The Murwillumbah Farmers’ Market is a not-for-profit incorporated association which was incorporated in 2011 by a small local community group that saw a need to start a farmers’ market for local farmers to sell their produce to the local community.

What even is a “farmers’ market”? The Australian Farmers’ Market Association sets the following definition

“A Farmers’ Market is a predominantly fresh food market that operates regularly within a community, at a focal public location that provides a suitable environment for farmers and specialty food producers to sell farm-origin and associated value-added specialty foods for human consumption, and plant products, directly to customers”.

When the market first started it had just 11 stalls and we were wondering if a market would even survive let alone grow and thrive. Fast forward to today and our market has grown tremendously and now has just short of 50 local and dedicated farmers and producers coming along each and every week. 

From its creation, the market’s ethos, values and vision have been simple – to ensure that our local community has access to fresh, local and seasonal produce each and every week. And that is what we do. Our farmers and producers pride themselves on their produce – if they are farmers they grow the produce that you see and buy each week – if they are producers, they know where each ingredient comes from to make their product and it is as local and fresh as possible. The market will continue to live and breath these values so our future generations can too experience the joy of eating fresh, local and seasonal food. 

Something that was not intended when our market was created was the strong sense of community. Set in the beautiful Murwillumbah Showground, our market has become a weekly community hub where everyone can enjoy the stunning backdrop of our mountain, Wollumbin, listen to local musicians and connect with one another. For many in our community, the market has become a way of life and a family that we are all so truly grateful to be a part of. 

The Market is run by a Management Committee, which comprises of a small group of nominated stallholders, our Committee Members. These Committee Members make decisions relating to the market for example approving new stallholder applications. The day-to-day management of the Market is carried out by the Market Manager and on-the-day support by the Market Assistant Team.