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NOCO Virtual Farmers Market – The Online Way!

By Alexa Vasquez, Founder/CEO and the NOCOVFM Team and Candida Marques, Co-Owner, Marketing/Sales & Website Director September 14, 2020

Across the country people are flocking to farmers markets for locally grown food.

The concern revolves around the fact we, as consumers, want to know the origin of our food. We are concerned about the chemicals in our food chain and concerned about the foods we will consume once the local summer bounty ends.

This is where the Virtual Farmers Market kicks in at full force.NOCO Virtual Farmers Market is a year round virtual market that supplies our customers with fresh foods and locally sourced products from local artisans and local businesses. During the summer people can buy on our online platform or at the in-person markets, but once the in-person markets end, customers need not fear, as our market will remain open with in-season produce and locally made products from local vendors all year long.

The ability to shop different farms and food producers as well as local artisans from home and see what is actually in season and available within a large radius of your home ensures that you are eating fruits and vegetables grown right in your community and supporting local artists and small businesses right in your own turf.



Because of the post-World War II boom, big box grocery stores became the norm. But now consumers are showing a desire and willingness to move back to pre-World-War II and are requesting growing practices that assure that the food they are eating and feeding their families is as chemical-free as possible.

While farmers markets and CSAs are an excellent source for local produce, the virtual farmers market has become an even more convenient and easy buying and selling option for farmers, artisans and small businesses. As a customer, you don’t have to be at the farmers market first thing in the morning to get the best produce. You don’t have to endure the hot summer to browse the foods that you want for the upcoming week. You don’t have to buy memberships into CSA’s, which give you whatever produce has been grown for the week. With a Virtual Market, you, the buyer, are fully in charge of the food you buy and how much of it you purchase. For the farmers, there will be no more midnight picking the night before the market since everything is pre-ordered, the farmer knows exactly how much to harvest and when to pick, thereby ensuring the customer gets the freshest produce available. Our food producers have been known bake their items the morning of delivery, now that’s fresh!


How does it work, exactly? 

Vendors list their items in the virtual market, they control the inventory. We at NOCOVirtual Farmers Market open the market each Saturday at 6 pm and close at Wednesday at 6 pm. This shopping window gives the customer time to plan their weekly meals, sort through the market offers and make purchases, while the farmer, and other vendors use Thursday and Friday to prep all orders for sorting and delivery as well as customer pick up each Saturday. We deliver from 12 noon to 4 pm each Saturday with pick up time from 12 noon to 2 pm




Getting to know the farmers that actually produce the food can be one benefit of physical farmers markets. However, at the NOCO Virtual market our vendors are in control of their own shops and can give a description of who they are and what makes them unique. NOCO Virtual Farmers Market is launching a larger, improved website in October where their vendors will be able to actually speak with the customer directly through video. Each vendor will have the opportunity to have a video on their store front where they can talk about their products and the customer will be able to ask questions directly with that vendor. Not a bad way to get to know your producer in today’s online world don’t you think?

Will this concept make traditional farmers markets obsolete? We don’t think so, but it certainly will give our customers more options, not only for the summer months, but through the fall, through the holiday season and well into winter and back around to spring and summer.

The win here is that this type of venue allows for farmers to sell their goods year round and gives buyers even more options than the traditional farmers markets. Is this the future of farmers markets? It is definitely part of our future as the virtual venue provider and we think it is the future of farmers, food producers, artisans and small businesses as they continue to seek ways to keep communities thriving and consumers healthy. This is a certainly a welcoming thought!

From farm to table produce, to home baked goodies, to artisan gifts, to online cooking classes, we at NOCO Virtual Farmers Market continue to seek out top vendors and high quality businesses to join our ever growing family.


If you know of a unique producer, farmer, or small business that could benefit by joining our platform, feel free to send them our way. Contact Candida directly at: candida@nocovirtualfarmersmarket.com or phone her at her direct line at: 908-625-2267, she and her daughter, owner of the market, Alexa Vasquez, are available to serve and help our vendors join and open their shops within our multi-vendor platform and we are also available to help our customers make purchases, answer questions or provide an extra service if they need it.

We are women owned and family run. We are eager to support the community. Check out our website: www.nocovirtualfarmersmarket.com and become a customer, or register as a vendor, enjoy the bounty of our season and stay tuned for all the goodies that we, as the market administrators, have in store for you!

Live, Love, Shop Local… for all Your Bear Necessities!

See you next week!

Sincerely,

Candida and Alexa