The Arkansas River Valley is rich in agricultural abundance and now a new company is making it possible for residents to access local products by providing a convenient way to buy locally from dozens of producers over the web.
Lindsay Diamond is the founder of Colorado Local Market, a new year-round online local foods market dedicated to bringing the people of Central Colorado freshly picked, locally produced food and related products. “There are dozens of local food resources in the Arkansas River Valley alone,” says Diamond. “My goal is to make it very convenient to purchase from all of them so eating locally can become an easier and richer experience.”
The new website, www.colocalmarket.com, enables local producers to list what foods they have available each week. Customers can shop from those items, add them to a shopping cart and pickup their order on Tuesday afternoons in Buena Vista.
Diamond is targeting farms and producers and consumers of all sizes. “The beauty of this site is that it provides the abundance of a farmers market (CSA), the convenience of community supported agriculture and the selection of a grocery store all in an easy-to-use website.”
While there are active farmers markets and CSAs in the area, Colorado Local Market fills the need for individuals who don’t want to commit to a CSA or who can’t always attend a weekend farmers market. “With Colorado Local Market you get more choice. You can choose what you want and how much you want,” says Diamond.
Colorado Local Market will begin selling items spring 2010. It is currently accepting producer and customer registration. Items ordered from Colorado Local Market (www.colocalmarket.com) will be available for pick up on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Jala Blu Yoga, behind the Evergeen Café in Buena Vista. Visit www.colocalmarket.com to learn more.