As of October 29th, we are a one-year-old endeavor! And we're aging well.
When we first got this idea, we had no idea what was in store for us.
We got inspired after a few people in the neighborhood told a few other people in the neighborhood that they would like to send their stuff to market without having to take their stuff market. So, after some brainstorming with friends I decided I'd give it a try. This was a great way to satisfy my craving to get back into the market scene and give something back to my community.
I called all the farmers that had expressed interest in selling goods at market. I said I'd pick up, sell and drop-off their goods, but they had to help cover costs and we would keep a portion of their sales to help cover time and labor. They said, "Great!".
After a few weeks of this, a few more farms got involved, and our spread grew. Then our customers started saying, "Hey, we have extra avos, greens, citrus too. Can we bring them to you to sell?" We said "Absolutely!" So we did. Slowly but surely, the booth continued to expand. Soon, there were 4-tiers of (somewhat precariously) stacked shelves and baskets filled to the brim with every color, shape and kind of tropical fruit you could imagine and even some you couldn't. After a few months, there were 2 of us behind the table weighing, pricing, describing, bagging and smiling.
Acai juice .................Bananas................................Champedak
Acerola cherry..........Basil.......................................Champejak
Akee..........................Beans.....................................Chayote
Allspice......................Black pepper vine................Chico sapote
Aloe............................Brazilian cherry....................Chives
Arugula.....................................................................Cilantro
Avocado..................................................................Coco frond weavings
Comfrey.....................Dicon...................................Galangal (thai ginger)
CSA shares...............Eggplant..............................Ginger
Cucumbers................Eggs.....................................Grapefruit
Curry leaf...................Fennel...................................Honey
Curry mix...................Fruit vinegar.........................Honey gift set
Jakfruit..........................Lemon balm......................Lilikoi
Jakfruit seed spread...Lemongrass.....................Limes
Jam...............................Lemons.............................Longan
Key lime.......................Lettuce
Mamey americana.......Oranges (Mandarin)........Peppers (hot)
Mamey sapote..............Oranges (navel)...............Peppers (Sweet)
Mint.................................Oranges (Valencia)........Pho soup mix
Mountain apple..............Papaya............................Pineapple (slips)
Muffins (ulu)....................Parsley............................Pineapple (white)
Muffins (mamey)...........Pepperoni vine................Pineapple (yellow)
Plantain..........................Rambutan........................Star apple
Plants (various).............Rollinia.............................Starfruit
Pummelo.......................Salad mix.........................Sunflower sprouts
Pumpkin........................Sourdough bread............Superfood mix
Puna Pissers................Soursop...........................Swiss chard
Purple sweet potatoe.. Squash
Tangelo..........................Tulsi (holy basil)..............Vanilla beans
Tangerines....................Turmeric..........................Vanilla orchid
Taro................................Turnips............................White sapote
Taro leaves....................Ulu...................................Yam
Tea mix..........................Ulu (baked)
Tomatoes
So....
Thank you to all our farmers! Worktraders! Volunteers! Harvesters! Customers! Market managers! Friends! Family! and especially....Da 'Aina! without which we could not have even begun.
Mahalo nui loa.
When we first got this idea, we had no idea what was in store for us.
We got inspired after a few people in the neighborhood told a few other people in the neighborhood that they would like to send their stuff to market without having to take their stuff market. So, after some brainstorming with friends I decided I'd give it a try. This was a great way to satisfy my craving to get back into the market scene and give something back to my community.
I called all the farmers that had expressed interest in selling goods at market. I said I'd pick up, sell and drop-off their goods, but they had to help cover costs and we would keep a portion of their sales to help cover time and labor. They said, "Great!".
After a few weeks of this, a few more farms got involved, and our spread grew. Then our customers started saying, "Hey, we have extra avos, greens, citrus too. Can we bring them to you to sell?" We said "Absolutely!" So we did. Slowly but surely, the booth continued to expand. Soon, there were 4-tiers of (somewhat precariously) stacked shelves and baskets filled to the brim with every color, shape and kind of tropical fruit you could imagine and even some you couldn't. After a few months, there were 2 of us behind the table weighing, pricing, describing, bagging and smiling. After exactly one year of this growth and collaboration, we have this to show for ourselves......
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- 32 different farms/farmers/gardeners/individuals represented through the Co-op
- 5,430 lbs fresh, local, natural food sold
- 2 farmers' markets where we share our bounty
- 101 different items marketed (fruits, veggies, spices, plants, etc)
- 3 mentions/interviews in local publications
- Hundreds of happy customers
- Endless potential!
~| TOP 15 FOODS for 2010-2011 |~
(by weight sold)
============================
(by weight sold)
============================
Avocado...653.35 lbs
Lilikoi...502.15 lbs
Rollinia...452.9 lbs
Oranges...437.95 lbs
Jakfruit...437.41 lbs
Ulu...292.5 lbs
Bananas...287.5 lbs
Papaya...284.75 lbs
Mamay Sapote...282 lbs
Tangerines...228.76 lbs
Champedak...213.92 lbs
Cacao...176.3 lbs
Taro...117.4 lbs
Turmeric...108.15 lbs
Abiu...101.56 lbs
~| Goods sold through the Co-op from Oct 2010 - Oct 2011 |~
Abiu...........................Bamboo containers..............CacaoAcai juice .................Bananas................................Champedak
Acerola cherry..........Basil.......................................Champejak
Akee..........................Beans.....................................Chayote
Allspice......................Black pepper vine................Chico sapote
Aloe............................Brazilian cherry....................Chives
Arugula.....................................................................Cilantro
Avocado..................................................................Coco frond weavings
Comfrey.....................Dicon...................................Galangal (thai ginger)
CSA shares...............Eggplant..............................Ginger
Cucumbers................Eggs.....................................Grapefruit
Curry leaf...................Fennel...................................Honey
Curry mix...................Fruit vinegar.........................Honey gift set
Jakfruit..........................Lemon balm......................Lilikoi
Jakfruit seed spread...Lemongrass.....................Limes
Jam...............................Lemons.............................Longan
Key lime.......................Lettuce
Mamey americana.......Oranges (Mandarin)........Peppers (hot)
Mamey sapote..............Oranges (navel)...............Peppers (Sweet)
Mint.................................Oranges (Valencia)........Pho soup mix
Mountain apple..............Papaya............................Pineapple (slips)
Muffins (ulu)....................Parsley............................Pineapple (white)
Muffins (mamey)...........Pepperoni vine................Pineapple (yellow)
Plantain..........................Rambutan........................Star apple
Plants (various).............Rollinia.............................Starfruit
Pummelo.......................Salad mix.........................Sunflower sprouts
Pumpkin........................Sourdough bread............Superfood mix
Puna Pissers................Soursop...........................Swiss chard
Purple sweet potatoe.. Squash
Tangelo..........................Tulsi (holy basil)..............Vanilla beans
Tangerines....................Turmeric..........................Vanilla orchid
Taro................................Turnips............................White sapote
Taro leaves....................Ulu...................................Yam
Tea mix..........................Ulu (baked)
Tomatoes
So....
Thank you to all our farmers! Worktraders! Volunteers! Harvesters! Customers! Market managers! Friends! Family! and especially....Da 'Aina! without which we could not have even begun.
Mahalo nui loa.
