Downtown Raleigh Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Jennifer Noble Kelly
Jennifer.noblekelly@gmail.com
919-368-4987



[Raleigh, NC – June 30, 2006] –

On Wednesday July 12th Raleigh’s newest farmers market, the Moore Square Farmers Market, will open for the 2006 summer season! “Our mission,” explained Advisory Committee member Sandi Kronick, co-owner of Eastern Carolina Organics, “is to bring the highest quality local growers and food artisans together for the Raleigh audience, and to support and preserve the family farms and the landscape that make North Carolina unique.”

The Moore Square Farmers Market will take place every Wednesday from 11am until 2pm under the oak trees in downtown Raleigh’s charming Moore Square Park (at the intersection of Blount and Martin Streets). Items for sale will include a huge variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables and plants from local growers, pasture raised meats from local farmers such as Coon Rock Farm, and a range of handmade items from local artisans, including breads from La Farm Bakery, cheeses from Chapel Hill Creamery, and ice cream from Lumpy’s.

Sponsored by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, this market is designed to serve the 30,000+ residents and employees in Raleigh’s downtown during their lunch hour. “We believe that a farmers market is a key component to a successful and vibrant community, so we’re thrilled to bring this to our increasingly lively downtown this year,” exclaimed President and CEO Nancy Hormann. As an added convenience, the market plans to have insulated bags available at the July 12th market, free to the first 50 shoppers.

Additionally, the Moore Square Farmers Market aims to serve the greater Raleigh area as well, thanks to its truly unique offering from local farms and artisans, and quality control guidelines that will ensure the highest standards possible, reflecting the trend in farmers markets across the nation. (Furthermore, ample parking is located behind City Market on Martin and Person, or across the street at the Moore Square Parking Deck for those driving into downtown.)

In reference to the quality control guidelines, Market Manager Sherri Harris explained, “Customers want and deserve to know where their food comes from, so we’ve organized our market around this premise. Farmers must either attend the market themselves, or send an employee of their farm who works with the products at least once a week; second-hand selling won’t be allowed.” By doing this, the goal is to give customers direct contact with the farmers and their staff enabling conversation about how their products were cultivated, what methods were used, and even best ways of storage and preparation. Also a critical component to the quality control guidelines, the Moore Square Farmers Market will showcase local farms only and each farm is required to reside within a 90 mile radius of the market, with the exception of select non-competitive items such as fruits from North Carolina’s mountains. “We don’t want to deprive Raleigh consumers of North Carolina apples just because they aren’t grown near Wake County, but we wouldn’t allow that same vendor to bring tomatoes to the market when our local growers have them. Essentially, if it’s grown, raised and produced in North Carolina, we’d love to consider it as an offering at our market, but we’ll give priority to local growers,” explained Harris.

Potential growers and artisans are invited to attend the upcoming meeting on July 6th at 3pm at the Raleigh Urban Design Center, located at 133 Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. For any who are interested in joining as a member but cannot attend, contact Sherri Harris at sherriharris@downtownraleigh.org or (919) 832-1231 to request an application.

The Moore Square Farmer’s Market is thrilled to bring Raleigh a new alternative for accessing and enjoying the freshest and highest quality local food straight from the growers and artisans themselves right here in the heart of Raleigh’s vibrant downtown.

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance would like to recognize NC Cooperative Extension for their assistance with the Moore Square Farmers Market http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/

For more information on getting around downtown visit www.godowntownraleigh.com