Valparaiso, IN, home of the late Orville Redenbacher, is the sort of all-American town that are the bedrock of the home-grown food, crafts and the farmers market movement.
Valparaiso Farmers Market is a traditional farmers market in a classic, midwestern town perched between the edge of rural farmlands and the industrial region of Chicago. Established in 1976, the market serves a population of 34,000 with 50 to 60 vendors and runs twice a week between June and October with an online winter marketplace. The market was recently acquired by the Valparaiso Town Parks and Recreation Department.
A USER-FRIENDLY AND QUICK TO IMPLEMENT ONLINE FARMERS MARKET SOLUTION
So, when Valparaiso Parks and Recreation acquired the market in November of 2021, they knew they weren’t looking to make big changes but to improve on what was already there.
The first order of business was cutting out the middlemen. The software program the market was using required the town to cut checks for vendor sales. The town didn’t want the extra paperwork and the vendors didn’t like waiting for their money. But a new software program had to be user-friendly for vendors and customers alike. Plus, it needed to be up and running ASAP to capture winter sales, with accessible tech support for any questions.
Read the full Valparaiso Farmers Market Case Study.