About Us

Down to Earth Farmers Markets is a mission-driven company that curates and manages approximately twenty farmers markets in and around New York City. The company was founded in 1991 as Community Markets and rebranded in 2012 as Down to Earth Farmers Markets.

The name change affirmed our commitment to the source of our food: the earth.

Vision

Down to Earth Markets envisions a strong regional food system, built by independent farms and food businesses, that provides everyone with an alternative to industrial food. We believe that seasonal, local food is a vital part of our heritage that ensures the health of our communities and environment.

Mission

Since the beginning, Down to Earth Markets has been connecting shoppers with regional farms and food producers through our farmers markets and other venues. In doing so, we honor a timeless form of commerce: local, community-scale businesses selling neighbor to neighbor.

Our mission is to:

·  Create economic opportunities for local farmers, processors, and consumers to trade with one another for mutual benefit;

·  Celebrate our food culture together to enhance community life; and

·  Cultivate knowledge, awareness, and practices among consumers and producers to care for the environment and build the local food economy.

More background

In 1991, Down To Earth Markets founder Miriam Haas started the company’s first farmers market in Ossining, NY. At the time, growers were routinely spraying apples with the chemical Alar. Out of concern for the unknown health effects, she set out to connect with clean, local food sources. Two Hudson Valley farmers answered her call, and together they began selling produce directly to shoppers at the weekly market. 

Today Down to Earth Markets manages twenty markets in Westchester and Rockland Counties and New York City. With over twenty years of experience, we curate each market to ensure shoppers get an exciting diversity of locally crafted products. Our vendors are family-scale farmers and artisanal food producers who work in tandem with nature’s seasons. For us, the word "local" means, “to market and back in a day". 

Each community we serve is distinct. From site planning to vendor selection to promoting the markets weekly, we get to know each host environment. Our markets reflect their unique surroundings and create special places for neighbors to meet, shop, and connect.