New Hampshire is making it easier for consumers to shop locally by opening up a new farm-to-market grocery store that will serve up fresh produce from farmers markets across the state.
The new store, which is being planned for a site near the south end of the town of Burlington, will serve produce from farms in the nearby towns of Greenville, Hocking and Monmouth.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the market is expected to generate about $25 million in new economic activity and create 150 jobs.
“With our goal to grow our food and craft food in a way that supports our economy and our community, this new retail location will allow consumers to discover local produce and grow their own food,” said New Hampshire Farm Bureau President John Moulton in a statement.
The new market will also include the sale of produce from local farmers markets, which have been around for years.
Farmers markets have become popular across the country as shoppers have increasingly become more aware of the benefits of fresh food and have become more willing to pay for it.
“In New Hampshire, you don’t get that same type of exposure when you shop at a store or a grocery store,” said Sarah Karp, the New York-based director of the New Jersey-based New Jersey Food Bank.
“Farmers market is an extension of our grocery store, so we want to be able to have it in New Hampshire,” Karp added.
“We want to make sure we have a place that people can go to when they’re hungry, when they need fresh produce and when they want to buy something from the farmers market.”
“We’re excited to be bringing our farmers market experience to the market that’s located in Burlington, which means we have the opportunity to be the first farmers market in the country,” said Peter Cimino, the executive director of Vermont-based Agro Market in Burlington.
“The market is being designed to give a place where people can get fresh, healthy food and fresh produce, and also provide a place for people to get the farm fresh produce that they need,” Ciminos said.
