Tent Talk

This week we welcomed Anastasia Plakias as our Tent Talk guest! Anastasia is Co-Founder and Vice President of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm ; Co-Founder of City Growers ; and author of The Farm on the Roof: What Brooklyn Grange Taught Us about Entrepreneurship, Community, and Growing a Sustainable Business . As a native New Yorker she is dedicated to making the city that raised her a greener and mo...

Our Tent Talk podcast guest this week is Ben Grimes from Dawnbreaker Farms in North Carolina. Dawnbreaker Farms specializes in pasture-raised, non-GMO chickens, forest raised pigs, Thanksgiving turkeys and grass-fed lamb. In our interview Ben shares his techniques for selling meat at the farmers market, tips on retaining customers and increasing sales, and his passion for informing people about th...

On this week's episode our guest is Marcy Coburn, CEO of Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture in San Francisco. CUESA operates five weekly markets in the Bay Area which have been a proving ground for many incredible food makers. In our conversation with Marcy, we talk about diversifying farmers market communities, the importance of food education, and what it's like to be a bel...

This week our guest is Amber Holland, operations director for Portland Farmers Markets. In our interview we discuss PFM's efforts to reduce waste at farmers markets, the challenges of placing vendors when your market becomes a construction zone, and Amber's passion for creating inclusive community gathering spaces for Portland residents and visitors. Listen along for some great ideas on how to mak...

On this week's episode we interviewed two of the most devoted farmers market shoppers we know: Tiffany and Terence Cooke (AKA @cookesinthekitchen )! Listen along to hear about the perks of making friends with your local farmers market vendors, the keys to a successful weekly meal planning process, and how they capture their delicious homemade creations in photos.

Our guest this week is Ben Feldman, the Policy Director for the national Farmers Market Coalition, which is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets across the United States. Ben tells us about his passion for farmers markets, gives us an update on current Farmers Market Coalition projects, and clues us in on important food system issues. In this episode we get a little nerdy and div...

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, we answered another round of questions we received from our listeners. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that farmers market managers face. Listen along for tips on curating your market, giving prospective vendors constructive criticism, marketing on a budget, and what to do about tardy vendors.

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with Mike Reidy, Chef De Cuisine at Ironside Fish & Oyster in Little Italy, San Diego. In our interview, Chef Mike gushed about his love for farmers markets, he clued us in on a day in the life of a busy chef, and explained how chefs can make connections with local farmers.

On this episode we spoke with Jennifer and Eric Halverson of JenEric Foods . Jennifer and Eric make jun (rhymes with fun!) kombucha and sell their delicious beverages at farmers markets in Southern California. In our conversation, Jennifer and Eric told us about what makes their kombucha special, how they turned their love of food and drink into a business, and what it's like to work with their sp...

This week's Tent Talk guest is Kelli Diann Billips, the Operations Manager and Media Coordinator for the Seattle Farmers Market Association . SFMA operates the Wallingford and  Madrona  markets, as well as the  Ballard  Sunday market, which is the largest farmers market in Washington State! In this episode, we chat with Kelli Diann about how to promote your farmers market, maintaining an interest...

Our guest this week is Sarah Marshall, creator, owner, and producer of Marshall's Haute Sauce , author of Preservation Pantry: Modern Canning From Root To Top & Stem To Core , and vendor at the Portland State University Farmers Markets. In our conversation Sarah shares about her background in canning and preservation, how she found her place at the farmers market, and where she gets inspiration fo...

Our Tent Talk guest this week is Neal Gottlieb, founding twin and CEO of Three Twins Ice Cream . Neal shared with us the story behind his ice cream empire, the value of staying in farmers markets while also operating brick & mortar locations, and how giving back is part of the Three Twins brand. In this episode you'll learn about what it takes to scale a product from farmers market to national gro...

For this week's episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Brent Preston of The New Farm . Brent is a farmer and the author of The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution . He told us about his experience finding his true calling in life and how he was able to build an organic farm that is environmentally and financially sustainable. In this episode we also tackle...

This week's guest is Alli Ball, creator of Retail Ready and Allison Ball Consulting . Alli teaches classes and provides one-on-one consulting for all types of food businesses. On this episode Alli shares her tips for breaking into the retail scene, ways for food makers to find the voice of their brand, and how to have a rockin' display at the farmers market. If you're a farmers market vendor curio...

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, instead of interviewing a farmers market expert, we made good use of our own expertise and answered some tricky farmers market questions we received from vendors. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that vendors face. Listen along for tips on differentiating your product from other vendors', solidifying your prices, find...

For this week's episode we were joined by  Forrest Pritchard of Smith Meadows Farm and author of Gaining Ground, A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm . Forrest is a sustainable farmer and   New York Times  bestselling author. Forrest told us the story of saving his family's farm, explained the impact of farmers markets on farm profitability, and shared how he's able t...

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, our guest is Kelly Foss, Director of the Downtown Farmers' Market in Des Moines, Iowa. Kelly shared with us her strategy for slowly but surely growing her market from about 40 vendors to nearly 300! We also learned about her new role at the Farmers Market Coalition and what they've got planned for the 2018 National Farmers Market Week . This episode contains so...

For Episode 5 we had the chance to sit down with Nick Burton from Paris, Texas. Nick is owner of Victory Gardens Farm and Victory Lunch Club , and founder of State of the Soil . He's also the creative director for Bootstrap Farmer and co-hosts a podcast called Bootstrap Farmer Radio . In this episode you'll hear Nick's perspective on selling value added products and the benefits of having your own...

In this week's episode we chat with Chris Quinlan, the market manager of the Whistler Farmers Market in British Columbia. Chris gave us the run down on how he manages a busy farmers market in a location where the growing season for produce is short. He also sheds light on the pain points of market managing that led him to launch the software company  MarketWurks . Chris inspired us to think of tec...

For our third episode of Tent Talk, we sat down with Maya Madsen of Maya's Cookies . Maya sells delicious vegan cookies at 3 weekly farmers markets in San Diego. She told us the story behind her award winning cookies  and shared tips on how to stay on top of perishable inventory and hungry employees. In this episode you'll receive tips on keeping detailed records (of everything!), charting your fa...

On episode 2 of Tent Talk Charlotte Smith, of 3 Cow Marketing and Champoeg Creamery , tells her story about how she built a successful dairy farm and ended up becoming a small business marketing guru. She shares tips on developing loyal customers through email newsletters, social media, and face to face interaction. What's her secret to success? It's all about relationships!

This is the intro episode of your new favorite farmers market podcast! In the first episode of Tent Talk hosts Brijet Myers, Justine Marzoni-Mead, and Catt Fields White explain how they came to be a part of the farmers market world and why they stayed. Learn about what makes farmers markets special. 

Tent Talk is a podcast for farmers market managers, farmers, food makers, and anyone who counts on farmers markets as a source of income.  Please join us as we interview farmers market experts, talk about ways to improve local food communities, and provide you with tips on building a successful farmers market business.