Oct 15, 2024
By Rick McNary
The Caldwell Market of Farms will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Caldwell Community Center, 119 E. First Ave.
“A Market of Farms is different than a Farmers Market for two reasons,” says Kylee Stout, business development director for Shop Kansas Farms. “First, our vendors are not just local, they are statewide and we’ll also have vendors from Oklahoma. Second, our Shop Kansas Farms fans (and buyers) are not just local, they come from all over the state and region. There are people who come from all over Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.”
The first Caldwell Market of Farms was a huge success,” says Jill Keuhny, CEO of KanOkla. “Our farm, Native Grass Beef, had a booth there and did extremely well as did all the other vendors. The businesses in downtown Caldwell were busy with an influx of customers, too. The Market of Farms is a destination marketing and tourism opportunity for our city.”
Vendors who choose the Market of Farms often do so to increase their customer base from just local to branch out statewide and even nationally. Shop Kansas Farms exposes their businesses in new ways to their 168,000-plus followers on Facebook who will see their advertising, plus the Shop Kansas Farms e-newsletter has an open rate of more than 45 percent.
For consumers considering attending the Market of Farms, they meet the people in person who advertise in our group. We consistently hear the sentiment, “I was so happy to finally meet the people I’ve seen advertise on Shop Kansas Farms.” We help you buy directly from the people who grow your food.
“A new, exciting thing we’re doing this time is a sourdough presentation,” Stout says.
“Sourdough has become a popular trend on social media and people are curious to learn how to get their own yeast started, how to feed the yeast and turn that into a delicious baked product. Alisha Nisley, owner of Sweet and Sourdough from Hutchinson, will offer her knowledge through a demonstration at 11 a.m. at the Market of Farms.”
Stout is excited for the opportunity for people to learn from a young entrepreneur like Nisley and be inspired to make their own sourdough starter at home. Plus, it’s always great when we can provide our Shop Kansas Farms vendors with a platform to showcase their products and gain more customers.
If you are a vendor who would like to sign up, or if you would like to volunteer to help load vendors on Friday night or help with various tasks on Saturday, go here.
Plus, if you volunteer, you’ll get a free T-shirt!