Bouctouche Earth Market Brings a More Sustainable Food System to the Table

The Bouctouche Earth Market, which will be hosted at the town’s Farmers’ Market, is a unique designation of Farmers’ Market supported by the first Slow Food convivium in New Brunswick, Slow Food Cocagne Acadie (SFCA), which is run according to the Slow Food principles of good, clean and fair.

Only local and seasonal products will be sold at the Earth Market, and by the producers themselves, ensuring fair prices both for those who buy them and those who produce them. The primary producers attending the Earth Market are mostly from southeastern New Brunswick, with other vendors from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. All vendors are small to medium-scale producers. There are 20 producers involved so far, bringing seasonal products such as fresh vegetables, berries and fruits, edible flowers, and specialties from the Ark of Taste. Free-range eggs, fresh and cured meats, farm cheeses, and honey, jam, and preserves will also be regularly present.

An Earth Market is not simply a place where food is bought and sold; it is an initiative built upon a multidisciplinary approach to food, one that provides a source of nourishment while creating a place for connections between visitors and producers, promoting and protecting cultural identity, history, and traditions. The initiative addresses sustainability goals related to waste management, recycling and consumer education.

Originally opened in 1999, The Bouctouche Farmers’ Market was destroyed by a fire in 2015 and then renovated thanks to the involvement of the municipality, citizens, associations, and producers. In 2018, a completely revitalized rose from the ashes, which now hosts a 9,300 square-foot space complete with a demo-teaching kitchen. In addition to serving fresh, high-quality products and providing a meeting place for members of the community, it creates connections between visitors and producers.

The Bouctouche Farmers’ Market (BFM) is becoming a recognized leader in its field, and its vision is to become the model rural Farmers’ Market in Atlantic Canada, and serve as a Center of Excellence.

As a result this vision, the BFM has been applying the Slow Food principles of good, clean and fair food for all in their educational mandate to ensure that it cultivates a community of local producers, as well as creating awareness of the value of locally-produced food, and all the associated benefits.

Where: 9 Irving Blvd, Bouctouche, NB E4S 3J3

Regular season: every Saturday from May to October. The 2020 season will run from May 16 to October 24, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Christmas Season: First weekend of December.

Slow Food Earth Markets are Farmers’ Markets established according to guidelines that follow Slow Food principles. These community-run Markets are important meeting points where local producers offer healthy, quality food directly to consumers at fair prices and guarantee environmentally sustainable methods. In addition, they preserve local food cultures and help defend biodiversity. At the beginning of 2019 there were 69 Earth Markets in 21 countries (Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Estonia, India, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States).

For further information, please contact the:

Bouctouche Farmers’ Market Marketing and Programming Coordinator
Kathy Gildart: [email protected]
(506) 744-1020 and (506) 380-0188

Slow Food Press Office
Giulia Capaldi: [email protected]

 Slow Food is a global network of local communities founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions and counteract the rise of fast food culture. Since its founding, Slow Food has grown into a global movement involving millions of people in over 160 countries, working to ensure that everyone has access to Good, Clean and Fair food. Slow Food is the umbrella organization responsible for guiding the entire movement (www.slowfood.ca).