Thank you Harvest community | January 30, 2021

The Harvest Launceston Community Farmers’ Market would like to say a very big thank you to our community. This week the market was recognised in the City of Launceston Community Recognition Awards 2021 for its innovation in continuing to keep going throughout the challenges of 2020.

We must also send a big congratulations to Janine Healey, a founding Harvest Board member, who received the citizen of the year award. The community event award recognised the contribution of local organisations and co-award recipients, the Soggy Bottom Regatta, Mount Barrow Challenge, RANT Arts, and Interweave Arts, who are all part of what makes Launceston such a great city.

This award belongs to us all, as the market could not have continued to be without the incredible support of our community. The locals who continue to shop at Harvest every week, the volunteers who support the management team each Saturday and of course our incredible stallholders who bring some of the worlds best produce to our market and dinner tables across the community.

Now in its ninth year of operation, the primary purpose of the Harvest Launceston Community Farmers’ Market is to celebrate and promote fresh local produce through a sustainable farmers’ market that underpins local food systems and has a distinct and authentic Tasmanian identity.

In March 2020, this purpose was upended by a pandemic, as the novel corona virus spread across the world, closing borders, disrupting businesses and locking down communities. Within a month of celebrating our birthday with 4500 visitors and 57 seasonal producers from across the State, the Harvest Board made the decision to suspend the physical market due to the constraints of operating in an atmosphere of mixed messaging about social distancing and crowd numbers of over 2000 at any one time within the market confines.

Instead of ringing the opening bell on a physical market on 21st March 2020, an online farmers’ market platform was launched. The first delivery trucks rolled out on the 28th March market day and continued for 11 market Saturdays throughout the lockdown to ensure that local Launceston families could receive a box of the best freshest food in the State.  The online farmers’ market showcased a total of 365 products, saw 2240 orders from more than 300 households in Launceston and surrounding areas.