Over here at the market we are so incredibly thrilled to announce that the market is the 2023 Trophy Winner of the Delicious and Harvey Norman Produce Awards – winning in the category of “Outstanding Farmers’ Market (Australia) – Readers’ Choice Award”. This is a prestigious nationwide award in the industry that we are privileged to receive.
First and foremost, a massive thank you to everyone who has contributed to the market since it’s creation – the farmers and producers, the behind the scenes people that make this market happen each and every week, the local Murwillumbah community and, of course, everyone who voted for us. There are also a number of people that we would also like to personally thank for their contribution to our market over the years:
- The market’s current and previous Management Committee’s – these farmers and producers volunteer their time to represent, advocate for and make decisions for the good of our market. Our current committee comprises of Jodie Viccars, Ryan Bruin, Bronwyn Yeldham, Jeremy Gudsell, Will Everest and Gary Miller.
- Our wonderful Assistant Market Manager, Gavin Powell – your dedication and commitment to our market is exceptional and unwavering.
- Our previous Market Manager, Sue Beckinsale. As you will remember, Sue was Market Manager from 2013 to 2021. Over the many years, Sue contributed such an incredible amount of time and effort to the market, which has step-by-step led the market to where it is today.
- All of our external stakeholders – there are too many of you to mention all but specifically, the Murwillumbah Showground for providing such a beautiful venue and the Tweed Valley Weekly for promoting our market each month.
- Finally, a special mention to the manager of the Mullumbimby Farmers’ Market, Allie Godfrey, who has set the bench mark for what it means to be an outstanding Farmers’ Market in Australia. Thank you for your support, inspiration and encouragement Allie – we will look forward to working together with you in the future.
As many of you will remember, our market had very humble beginnings when it was created by a small community group back in 2011 – we had just 11 stalls and were wondering if a market would even survive let alone grow and thrive. Fast forward 12 years and our market has grown tremendously and now has just short of 50 local and dedicated farmers and producers coming along each and every week.
From its creation, the market’s ethos and values have been simple – to ensure that our local community has access to fresh, local and seasonal produce each and every week. And that is what we do. Our farmers and producers pride themselves on their produce – if they are farmers they grow the produce that you see and buy each week – if they are producers, they know where each ingredient comes from to make their product and it is as local and fresh as possible. The market will continue to live and breath these values so our future generations can too experience the joy of eating fresh, local and seasonal food.
Something that was not intended when our market was created was the strong sense of community. Set in the beautiful Murwillumbah Showground, our market has become a weekly community hub where everyone can enjoy the stunning backdrop of our mountain, Wollumbin, listen to local musicians and connect with one another. For many in our community, the market has become a way of life and a family that we are all so truly grateful to be a part of.