more about the market
The Rockwood Farmers’ Market (RFM) was established in 2015, and we have been in our current location since 2019. The Market provides a venue for Rockwood residents and visitors to purchase directly from local local growers and producers. The RFM also promotes community growth and development by supporting local entrepreneurs, providing training and volunteer experience to youth and adults, and bringing the community together.
The Rockwood Farmers’ Market is a member of Farmers’ Markets Ontario, and we work together with Wellington County’s Taste Real and the other seven Wellington County Markets. We are a true Farmers’ Market, which means that we maintain a ratio of 51% or more primary producers (farmers, who grow or raise their products themselves) to 49% or less secondary producers (those who use local ingredients to make secondary products, including some foods, artisans and crafters). You can read more about our governance and structure in our Handbook of Rules and Regulations.
We strive to keep all Market products handmade and as local as possible. We seek out the nearest producer to Rockwood that we can find for each product, with some specialty products coming from slightly farther afield. We try to avoid reselling of products, opting instead for items that are handmade by the vendors themselves.
volunteer power! we need you!
We welcome both adults and youth age 12 and older to volunteer with the Rockwood Farmers’ Market.
Do you have a special skill or passion that you can offer the Market?
Would you like to lend a hand to help in your community?
Would you like to get to know some members of your community, or learn some new skills?
Can you offer even as little as one hour of your time to lend a hand?
We have various roles available to volunteers, with training available.
Youth volunteers in grade 8 and high school may accumulate their volunteer hours by helping at the Market!
We can also provide references for future job application.
Thank you for offering your time to the Rockwood Farmers’ Market!
Thank You to those who have volunteered over the years!
We could not have done it without you!
Thank You To All Our Supporters
We’ve received so much support from the community over the years, and we’d like to say a HUGE thank you to you all!
Thank you to all our volunteers, without you we simply couldn’t get it all done! Since 2015, we have had over 100 volunteers helping with various aspects of the Market (approximately 10-15 per year)!
Thanks to Guelph-Eramosa Township, who has been supportive since our inception. The Township provided us with financial assistance to help with advertising and promotion in our first year (2015). In 2020, we moved to Township land, and we are grateful for the ongoing reduced rate rental, and a Community Improvement Grant in 2022 to help us install our permanent storage.
We are grateful to Wellington County for the grants we have received in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Thanks also to the Rockwood Branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, for grants received each year from 2016-2019. This money assisted us to purchase start up capital including our own sound equipment and tents, to promote the market to local residents, and to pay our Market Manager to be on site each week during Market season.
In 2020, we were grateful to the Greenbelt Foundation, and Greenbelt Markets, for covering the cost of trying an on-line sales platform, as well as to Wellington County for additional financial support us as we operated under Covid-19 restrictions.
Thank you to Annette Kalapaca, who donates her time to design all the Rockwood Farmers’ Market promotional materials. Special thanks for designing our logo in 2015, all our posters, and our website in 2016-2022!
In 2018 – 2019, Royal City Royal Lepage sponsored the annual Corn Roast, with all proceeds to East Wellington Community Services and the local Food Bank.
From 2016 – 2019, Trillium West sponsored the annual Harvest Festival, and collected donations for the Food Bank.
From 2017 – 2019, Home Hardware and Foodland sponsored our two annual Local Business Festivals. These amazing community businesses provided food and activities, with all proceeds to local schools to benefit the youth in our community.
Thank you to Cory Young with The Co-Operators and to Tammy Samuels with RE/MAX for each donating a tent.
Thanks to Xris Bland who donated his time from 2017 – 2019 to help with our Social Media and promotions.
Thanks to Shari Lovell, for donating photographs in 2020 and 2021, and to George Wang, of George Wang Photography for donating use of his photographs of our Market from 2015 and 2016.
Thanks to the following local businesses, who donated prizes for our 2015 very first opening day draw: Rockwood Home Hardware, Rockwood Pharmacy, Lemongrass Spa, Rivers Edge Gift Shop, Rockwood Casual Dining Restaurant, Remax Realtors, Guelph Costco, Terra Greenhouses.
We’d also like to thank Doug Thompson, who donated the use of his sound equipment and his technical help throughout the 2015 season, and advised us in the purchase of our own equipment, and Dwayne Hitchcock, from Rockwood Music Academy, who also helped us with our music equipment storage and set up.
THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY FOR ALL YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND PATRONAGE! Thanks to your steadily increasing support, we have grown over the past 7 years to the point where in 2022, our 8th year, we are poised to become self-sufficient.