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Managers' Corner :: Market Manager Story: Matthew Lepp, Sun Peaks Resort
Market Manager Stories
Matthew Lepp, Sun Peaks Resort
This is my first summer working as the Market Manager for the Sun Peaks & Region Farmers' Market. Growing up in Saskatchewan one might think that a prairie boy such as myself would be familiar with the farmers' market experience. The truth is, this summer opened my eyes to the importance of farmers' markets for the first time. Being a Market Manager has been a really fun experience and a great learning opportunity. It is surprising how fast the six hours I spend each Sunday setting up, managing, and taking down the market goes. Vendors are very accommodating and have really stepped up and supported this growing market.
A Farmers' Market in a resort community such as Sun Peaks has many inherent challenges that other larger markets do not have to deal with. The obvious disadvantage is smaller summer population at Sun Peaks in the summer. It is wonderful to see such a small community embrace the market each week. With that said the market has become a meeting place where members of the Sun Peaks community gather to do their weekly shopping and catch up with their neighbors and friends. It is great to see people socializing in the village, with the market acting as the centre of cohesiveness for our community, something that guests to the resort are getting involved with as well.
As a Market Manager I have seen the market grow throughout the season, and snowball from seven vendors at the beginning of the year to sixteen on a regular basis and upwards of twenty during special event weekends at the resort. A new centralized location in the Village Square, increased marketing and signage, the addition of events, and good weather have all contributed to this growth. Consumers appear to be increasingly conscious of the importance of buying locally grown, sustainable produce, and are more willing to support their local farmers and artisans by shopping in the market. Our market will never be as large or diverse as other markets, but I appreciate what we do have: a beautiful alpine village, amazing vendors with high quality products, and friendly people who are eager to share stories about hiking in the alpine, or joke about how many golf balls they lost on the back nine. I do my best to make every week worthwhile for our vendors, consumers, and people and partners in our community.
This growing trend of shopping for locally grown or constructed items is something that I am confident will only continue to increase as people see the effects that globalization is having on our local industries. Not only do consumers get reassurance the product they buy is fresh and hasn't been sitting in the back of a trailer or boat for a number of weeks, but also that they are supporting producers in their own community and keeping money cycling locally. Working at a Farmers' Market has given me the ability to observe this first hand, and it has made me a lot more personally aware of this positive movement. I am thrilled the work I do, does allow a larger number of people to have access to local products, and particularly at Sun Peaks where there is limited opportunities to have fresh produce otherwise. I can say with confidence that I will continue to shop at Farmers' Markets even after my job as a Market Manager ends, and I will do my best to tell others of the benefits and importance that these markets have to offer.
The growth that the Sun Peaks & Region Farmers' Market has experienced this year is extremely gratifying and I only hope that the market continues to grow in the years to come.
Matthew Lepp
Market Manager
Sun Peaks Resort
Summer 2008
