This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from Leslie Morrell of Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market.

THE FREDERICTON BOYCE FARMERS MARKET WAS FOUNDED IN 1951, MAKING THIS YEAR OUR 70TH ANNIVERSARY. OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE RECEIVED RECOGNITION FROM VARIOUS NATIONAL MAGAZINES SUCH AS HARROWSMITH AND CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER, AS WELL AS FOOD NETWORK CANADA, TRIP ADVISOR AND OTHERS AS ONE OF THE BEST MARKETS IN THE COUNTRY.

We have always set the bar high, keeping things fresh with a diverse mix of about 200 unique food and craft vendors (up to last march) and an on-site restaurant. Feedback from locals and visitors alike often mentions the welcoming vibe people experience here, and that socializing is as important as purchasing. Customers can select from delicacies from the world over, from Chinese buns to Lebanese stuffed grape leaves and our famous samosas, as well as fresh produce, baked goods, crafts, cheese and more. It’s a reflection of who we are, a showcase of Fredericton as an increasingly diverse city.

Over the years many small businesses had their beginning at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market and have gone on to build stand-alone premises and grow into thriving full-time enterprises. We are really proud of Red Rover Cider as an example of this. Owners Adam and Nicola began their business with a stall at our market in 2014, and since then have been internationally recognized for their stellar products. Recently more vendors have branched out, including Jenna’s Nut Free Dessertery, Chef Ricks Catering & Specialty Foods, and Milda’s Pizza. Often these businesses keep their stall with us in addition to their expanded business, and we are so proud to be a part of their success.

The very fabric of the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market is community. Our vendors are community members, from Fredericton and from surrounding communities up and down the Wolastoq (Saint John River). Our customer base has a high percentage of locals who visit for specific products, and who bring their friends and family to the market as a highlight of their time together.

Vendors at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market make a difference in our community in so many ways. They provide income and employment to not only our local farmers, producers and artists but in many cases employees and their own suppliers. They are neighbours and friends, and the very soul of our market.