of matching the length of the market season to the growing season is important.

The market’s offering includes meat, fruits and vegetables, microgreens, cultural foods including Syrian and Jamaican products, and a diverse variety of ready- to-eat meals popular with the large senior population in the area.

A large artisan section is open during the three busiest months of the year where local artists and crafters sell items like stained glass, woodworking, jewellery, and handmade toys.

This past year, the Thursday afternoon market day attracted an average of 1,200 visitors weekly, which grew to between 3,000 and 3,500 on special event days. A recent visitor survey revealed that the vibe of the market, particularly the live music and friendly faces, is the number one attraction for people, followed by the fresh produce, baked goods and jerk chicken.

“It’s pretty rare for a market to run on a Thursday afternoon, but our market is still fairly young, and the majority of our farms have their own farm market or attend another market already,” she explains. “If they’re already doing a Saturday market, the earliest they could do another is Thursday.”

The peak pandemic years were tough for the market financially, as public health rules meant they had to find money for signage, sanitizer, masks, extra staff, and different layouts to accommodate distancing. That’s where community support was invaluable, notes Grant.

“We were very, very fortunate. We had sponsors for signage, donations of sanitizer and a grant from a community foundation,” she says. “The community stepped up and helped us; we would be nothing without them.”

“Our main goal is to be a historical market for Innisfil, so that we are still operating 100 years from now. We want to become a tradition for people,” she adds.

The Market of the Year award will be presented on Wednesday, February 22 at 9:30 am in Ballroom A.