OCTOBER 9, 2017 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | Expo Daily | 11
ever on the side of the street. But now
that it’s organized you have a full-blown
customer commitment and this is only
the third year.”
Th ere are MARTA stations located
within USDA-designated food deserts and
there currently are Fresh MARTA Markets
in two of them, though Whitfi eld said they
hope to continue to grow.
Strong Partners
Th e organizations they partner with operate
multiple farmer’s markets around the
city, which has been part of the success
of the markets.
“Th ey’re the best at what they do,”
Whitfi eld said. “We just happened to get
lucky that they came to meet with me.
“Logistics is critical,” she said. “You
have to have the right partners; you have
to have the expertise to know where the
produce centers are and how to get to it
and how to get it delivered.”
A lot of the farmers are urban farmers,
right in the area. With these partners, the
farmers are able to grow and sell locally,
to a much wider audience.
Th e fi rst several months of operations
they were running out of produce and
then they built storage on the back of
produce stands because they were turning
over produce so quickly. Aft er about
a month, Whitfi eld said they got it right.
While some stations, like Five Points,
have the markets within the fare gates,
there are others, like at the West End
Station, where the markets are outside
the gates, allowing greater accessibility
to the community.
Growing Local Entrepreneurs
Whitfi eld said all of the produce comes
from the partners, which are local farmers.
“It’s helping entrepreneurs,” she said.
“Th ey actually sell to a lot of the restaurants
that have farm-to-table produce on
their menu. It’s a circle of success.”
Th e South West Atlanta Growers
(SWAG) Cooperative is a group of
farmers on 20 acres. She said, “Th ey can
actually buy in volume from them in a
way that they’ve not ever been able to sell
before because we have so many people
coming through.
Starting a Market
For those looking to start a program,
planning is crucial. Whitfi eld said they
solicited for proposals for management
of the market. Th e right partner had to be
able to manage it, understand the logistics
and have the volunteers to staff them.
While it relies heavily on grants, Whitfi
eld said they need to fi gure out how to at
least break even to take some weight off
of the partners so that they can continue
to grow the program. Th e fi rst year it cost
$18,000 to operate.
Of the Fresh MARTA Market program,
Whitfi eld said, “It’s all good. It would be
tough to fi nd something wrong.”
Visit a
Market
Visit the Fresh
MARTA Market
from 3:00
p.m. - 7:00
p.m. during
your stay.
The markets
accept cash,
credit and
debit, as well
as EBT/SNAP.
Tuesday
West End
Station
Wednesday
H.E. Holmes
Station
Thursday
College Park
Station
Friday
Five Points
Station
—
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For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10066688
