You can sell a variety of items in a well coordinated farmers market. You don’t have to be a farmer to sell at a farmers’ market.
There are lots of ways that you can connect with the community while earning a profit. Below are top 10 items you can sell in your neighborhood farmers market;
Best Items to Sell in a Farmer’s Market
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Fresh Animal Products
It’s quite an easy process to raise chicken, rabbits, and other small livestock at home. With patience and protective equipment, beekeeping is realistic too.
The most popular small-farm animal product is the trusty chicken egg. Comfortable fowl should produce one egg per bird, per day, allowing for an off day here and there.
Busy as they are, bees take longer to produce usable quantities of honey, but even a modest operation can throw off a few jars to supplement your income. Rabbits are only good for their meat and lawn-mowing abilities.
True to form, they reproduce fast enough to keep regular customers happy, though your small backyard operation won’t supply enough meat to support a market stall on its own.
If you enjoy and love baking, there are endless possibilities and a whole lot of money-making potential at your local farmers’ market.
Bake your homemade cookies, cakes, pies, scones, and cinnamon rolls and sell them to customers during your free time.
Again, you can think outside of the box to boost your profit potential by selling unique items such as dog treats or treats for customers with special dietary needs (i.e. vegan or gluten-free).
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Homemade Food Products
Note that licensing requirements vary by state and locality, but you can probably sell reasonable quantities of homemade value-added food products without getting bogged down in red tape.
The sky’s the limit here: salsas, hot sauces, mustards, other condiments, pickles, seasonings, juices, teas, other nonalcoholic drinks, and a whole lot more.
In every season, people spruce up their homes inside and out with colorful flowers, outdoor plants, and houseplants.
From flower baskets that add a touch of color to your front porch to common and unique species of plants, many customers bypass big-box home improvement stores and instead purchase from local growers.
In this niche, you don’t even have to wait to have fully grown plants and flowers. Some shoppers may prefer to buy seedlings that they can plant and grow themselves. Succulents and herbs are also popular options to consider.
If you grow roses, tulips, lilies, or other beautiful flowers, you can also create unique arrangements that shoppers may snap up for weddings, prom, Valentine’s Day, or even “just because.”
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Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
The possibilities here are endless, at least insofar as your tillable square footage and local growing conditions support.
Fresh vegetables popular with farmers’ market patrons include cooking greens, salad greens, radishes, carrots, summer squash, cruciferous vegetables, chives, and much more.
Popular fruits include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, apples, pears, peaches, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and rhubarb (technically a vegetable, but it’s really only edible in fruity jams). Climate permitting, citrus fruits, figs, dates, and more exotic produce work too.
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Arts & Crafts
Whether you’re a professional or just an amateur artist, locally-made arts and crafts are big sellers at farmers’ markets.
No matter what type of art you make, a farmers’ market is the perfect platform for selling your creations.
Paintings, drawings, embroidered items, crocheted blankets, hand-painted t-shirts, pottery, wood carvings, sculptures, and homemade greeting cards are just a few of the arts and crafts you can peddle at your local farmers’ market.
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Honey
As a beekeeper, you can cash in on the benefits of your (and your bees’) hard work by selling your delicious honey at the farmers’ market.
Customers can purchase high-quality honey for use as a natural sweetener, but there are also additional benefits of eating local honey.
Local raw honey is often marketed as a natural home remedy used to help with seasonal allergies, to soothe sore throats, kill bacteria, or even help you get a good night’s sleep.
Do not also overlook the value of pollen granules. These tiny pellets contain a mixture of nectar, saliva, and pollen and are rising in popularity due to their perceived health benefits.
Pollen granules are used for treating inflammation, strengthening the immune system, reducing stress, and other ailments.
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Preserved or Durable Produce
Preserving fruits and vegetables is way easier than you think (For instance, it’s easier than brewing your own beer at home.)
Or, sell durable produce that preserves itself over reasonable time frames: potatoes, gourds, turnips, rutabaga, and other root vegetables.
In colder climates, these come in handy at markets that remain open through the winter holidays.
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Soap & Skincare Products
With the growing implications of chemicals, more and more people are stepping away from these potentially harmful ingredients and going a more natural route.
If you’ve created the perfect recipe for homemade soaps, lotions, or other skincare products, set up a display at your local farmers’ market to peddle your natural concoctions.
As more people move to natural products, the farmers’ market in your area gives you the perfect platform for selling your goods.
There are lots of opportunities in this space, from creating your own natural (and great smelling!) bug repellent to homemade sugar scrubs and natural deodorants.
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Beverages and Prepared Foods
If you make your own local wine or mead, brew your own craft beers, make a mean cup of hot apple cider, or even have access to any of these, selling beverages can help draw in customers.
Your booth or display can serve as a showcase for your homemade brews, or you can sell beverages in addition to other products.
Many people that frequent farmers’ markets are looking for products that are unique and can’t be found in the local grocery store, so think outside the box.
Flavored lemonades made with freshly squeezed lemons and natural flavorings, kombucha, and other tasty beverages can be sold by the glass, bottle, or jug.
Also, spending a long time at the farmers’ market can leave shoppers feeling famished. Why force hungry customers to drive to restaurants when you can bring the food right to them?
If you operate a food truck, consider bringing your tasty fare to the farmers’ market. If you have openings in your schedule, a partnership with a local farmers’ market can fill your weekends with customers and the profits they bring with them.
Conclusion
Selling in a farmers’ market might seem very easy, but frankly there is quite a bit of work that goes into planning, prepping, and selling your products.
While it may take a lot of hard work and expense to sell your products and make a profit, there are many benefits to peddling your goods at farmers’ markets, including low costs, more personalized interaction with your customers, and creative freedom.
For some farmers’ market vendors, running a stall for a few hours per week is a modest income-producing hobby.
If you have a knack for turning fresh produce into something more, or enough land to supply a thriving market garden, or any other talent or resources suitable for public consumption, your local farmers’ market could be your ticket to a profitable side business – or a full-time enterprise.