The differences between shopping at a local farmers’ market and buying your food from a nearby grocery store may be larger than you think. In fact, the success of farmers’ markets impacts a long list of industries – not to mention the even longer list of local businesses who look forward to participating and using these markets to get in front of more consumers. At Frisco Fresh Market, we are major advocates of connecting residents and visitors with our local farmers, artisans, and other small business vendors. In addition to simply getting to know your neighbors, their products, and the unique ways in which they are impacting our local economy, we’ve boiled it down to 4 of the most meaningful benefits of buying from a farmers’ market instead of another big box store or grocery chain down the street
- You know exactly where your food is coming from, what’s in it, and how it is produced. When was the last time that you knew where the apples at your local grocery store were sourced from, how they were grown, or when they were picked? Most grocery stores are part of much larger chains, with hundreds or even thousands of stores across a wide swath of states. Because of this, it’s difficult for consumers to know exactly where their grocery store produce originates, or even what region or state it is being shipped from.However, the opposite is generally true of most farmers’ markets, where visitors meet vendors face-to-face to learn about their products, their farm and/or business, and where they are located. Buying directly from these vendors benefits both farmer and consumer in a couple of distinct ways:- First, buying direct excludes all of the “middle men” that process your produce from the time it leaves a farm to when it’s delivered to the grocery store. This promotes a true “farm-to-table” environment at Frisco Fresh Market and eliminates all the additional handling and time between picking and purchasing.- Additionally, buying direct almost always gives farmers a better financial return for their produce. This allows them to keep pricing competitive at these local markets while thriving in today’s world, where it’s more challenging than ever to compete with industrialized farming and big corporations.
- Farmers’ market food is often riper and fresher. At Frisco Fresh Market, we take vendor quality very seriously. Our team personally visits each farm and/or kitchen and tests all of the products approved for sale at our market to ensure exceptional quality. When shopping at your local grocery store, it’s nearly impossible to determine how long fruits, vegetables, and other produce have been sitting out. Between transport and shipping – sometimes from other states – as well as stocking, grocery store produce may be several days old before it is even available for purchase.This is a stark contrast and quite a different process from the produce available at farmers’ markets, which, in many cases, is picked within 24 hours of being available for sale. “Farm fresh” isn’t just a vibrant way to describe the produce for sale at Frisco Fresh Market – we ensure that all fruits and vegetables sold by our vendors are picked at the peak of their ripeness to bring the highest possible quality food, at its most nutritious, to residents and visitors.
- You’re advocating for local businesses, where your support is most tangible. Local businesses, whether a family farm or a small artisan group, often don’t have the advantages of industrialized, factory-style farms or largescale conglomerates with the ability to mass-produce. When patronizing Frisco Fresh Market, you are not only helping to support a diverse range of local businesses, but you’re also putting important dollars into our regional economy. This is because all of our vendors proudly call the North Texas area home, so making a point to support neighbors – rather than large and/or non-local corporations – certainly adds up to a positive impact over time. Supporting the vendors at Frisco Fresh Market typically means supporting small businesses. Each time a consumer spends money with a small business, you can rest assured that this support is felt by – and helps – these vendors, so they can continue to comfortably produce.
- Farmers markets are fun, community-driven social gathering places. Frisco Fresh Market thrives on providing a uniquely engaging experience for residents and visitors of all ages. Located in the heart of the walkable, contemporary center of Frisco, Texas, our fresh market features two large, permanent sheds housing up to 94 diverse vendors on any given day. Because of our proximity across from Toyota Stadium and close location to the popular Frisco Square, our fresh market was designed to integrate seamlessly into the vibrant “live, work, play” atmosphere that Frisco offers.We encourage residents and visitors to get to know our vendors, learn about their products, and build close relationships. Additionally, Frisco Fresh Market is continuing to expand through the planned construction and development of:- An indoor market complete with four exciting new restaurants
– Three contemporary hotels
– Additional retail space
– A grassy 1-acre park and family-friendly community gathering space, where we eventually anticipate hosting live music, outdoor activities for children, and much moreThese developments are being designed and implemented with the intention of further promoting a community-style town center, where residents and visitors can mingle, socialize, meet with friends, and get to know their neighbors. We look forward to seeing you soon!
There are a lot of great reasons to visit farmers’ markets, whether it’s the promotion of a positive social atmosphere, the support of dozens of local small businesses, or simply the peace of mind in knowing where your food is coming from and how it is produced. We invite you to stop by Frisco Fresh Market the next time you’re in town to see how we’ve taken the farmers’ market concept and developed it into an all-encompassing community-driven staple of the North Texas area. There’s a little something for everyone here – visit us and discover what yours is today![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]