Connections Between Local Farm Producers & Customers Growing with new Market Model

REKO expanding to Bowmanville, Brighton & Belleville…quasi-REKO market model already in Campbellford

Article & Images by Valerie MacDonald News Now Network

Not only has the success of Finnish marketing system – REKO – which connects food producers directly with customers taken root in Cobourg, it has lead to the creation of similar small-scale producer/customer connections in Brighton, Bowmanville and Belleville says local REKO project founder Nadia Simard.

The Gores Landing market gardener says the weekly market that started last spring connecting farmers, bakers and foragers who list their wares on a Facebook page that customers can join and place orders for, was reduced to a monthly market during the winter but will soon be operating “more frequently.”

People have been picking up farm-fresh items such as baked goods, chicken, beef, eggs, honey and maple syrup and other foods for the past year in the ReStore parking lot on Division Street in Cobourg.

As the weather warms, produce like rhubarb, asparagus, lettuce and other early items will become available, Simard said.

It’s free!

To take part, simply join theNorthumberland REKO network… Campbellford is included further down in the article (https://m.facebook.com/groups/277293862973466?ref=share).

The Facebook membership-only REKO pilot in Cobourg has now grown into three new groups, she said. They are:

Brighton: https://www.facebook.com/groups/675088852944695/?ref=share

Bowmanville: https://www.facebook.com/groups/817807485361109/?ref=share

And Belleville: https://www.facebook.com/groups/606222933531798/?ref=share

Requirements of social distancing are leading to pre-organizing orders and payments with vendors packaging and delivering their wares at two-metre intervals from vehicles and/or their tables while clients wait their turn in their cars before picking up individual orders, Simard said.

The local health unit has approved this, she also said.

The versatility of the REKO system appears to be the right one for this challenging time.

Here are some of the benefits of the REKO system Simard provided:

1. It can be used by any group of farmers – whether they are already a “market” or whether they just want to work together. They form a REKO and name it.

2. They use a Facebook page as the co-marketing tool (help is available to set up your page). They post what they have to sell at the right time for them and their produce.

3. Customers place orders in the way that the farm has requested.

4. Farms pack their own orders at the farm, and accept payment however they want.

5. The REKO members set a date, time and place for a “pickup”. It can be weekly or bi-weekly – whatever the farmers want.

6. Customers order from as many of the farms in the REKO as they want.

7. Customers arrive at the REKO pickup point at an appointed timeframe (usually 1-2 hours, but can be determined by the REKO) and pick up their pre-packed orders from all of the farms they ordered from at the same time (using social distancing and other safeguards that have been approved by Public Health in Northumberland to date.

8. Customers leave with their orders and order again next time if desired. Customers can follow multiple REKOs if they want.

Campbellford Farmers’ Market

Editor’s Note re: Campbellford Farmers’ Market (notice on their Facebook page posted April 6, 2020 about their REKO system and more)

Due to various circumstances we will be making a few changes to the market this year. The Municipality of Trent Hills has required that we shift from our current location. We will now be located just around the corner in the section of Saskatoon Avenue between the old fire hall and Trent Hills Martial Arts.

We will also be changing the format of the market. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 we will be making a temporary switch to a REKO style market.

This means that customers can pre order products from each vendor through the REKO Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1257131714478761.

Pick up will be on Saturday mornings between 10 am and 11 am. As it is preorders only, no extra products will be sold on site.