Vendors marketing products and produce as being organic are required to display a copy of their latest organic certification at their stand every market day, and should also submit a similar copy during the application process. Vendors are directly responsible for their employees and should ensure that they are familiar with all the rules and regulations of Drake Road Farmers’ Market. This is essential since a vendor may be ejected from the market if their employees fail to abide by the rules and policies put in place.

All vendors and their employees should remain behind their tables and tent spaces while selling. Distribution of bags for customer use is not allowed at the designated selling space or in front of tents. Designated spaces refer to the 1010 spaces acquired with the application. They are not inclusive of the space in front of tents or around or in front of product displays not within the tent. It also does not include aisles, grassy areas, walkways, or entrances.

Cars are not allowed in the market area unless they are necessary to transport or sell products. In addition, vendor employees must park away from customer and vendor parking areas. At the end of each day, sales tax and fees should be paid to the market coordinator by either Venmo, check, or credit card (using Frontline Asset Strategies). No cash transactions are allowed. Vendors who are unable to make their payment by the end of the market day will be required to do so before the beginning of the next market day. Failure to this, they will not be permitted to set up.

No pets are allowed at Drake Road Farmers’ Market. Because of liability concerns, children of vendors and those of employees are not permitted to behave in a disruptive, unsafe, or unruly manner. All parties that do not pay attention to this policy will be ejected from the market. Calling out, bellering, hollering, or hawking to customers is not permitted by any vendor or their employees. To ensure minimum noise, reefers are not allowed during market hours. Vendors are not allowed to leave the market before 1 pm on Saturdays or 2 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays even if they have finished selling all their items.

Vendors are required to clean their selling space thoroughly, failure to which attracts a fine of $25. Vendors are also required to carry their trash. Disposing trash in the neighborhood dumpsters attracts a hefty fine of $50. If any conflict between two sellers or a seller and the market coordinator emerges and cannot be resolved by both parties independently, a short hearing will be held with at least one board member present.

Drake Road Farmers’ Market offers vendors the opportunity to sell their products and residents to promote local products. The market has significantly encouraged local production since its launch and has become an example for farmers’ markets in other communities.

The main vendors at Drake Road Farmers Market include The Bread Chic, Whiteside Honey Company, Tortilla La Esmerelda, Miller Farms, and CR Farms. Other vendors include Cake Escape Bakery, Rocky Mountain Botanicals, Gelato Amore, Slurpz, Pine Song Farm, West and 40 Candles, The Oil Barn, Plants Over Pills, and Cracked Bean Coffee Vendor categories include bread and pastries, health care, dairy and eggs, flowers, fruits, handmade crafts, honey, jams and pickles, meat, pet, specialty foods, and vegetables. CR Farms supplies Drake Road Farmers market with tree fruits and ciders. Miller Farm produces fresh veggies, melons, and roasted peppers. Tortilla La Esmerelda provides chips, salsa, tortillas, and tamales. The Bread Chic provides breads, sourdoughs, and pies, while the Whiteside Honey Company provides lotion, honey stix, creamed honey, beeswax products, local honey, and more.

There are a certain set of rules and procedures that vendors should follow on market day. Vendors at the Saturday market should be parked by 8 am, while Wednesday and Sunday vendors are required to be parked by 9 am. Vendors who will be dropping off an item then moving their car outside should do so before 8:45 am on Wednesday and Sunday, and by 7:45 on Saturdays. During Sundays, all vendors parking their cars inside the market’s perimeter, including next to the curbed areas of the west, east, and north areas must do so before 8:50 am. Semi-trucks and large trucks can arrive by 9 am, allowing smaller cars to park in front of them.

At exactly 8:55 am, cones are set up on all entrances and no vendor vehicles are allowed to enter the interior after this. Driving around or past cones is also not allowed at Drake Road Farmers’ Market. Arriving at the market late attracts a fine of $10 if the vendor did not offer a prior notice to the manager. Vendors who are late also face the risk of losing a reserved or preferred parking spot and will have to park in the outer/edge spaces. Failure to show up on the checked dates or call the manager attracts a penalty of $25. Vendors who repeatedly break this rule face risk of expulsion from Drake Road Farmers Market.

New vendors may be moved around during their first year. As the market shrinks and grows with the season other vendors may also be shifted. Drake Road Farmers’ Market reserves the right to accept or reject the entry of any vendor or product into the market. Vendors are also not allowed to bring additional products or new products that are not among the list of items provided during application. If a vendor wants to bring new or added items, they must first seek the approval of the board of directors.

All food samples must be prepared according to the standards laid out by the Colorado Health Department. Vendors must use certified scales while making their sales. Vendors are not allowed to smoke, consume or be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the course of the event. Smoking is prohibited within twenty feet of the market’s perimeter. Vendors are required to have a sign indicating organically grown, their name, phone number, and town.

The number of farmers’ markets across the United States has steadily been growing in recent years as more consumers become more interested in supporting local farmers and buying fresher produce. Well-run farmers’ markets are always fun and can be very educational. Agricultural land at the Front Range of Colorado is being transformed into shopping and housing at an alarming rate. More often than not residents may generally support agriculture, but lack knowledge of how to assist their local ranchers and farmers. Drake Road Farmers Market provides consumers the chance to support local ranchers and farmers by buying fresh products directly from the producers. Drake Road Farmers’ Market hopes to give local agricultural producers an opportunity to market their products, serve as a model for other communities, and encourage local production.

Vendors must follow a certain set of rules to be allowed to participate in Drake Road Farmers Market. All insurance/licenses/applications for membership must be postmarked by a certain date. You must also return your application by the required date for you to be allowed to sell at the market. All fees and dues should be paid at the time of application. Application for non-member vendors is also available throughout the season depending on available space. While all applications to the market are encouraged, the Board of Directors gives preference to unique locally produced products. Once an application is approved, a vendor is required to sign an application declaring that they will only sell products that they or members of their family produced locally. In addition, all the products bought from other Colorado producers for resale should adhere to the resale policy. The only exception to this rule is non-competitive products such as processed foods and western slope fruit (apricots, cherries, apples, pears, and peaches). Western Slope growers are not allowed to sell competitive products such as chilis, tomatoes, sweet corn, etc.

A few Processed Food Vendors ( food carts, beverages, coffee, snow cone, salsa, kettle corn, bread, etc.) are allowed to Drake Road Farmers Market depending on the uniqueness of their product and availability of space. Such vendors are required to have proper equipment and licenses from the Colorado Health Department and also need to comply with the guidelines set out by the Health Department.

Cottage Food Vendors are required to have an updated and current copy of the “Safe Food Handling” Course provided by the Department of Local Health. The cottage food should also be labeled according to Colorado guidelines. Any potential new vendor applying to sell at Drake Road Farmers Market can partici[pate as a non-member during Sundays at a fee of $10 and ten percent of their gross sales as well as all applicable sales tax. The fees for the Saturday and Wednesday market are five percent of gross sales plus all applicable sales taxes. All taxes and fees should be paid by Venmo or credit card or check. Vendors selling agricultural produce can also sell their craft items or those of family members.