Innovative Open-Air Urban Grocery Cart Showcases Local,
Farm-Fresh Produce, Wares
Beginning today, the freshness of the farm comes direct to the city as FarmCity Fresh Cart makes its debut on the streets of downtown Vancouver and New Westminster.
FarmCity Fresh Cart — a partnership between Re-Up BBQ and FarmCity Co-op (24 Avenue Farm, Barefoot Farms, Cherry Lane Farm, Earth Apple Farm, Farmers on 57th, Giddy Up and Grow, Urban Digs Farm and Urban Edibles) — is a groundbreaking, farmers’ market-inspired kiosk featuring an ever-changing bounty of local, sustainably farmed fruit and produce as well as products and snacks prepared by local businesses.
Besides a veritable cornucopia of fruit and vegetables available in both bulk and pre-packaged portions, FarmCity Fresh Cart offers pastured eggs, local honey, preserves, sodas made from locally farmed fruit and an assortment of snacks and salads. Visitors will also be able to purchase take-home products such as bacon and cured meat from Re-Up BBQ, cocktail bitters and culinary extracts from Bittered Sling, seeds and merchandise from Victory Gardens, artisan pasta from Pasta Famiglia and cold-pressed juice from SPUD, as well as meat and deli products from pastured animals, prepared by local chefs.
“FarmCity Fresh Cart is an innovative, grassroots means of nurturing and growing a network that links urban farms with local restaurants and consumers,” says Re-up BBQ co-partner Lindsay Kaisaris. “We’re excited for the collaboration that the Fresh Cart brings — we’re able to pool crucial resources to help generate profits and exposure for local farmers and small businesses that may not have had the same opportunity on their own.”
• Corner of Hornby and West Georgia Streets in downtown Vancouver, most weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Hyack Square in New Westminster, most weekday evenings from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and on SaturdaysFarmCity Fresh Cart will also pop up at various summer events and festivals, including the following in New Westminster:
• Key West Ford Show and Shine on Columbia Street, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Pecha Kucha Night at Westminster Pier Park, July 19 from 4 to 11 p.m.
• Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Fest, August 23 from 4 to 10 p.m.
The public will also have a chance to get acquainted with the FarmCity Fresh Cart and meet some of its partners and suppliers on Sunday, July 20 from 4 to 10 p.m.when Urban Digs Farm in South Burnaby hosts an all-ages open house and BBQ with live music and drinks. Tickets and further details are available via Eventbrite.Together with the “Founding Members” who supported the FarmCity Fresh Cart’s crowdfunding efforts, corporate sponsors including Vancity Credit Union, SPUD, Urban Digs Farm and Ferrari Contracting provided the necessary startup funding to make this important project possible.
Those interested in keeping track of the Fresh Cart’s whereabouts are invited to follow@CityFreshCart on Twitter. For further information, visit farmcity.coop/fresh-cart.
FarmCity Co-op is a community of small farms situated in or adjacent urban centres in southwestern British Columbia that encourages environmentally, socially, financially and ethically sustainable farming practices. Its mission is to help small-scale urban farmers collaboratively sell their products and share resources, knowledge and skills to increase efficiency and productivity while promoting new opportunities to develop urban farming practices in Metro Vancouver. For more information, visit www.farmcity.coop, like /FarmCityCoop on Facebook and follow @FarmCityCoop on Twitter.About Re-Up BBQ:
Re-Up BBQ was launched by four passionate partners — Michael and Lindsay Kaisaris, Chester Carey and Jose Rosales-Lopez — who have dedicated themselves to cooking American cuisine and Southern BBQ sourced from local, small-scale farms that practice ethical farming methods. Born from a food cart from the City of Vancouver’s inaugural lottery in 2010, Re-Up has evolved into a popular counter-service restaurant located at River Market in New Westminster. In addition to their line of delicious, ready-to-go food items such as pulled pork, smoked bacon, BBQ ribs and holiday turkey boxes, Re-Up offers custom BBQ catering and often hosts fun food events. For more information, visit www.reupbbq.com, like /reupbbq on Facebook and follow @reupbbq on Twitter.
