The Rotary Club of Hall started The Capital Region Farmers’ Market as a fundraising exercise that would support agri-business in the region and provide fresh, seasonal produce to the public.
In 2019, the market celebrated its 15th birthday.
Since the club started the markets in 2004, it has grown to become one of the iconic part of Canberra life. The market is run 47 Saturday mornings of the year and attracts between 5,000 and 8,000 people each Saturday morning depending on the season.
With 100 stallholders attending weekly and 200 stallholders registered to sell slow food, this is an operation that takes a lot of organisation and management, but it doesn’t feel like work as everyone enjoys the process.
All members of the club are involved in some aspect of running the markets, under the direction of a dedicated group within the club known internally as the ‘market committee.’
One aspect of the way The Rotary Club of Hall runs the market makes this market unique, and that is the clubs’ strict policing to ensure the authenticity of both the stallholders and their produce.
This is a genuine farmers’ market, and that means that the club goes to considerable lengths to ensure that what is sold is produced by the stallholder.
For more about the markets, please see our dedicated Capital Region Farmers’ Market website.
