City Farmers’ Market sets stalls online
The popular Stirling Farmers’ Market is making the move online to help producers and customers during the pandemic.
Stirling Farmers’ Market, which has been running in the city’s Port Street for two decades, was forced to take a break following the lockdown measures, leaving regular traders and customers unsure about how to access local produce.
But the event’s organisers have now teamed up with the Great British Food Hub online platform to provide a digital market for traders to sell their products, which can then be collected from a drop-off point.
Fi Roberts from the market told the Observer: “People can sign up to the Great British Food Hub website and then find the Stirling Farmers’ Market online and they’ll be able to find some of our local traders on there.
“It’s being operated like a click and collect service and the market will go live every Tuesday, with visitors able to order until Sunday evenings.
“We’re then running a collection point from the Dunblane Centre every Tuesday afternoon and we will also run some limited home deliveries on Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings.
“It’s not a new idea, but it’s new to us and we hope we’ve got our heads around it because it can really help to tie the local community with the trusted traders that they have always enjoyed buying from.
“We’ve got about 16 traders signed up at the moment, but fingers crossed that number will continue to grow.
“It’s wonderful to do something to support the producers who make up the market, a lot of whom are like ourselves in terms of having a fear of the unknown and prefer getting their boots muddy than dealing with computers and emails.”
Traders involved in the scheme currently are: Arran Cheese Shop/John Muir Country Store, Arbroath Fisheries, Bakery Andante, Simply Flo, Cauldwells Veggies, Nini’s Pastries, Ochil Fudge Pantry, Soap Matters, Woodmill Game, Unorthodox Roasters, Duncan Family Farms, Puddledub, Caledonian Cola Co. and Hawkhead Whisky Smoked.
The collections will operate from the Dunblane Centre between 4pm and 6pm every Tuesday, while home delivery is available in Dunblane, Doune and Callander.
The first market went live yesterday, with the first set of collections arranged for next week.