/24-7PressRelease/ - ROCKPORT, ME, July 05, 2008 - In a unanimous decision, the Rockport Planning Board approved construction of a three-building complex at the intersection of Route 90 and Cross Street by Camden residents Peter Christie and Teri Thompson. Located in a five-acre field formerly part of the Erickson farm owned by Marieta Wheaton, the project, called Farmers Fare, will combine a retail market and small cafe specializing in Maine-grown food with a small "model farm" to help supply the market. Year-round educational programming will be a feature of the project, which will include a 4,000 sq. ft. marketplace, a livestock barn and a half-acre garden complex with storage building and attached greenhouse. Educational events, including tastings and cooking displays, will take place in a projected conference room on the second floor of the marketplace as well as on a sunny lawn surrounded by a grape arbor, and both indoor and outdoor play areas will make the market especially child-friendly.
Developing the store and the network of local farmers supplying it is the job of Sarah Greer of Camden, who brings years of experience as a part-owner of the Market Basket to the job. "This is a great chance for me to continue developing the relationships with local farms that began at The Market Basket," says Greer. "I am thrilled to be in a project that can bring so much support to small producers of traditional and unique foods. In the past, these producers have had to do it all—plant, harvest, and then bundle everything up in their truck and sit at a farmer's market trying to sell it. We're all for farmer's markets, but not every grower has the time, or even the opportunity, to participate in them. Farmers Fare will help connect local producers to consumers—and at the same time show the public all of the 'faces behind the food' in this part of the world." Not to be overlooked, she says, are the straight dollars-and-cents benefits of promoting local foods. "The state has a study showing that every 1% shift to local food spending by Maine consumers would result in a 5% gain in Maine's farm income," she notes, "so imagine if as a state we changed our spending habits by 20%!"
Part of the site review process included a landscape design by former Merryspring director Kerry Hardy. The centerpiece of the plan is a heritage orchard that preserves heirloom fruit tree varieties and promotes the idea of edible landscaping. "We hired Heron Breen of FEDCO as a consulting arborist in the project," says Hardy. "He pointed out that many of the old apple and pear varieties can achieve canopy tree size at maturity, which enabled us to meet Rockport's ordinance while still allowing us to showcase some great heirloom fruits, including highbush blueberries, rhubarb, and beach plums. We look forward to local school groups coming here for berry picking or cider pressing," Hardy added.
This is exactly the kind of ripple effect the project's owners hope for, according to Teri Thompson. "The ultimate goal of Farmers Fare is to build community. This area has so many hard-working, talented people—farmers, cheesemakers, even the carpenters who build the building—and Peter and I feel lucky to be able to bring them all together," she says. "The day will come—in fact I think it's already here—when we'll all be forced to take a hard look at where our food comes from, and where our money goes when we buy it. I can't think of a better way to help the local economy than by supporting local food production, and keeping our food dollars close to home."
The project will develop gradually, Thompson says. "We're going to do this one building at a time. We hope the site develops into a 'destination' project that brings many different user groups together, so we can all learn from each other." She encourages anyone wishing to learn more about the project to visit their website at http://www.farmersfaremaine.com.
ABOUT FARMERS FARE - Farmers Fare is a new collaborative venture showcasing locally-grown Maine foods through retail, wholesale and online outlets. Located in Rockport, Maine, the company has begun the construction process, with retail operations planned for Spring 2009. For inquiries, contact Teri Thompson at (207) 701-9911 or visit the project's website at http://www.farmersfaremaine.com
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- camden, fare, farmers, fedco, food, heirloom, local, maine, market, online, orchard, organic, retail, rockport
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