San Francisco — Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, booths pop up around San Francisco's Ferry Building as part of Foodwise's Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Foodwise is an education-based nonprofit that helps people connect with farmers and food manufacturers, learn about local, seasonal food, and build a sense of community.
Saturday is the market's busiest day, with more than 100 vendors sharing their wares with the Bay Area. Foodwise is an essential resource for both existing and future businesses.
“In the past year, our hot sauce has landed in nine countries and expanded to 24 states,” says Chef Sarah Germany, owner of her eponymous Oakland-based hot sauce company. spoke.
The organization's Building Equity program provides business development resources and opportunities to BIPOC early-stage food entrepreneurs. “We actually pay for their permit fees and help them with technical assistance, marketing, promotion, etc. This allows them to take the risk of starting a business and testing a product before committing to something fully. will be lower,” Deven Okri said. Foodwise Operations Coordinator.
Sierra Young, owner of Mangosay, spoke about the exposure Foodwise provides. “It started with me being here at the farmers market and now I've started building connections with people who saw me on the Foodwise website or saw me at the Foodwise Summer Bash. It's just… It opened up a lot of opportunities outside of the farmers market.”
This organization and its programs not only open doors for business, but also create meaningful connections for all involved with each other.
“These people are more than friends, they're family at this point,” Okri said.
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is open seven days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Foodwise also hosts the Mission Community Market at Bartlett Street and 22nd Street in San Francisco. Its market is open on Thursdays in March and November from 3pm to 7pm
Learn more about programs and resources.
