Just 11 months after it launched with the hope of supporting the region's food producers, Wollongong's first online farmers market has closed due to financial pressures.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The not-for-profit food website launched as a partnership between Healthy Cities and Food Fairness Illawarra in March to connect Illawarra residents with producers at the click of a button.
The closure was announced on the market's Instagram account, with operators saying their 'hands are somewhat forced'.
"We are absolutely devastated to have had to close down," Food Fairness Illawarra and Healthy Cities Program Manager Berbel Franse said.
"We continue to be committed and passionate about supporting local foods.
Read more: Farmers market connects people to produce
"This current economic climate is quite a challenging climate to operate in for alternative forms of food supply because we don't have I guess the buffer that our bigger businesses do have.
"In particular for us as a new and upcoming initiative, we sure didn't have that buffer to sustain the drop in growth that we saw."
While the market's financial growth was tracking favourably in September last year, Ms Franse told The Mercury that they experienced challenges throughout the year.
"We saw some wild weather events, inflation, and the continual rise of interest rates that have really affected the growth and financial sustainability of the farmers market," she said.
Over 32 local producers within the Illawarra and surrounding areas sold their sustainable food through the website.
The market provided a click-and-collect version of a traditional farmers market to support producers and the local economy.
The shortened food supply chain also had the environmental benefit of reducing CO2 emissions.
"We are absolutely proud of what we created and it really warms our hearts for the support that we received from both the community and the producers during the time of the farmers market that we operated," Ms Franse said.
"In hindsight, I guess we are treating it like a pilot project"
Ms Franse highlighted that it was a challenging time for producers due to the cost of transport increasing as well as production costs.
She encouraged Illawarra residents to get behind local growers.
"We definitely urge anyone who has the possibility to either continue to support the local producers or to actually start supporting their local producers," she said.
"This is a time when they need it more than ever."
"If we don't support our local producers, and even local suppliers, like for example, the Flame Tree Co-op or the Kiama Farmers Market, if we don't support these initiatives, where are we left after this potential economic crisis?"
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
Marlene Even
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
