Since 2006, students at the University of Waterloo have collaborated with UW Food Services to bring the UW Farm Market to life, offering 100% local produce and other products sourced mainly from the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative. Held annually every September and October over four weeks, the Farm Market invites students, staff, faculty, and the public to enjoy the fresh harvests of local farms, including honey, preserves, and freshly baked goods from UW's Village Bakery.
The market not only provides convenient access to fresh, nutritious foods right on campus but also supports sustainability through initiatives like the "Bring Your Own Bag" program, encouraging visitors to reduce waste. For those without a bag, reusable UW Farm Market bags are available to ensure maximum reuse and minimal environmental impact. Inspired by local food initiatives like Foodlink Waterloo Region, the UW Farm Market is a proud champion of food localism and sustainable practices.
The Farm Market is a community event that celebrates the spirit of our Farm-to-Campus culture in Food Services. For those who work hard to make our market days successful and all who attend, we hope that there is a greater appreciation of the food grown and picked in our own "backyard" and the work to make this accessible to the entire campus community.
History
The UW Farm Market first began as a collaborative effort between Food Services and students in the UW School of Environment in 2006. The idea was first unearthed at a Food Systems focus group hosted by the Region of Waterloo, where one of the founding student leaders, Darcy Higgins came up with the idea of a campus market. UWFS Director Lee Elkas then brought the idea to life after meeting with members of the Mennonite community who operated the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative (EPAC).
In 2006, EPAC was a very small produce auction where local farmers would bring their freshly harvested produce to sell in an auction setting to retailers or vendors at wholesale for resale. Just two years prior, the co-op was formed when beef prices were depleted following the outbreak of "mad cow disease" in Canadian cattle herds. During this time, many Mennonite farmers had to make the switch from cattle farming to horticulture. Shortly after, they developed the co-op to sell their goods for a fair price, hiring the talented Auctioneer Bill Horst to be their voice. By 2014, the co-op was selling about two million dollars of food a year to local distributors and institutions, such as the University of Waterloo.
Today, our partnership with EPAC still stands, providing us with the local farm fresh goods we need to run our annual Farm Market and feed our students and staff. Making a comeback every year, the market is always a hit bringing in over 1,200 students, staff, and faculty members.
The process
It takes many passionate and committed staff and student volunteers to run the UW Farm Market. Each year our team operates the non-profit market while UW Food Services handles purchasing and the short-distance shipment from the produce auction to our Waterloo campus. Any remaining produce not sold at the market is repurposed back into our kitchens for use in our dining hall menus at student residences.