How Hudson Valley farmers markets encourage local entrepreneurship

Tables full of fruits and vegetables, jars of honey, and artisan goods line the rows of vendors at a local farmers market while shoppers stroll between stalls. Some pause to taste freshly baked bread while others chat with farmers about the week’s harvest. For aspiring small business owners, the market offers more than just sales – it’s a chance to test new ideas, build a customer base and engage with the community.

For business owners like Aditi Goswami of Calcutta Kitchens, farmers markets have helped them build the foundation they need to eventually expand into brick-and-mortar stores or other higher-volume distribution channels like catering and build long-term success. Goswami says everything about her Kingston store and restaurant, which opened in 2022, comes from the 15 years she spent attending markets and listening to customer feedback.

“The farmers markets helped me understand customer needs because it was a direct, personal interaction. I, the manufacturer of the product, interacted with the consumer of the product,” says Goswami. “You can get a good idea of ​​whether your product has a market, whether the price is right and how long it will last. I gained a solid understanding of my business and products.”

Goswami founded Calcutta Kitchens as an Indian-prepared sauce brand sold at farmers markets in New York City, Westchester County and eventually the Mid-Hudson Valley and Catskills. Following the spirit of experimentation that defines Indian cuisine, Goswami’s original Makhani Tikka Simmer Sauce has been expanded to include other sauces, chutneys and spice blends. Today, their products can be found in pantries and stores across the country.

At her Kingston branch, she can now invite customers to a more complete Calcutta Kitchens experience. It offers a rotating selection of daily tiffins (a light afternoon meal), as well as chai, Indian lemonade, samosas, frozen ready meals and international groceries. The store also offers family catering for up to 100 people.

“Calcutta Kitchens is a perfect example of farmers market incubation,” says Sophie Grant, co-founder and market manager of the Phenicia Farmers’ Market and board member of the Farmer’s Market Federation of New York. Before opening her business, Goswami was a regular vendor at the Phenicia Market, which is open year-round to “provide an access point for the community to support local businesses and eat fresh, delicious, seasonal food.” says Grant. With over 30 farmers markets in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, residents and visitors have more access than ever to discover local products and participate in the work of supporting small business growth.

“I think farmers markets have this wonderful ability to create limitless future opportunities for small businesses,” Grant says. “New companies have the opportunity to bring their products to market, test them with direct consumer feedback and develop their brand with a lower barrier to entry.” The markets offer a forgiving but also encouraging, stimulating and challenging atmosphere to start new business ventures.”

Four Sisters, a new small-batch kimchi company founded by Sandy Hyun, is making its debut at farmers markets like the one in Phoenicia. Hyun, a jewelry designer who moved to the Catskills from Brooklyn, started making kimchi after struggling to find a fresh, crunchy, and flavorful version that suited her taste. “I made kimchi non-stop for a few years until I perfected my recipe,” she says. Hyun values ​​the direct feedback from customers that shapes her offering.

“Farmers markets are the perfect breeding ground for my business. They allow me to assess spice levels, consumption habits and customer preferences,” she says. At first hesitant to create vegan kimchi, she responded to the demand by experimenting with her own vegan “fish” sauce. This summer, in addition to appearing at farmers markets, she began selling at local stores including Local Goods, ImmuneSchein Tea Haus, Rosie General, Migliorelli Farm Stands and Calcutta Kitchens. Hyun says she would like to eventually open a brick-and-mortar store and expand her wholesale business.

Since his beginnings in farmers markets, Grant has also seen the expansion of companies such as Autonomous Coffee, Windfall Farms and Weiss Ferments. Autonomous Coffee started as a small roastery in a shipping container on a family farm and is now opening a drive-thru location in Kingston by leveraging market feedback. Windfall Farms opened a community farm shop in New Paltz and plans to launch a cannabis microbusiness using their farm’s products in the same building. Weiss Ferments opened a microbrewery in West Holmesville last year.

Seeing companies like these succeed and transition from markets to their own brick-and-mortar stores “really validates everything I try to do as a market manager,” Grant says. “Part of what we do here is to bring new companies into the public eye and give them the opportunity to explore and experiment and hopefully achieve their goals, whatever they may be. It is so fulfilling to contribute even a small part to their success.”

Looking ahead, Grant is confident there will be more markets to support aspiring entrepreneurs. “I want these opportunities to become a reality because there are so many talented people who deserve to pay their bills by selling the products they love to make,” she says. “If you have the opportunity to spend some of your hard-earned money at a farmers market, it goes a long way toward supporting these businesses.”