Boyanup & Districts Farmers Market
After 6 years in operation, the Boyanup & Districts Farmer’s Market is a huge success, providing a venue for the consumer who wants to know where their food comes from, how it is produced and how fresh it is. For the producer, it presents an opportunity to meet the consumer, learn more about their needs, test market new products on a small scale and to eliminate the middle man. Each market has a wonderful range of quality products including seasonal fruits and vegetables; gourmet foods such as french pastries, olive products, cheeses, eggs, lettuce, pecans, macadamias; preserves such as honey, jams, relishes, sauces and pickles; a choice of plants from natives, herbs through to cottage garden plants arts and crafts and much much more.

History

Boyanup and Districts Farmers Market: How it All Began

Some seven years ago, in the heart of winter, a group of freezing farmers attended a breakfast and workshop in the small town of Boyanup, just 20 minutes drive from the regional city of Bunbury. These brave people had assembled because of a common interest in preserving the rural aspect of the Boyanup area and in exploring other means of marketing their produce.

Liz Kerr, Community Development Co-ordinator attached to the Capel Shire Council at the time, had recently completed an Eastern States tour sponsored by the local shires, looking at innovations in rural communities. During this tour, Liz saw a number of extremely successful farmers’ markets operating and felt that Boyanup, given its position on the South Western Highway, could benefit from a similar enterprise.

On her return, Liz invited Jane Adams, considered to be the Australian expert in farmers markets, to Boyanup to address interested farmers and community people at this first chilly meeting.

From this beginning, a working group was set up from those in attendance at this meeting. Subsequently eighteen months were spent researching, planning, seeking funding for and organising the Boyanup and Districts Farmers Market, and the inaugural market was held in November 2003.

On this day, the market bell rang to salute the beginning of trading at 8 am and by 10 am several of the stalls had completely sold out of produce. An auspicious beginning indeed!!

The working group was thrilled by the large crowd that attended this first market- not only did this confirm their conviction that people were wanting to buy locally grown fresh produce, but also the fact that at the markets, shopping was a social experience, with people able to actually enjoy catching up with friends and neighbours without being attacked by wayward trolleys.

Since this beginning the Boyanup and District Farmers’ Markets has definitely grown in stature and size and now proudly boast a devoted clientele that attends every market and a regular group of producers who enjoy the constant contact and feedback from their customers.

Both groups enjoy proving that “fresh is best!”

The aims and terms and conditions of the Boyanup & Districts Farmers Market are outlined in our Market Charter

Our Supporters

We would like to acknowledge the support from the following organisations which have helped to make the Market the thriving concern it is today.

We would also like to acknowledge the help and support of Geoff Finlay, IT Advisor for Connect South West - Portal Administrator for www.mysouthwest.com.au