Midweek is delicious in Civic Square

Midweek is delicious in the City Heart. From today (30 October) the Hamilton Farmers' Market is now open 3-6.30pm Thursdays at a fantastic new Civic Square location.

Since 2006 the Hamilton Farmers' Market has run Sundays from its Anglesea Street base, doubling the number of stalls over the past two years. Over the last couple of months Hamilton City Council has worked closely with the Hamilton Farmers' Market to provide a site and help make a central city, midweek market possible.

Market manager Kerryn Jensen says, "the mid-week market is an exciting development which makes gate to plate produce even more accessible to busy city workers and those who enjoy their Sunday sleep in or head away on the weekend.

"Midweek market-goers will have their pick of everything from tasty honey and preserves to quality meats, freshly smoked fish, free range eggs, and fruit and vegetables direct from very local producers."

Nature's Country Gold stall holder Hayden Pohio says access to tastier fresher, locally grown produce is what it is all about. Over the two years they have been involved they've seen enthusiasm for market shopping boom in Hamilton with positive spin offs for the customers and the producers.

"The kind of market shopping that the Hamilton Farmers' Market is bringing to Civic Square midweek is a real social experience. In the days of our grandparents, shopping was a social outing – getting out and meeting the person who grew or made the goods locally, tasting before they bought and learning about where their food came from. That's exactly what the new midweek market is bringing to Civic Square – a vibrant atmosphere and tastier, fresher, locally grown produce, direct to you."

Pohio says that as a local small business looking to grow and diversify, the Hamilton Farmers' Market has been a great incubator for Nature's Country Gold and many other stall holders.

"Talking directly to customers is a great tool for refining and developing products. Tastings at the stall and direct feedback from customers has enabled us to add a huge amount of variety to our honey range as well as spurring us to develop new and innovative honey based products such as the Manuka Boosta bar."

Hamilton mayor Bob Simcock says, "Council is very excited to be able to work closely with the Hamilton Farmers' Market to provide a site and help make the midweek market happen. It is great news for the city. Fostering entrepreneurial talent is key to the city's economic development.

"The kind of energy that activities like this bring to the CityHeart is also what the revitalisation project is all about. With CityHeart developments already progressing well in Garden Place, soon we will see more accessible and usable spaces available there. That means we can expect to see even more of these great activities happening in the inner city soon."