The purpose of the Santa Cruz Community Farmers market (SCCFM) is to provide local farmers a time and place to bring the freshest, highest quality, most nutritious, and most reasonably priced food to residents of the community. SCCFM operates three markets in the Santa Cruz area: The Downtown Santa Cruz Market on Wednesday afternoons, the Sunday Live Oak Market, and the West Side Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.
The Wednesday Downtown Santa Cruz Market is a large, all-year market with as many as 50 vendors during the peak season. It has been around since the 1989 earthquake. At that time, the Downtown Association brought us in to help revive the downtown. We were sponsored by the DTA until 1995, when we become a non-profit organization with a Board of Directors made up mostly of the farmers who come to the market. The Sunday Live Oak Market is a small seasonal market. It was started in 1999 to offer fresh produce in a small friendly environment. This summer, the Westside Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings will serve the west side of Santa Cruz.
All of the farmers at the market pay an annual membership fee to be members of this non-profit. Most of these farmers work a different farmers market every day of the week and derive most of their income from these markets. The SCCFM markets have the highest percentage of organic farmers of any market in the area, and probably in the country. Not only does the market provide the community with healthy, fresh, economically priced food, but you get the chance to meet and talk with the people who grow your food. In our global economy where we eat food from halfway around the world, this is a rare opportunity.
The market is a major event for the community and brings many benefits to the community the fresh and varied produce, the chance to meet farmers and all your friends at the market, and the beauty of the all the brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and flowers.