In 2022, there were 28 BCAFM member farmers’ markets operating during the core summer season on Vancouver Island, Gulf Island, and the Sunshine Coast.
Hatch + Hype is an entrepreneurial strategy that builds on the success of a 2020-2021 pilot project that launched in 13 markets in the Kootenays and Columbia Basin.
The project is a way to help increase the sale of B.C and regional farm and food products while increasing the market share of direct sales. Farmers’ markets are integral training grounds for thousands of local and regional small-scale businesses, and Hatch + Hype will help markets better “own” their vital roles as direct sales channels and make it easier to attract new vendors.
As part of the strategy, a cohesive and dynamic brand will be created that highlights what is new and local and allow products to be easily recognized, increasing loyalty and engagement. A branded booth space at the markets will also be available for existing and new vendors to display their products, if they choose. The project will also target minority groups that may face disproportionate barriers along the pathway to become food product entrepreneurs.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2022 through the Capital and Innovation program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.
