Chris Fortune is the current Chairman of Farmers’ Markets New Zealand and the Marlborough Farmers’ Market. He has run extensive workshops programmes for market organisers, stallholders as well as cooking classes, demonstrations, product launches throughout NZ.

Rural Living: What prompted the start up of Farmers’ Markets New Zealand?

Chris Fortune: After running our own successful farmers’ markets in Marlborough for a number of years we worked with the Hawkes Bay farmers’ market to set up a national organisation to provide help and support to other regions around NZ. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise provided us with seeding funds and we now have 42 Farmers’ market members around NZ from Invercargill to KeriKeri. We wanted an organisation that could provide the right tools and information for people who want authentic Farmers’ markets in their regions so that they can support local food producers.

RL: What makes Farmers’ Markets different to the local Craft Markets?

CF: It is about keeping it simple, sticking to the basics and a lot of hard work. A Farmers’ market is an ‘Edibles Market’ (no arts, craft, bric-a-brac).

A Farmers’ market has edible food from a defined region (example – 100 or 200 km radius from the market place; not from Australia or China).

A Farmers’ market has edible food from a defined region sold by the producer or somebody involved in the production of the product (no middlemen, wholesalers, retailers etc).

Authentic Farmers’ Market definition is that of - a market that has at least 80% local produce stalls. Local produce stalls are defined thus:

Local farmer / grower stall - A stall from which a primary producer sells fresh produce which they have grown or farmed themselves. In addition they may sell value added products made from their own or other local produce.

Local value added product stall - A stall from which an artisan food producer sells added value food products made from local ingredients. Sugar, salt, pectin or other ingredients used to preserve or conserve local primary produce are permitted.

In both cases “Local” means from within the regional boundaries established by individual Farmers’ Markets. Other stalls will sell food or farm origin products that individual FMs decide merit a place in their market. Coffee and bread are two common examples.

RL: Are Farmers’ Markets more popular with rural people or urban people?

CF: Farmers’ markets have started in rural places first (Whangarei, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough) because the growers and producers needed to sell their products and the best way to do that is at a market where you are not competing against wholesalers and sub-quality products. Rural people tend to be more connected with their producers and have better community values and support than in urban centres – it is about locals supporting locals.

RL: What is the most interesting book you have read recently and you would recommend to others?

CF: I have just finished reading Gordon Ramsay’s Playing with Fire (again) as it reinforces basic philosophies and principles that make more sense than any “how to succeed book”. It is about believing in yourself and by using passion and hard work to achieve what you want in a world where everything is homogenised, sterilised and pasteurised including the human working culture. I would also recommend Scarface Claw by Linley Dodd as it never fails to raise a smile on a 6-year old’s face at bedtime.

RL: Have the Global Warming/Food Miles debates impacted on Farmers’ Markets, and if so, how?

CF: We try and keep that debate out of Farmers’ Markets as it’s a fight that the politicians love to deal with and scores them more points – certainly food miles play a part in all farmers’ markets as the produce comes from a defined region (normally 100-200 km) and not from China and South America. It is more about common sense really – who would expect our garlic and broccoli to come from China anyway when we can produce great quality here in NZ.  This has only been happening in the last 10 years as world markets have opened up – smaller producers used to sell their produce through local supermarkets but this has changed as supermarkets want central distribution and less suppliers.

RL: What three people would you invite to dinner if you could?

CF: Michael Pollan – author of In Defense of Food and Omnivore’s Dilemma, who would bring the pleasures of eating to the table.

Douglas Badar  – after reading his life story I wanted to become a fighter pilot in the air force, nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it (he lost both legs in a crash and went on to become an inspirational hero during World War II). He would bring the inspiration to the table.

My future son in law – so that I can lay down the ground rules now while I am still the apple of my daughter’s eye (she is two years of age). He would bring the humour to the table.

RL: What’s the most important thing people could do to support the Farmers’ Markets, apart from shopping there?

CF: By appreciating that when they sit at the table with their families and friends, the amount of time, energy and effort that has gone into producing something as a simple cob of corn or  tree ripened apples, and that this is the way that food should taste, that it is the way food should smell and feel and that we should eat more of it; we need to pass these tastes and smells down to the next generation just as our own grandparents and their parents did before hand.