goMarket

The triangle has dozens of programs that train new people how to grow food. The problem is that few beginning farmers can find a spot at the local farmers' market. goMarket is a virtual coop/online farmers' market that fills this need because it can host a virtually unlimited number of farmers. goMarket is built on the same software that helped our founder make his first sales as a farmer in Athens, GA, where a hundred farms collectively sell around $10,000 a week through this online tool.

In addition to helping beginning farmers, goMarket will make a special effort to help low-income, urban gardeners. In short, goMarket is the tool that will help YOU finance a food system revolution.

To stay up to date with the project, Follow us on Twitter @goMarketNC or 'Like' us at facebook.com/goMarketNC

The strength of goMarket is that it is a people driven project. With super-low overhead more than 85% of sales go to farmers who are able to reach more customers more easily than any other marketing strategy. A team of volunteers get a discount on produce when they help pack orders during the once-a-week pick-up day.

We've already taken a few steps to get licensing taken care of with the city. The next steps will be buying shelving and equipment that help us organize the farmers' wares at our drop-off location. We also need to be able to pay rent. In addition, we need money to run a markeing campaign that will help our farmers build a customer base.

This one-time fundraiser will be a huge boost to the market, allowing our team to work on the market full-time while we get up and running. Once up and running, the 15% commission and an annual membership fee will allow goMarket to hire a market manager and function as a self-sufficient enterprise.

goMarket's founder, Eric Bowen, has been farming and studying agroecology since 2006. He worked on his first organic farm to fulfill his internship requirement for his B.S. in Natural Resources at NC State University. He spent years learning how to grow food only to find out that the marketplace, not nature, decides what farms stay in business. Here at goMarket, our goal is to make it easier for farmers and gardeners to get started. Less than 25% of applications are accepted at many local farmers' markets and we think those growers deserve to make a living!

Times are especially ripe for urban food production in Durham. The city of Durham looks ready to pass a new ordinance that will allow commercial vegetable production within the city limits. New urban gardens are sure to start popping up and they will need a marketing outlet that is can flex to these producers' unique needs. At the same time, growing numbers of consumers are hungry to make a difference and support their neighbors, but traditional farmers' markets don't fit with their schedule. That's why we're here: to connect the dots between new producers (particularly those living on low-income), and all consumers that want healthy food that fits with their schedule.