By Alexa Vasquez
In March of 2020, Alexa Vasquez, founder of NOCO Virtual Farmers Market, discovered that all local farmers markets and festivals would be postponed until further notice. She panicked, who would not when your livelihood depended on facing and interacting with your customers.
Within two days of the COVID 19 order, Alexa created the very first virtual farmers market Facebook group. A group that has since then grown into what is now called “an accidental business.” She had no idea at the time, that her Facebook group would become the first Virtual Farmers Market in Colorado.
Alexa’s mission was to provide the local community with wholesome foods and artisan products from local farmers, and small businesses. Alexa’s vision grew from her first delivery order of 10 to a full-blown business that continues to this day.
No longer do consumers need to worry about how much or how little the supermarket shelves have in stock. There are no supply chain shortages when you buy and support local. The only thing that runs out is the food that has passed the season, but as the seasons change, so do the products that NOCO Virtual Farmers Market website continues to supply.
The online market is open year-round, from fresh strawberries in the Spring to Fall pumpkins, to Holiday goodies, to Winter specials, the NOCO Virtual Farmers Market website continues to support local businesses and the community with their large assortment of products and services.
Alexa continues to grow the company in small and meaningful ways. Since the days of selling on Facebook, to moving to a small website, Alexa now finds she wants to move things even further and is redesigning the current website to make it user friendly for consumers and easier for vendors to continue to add products, manage their inventory and to showcase and supply their amazing products to the public. (Stay tuned for a new website, coming in mid-September, just in time for the upcoming holiday season).
What Alexa has learned from her journey, is that locally grown food and artisan products keep communities healthy, and now more than ever, residents want to support artisans, farmers and small businesses. NOCO Virtual Farmers Market is an excellent alternative to shopping in big box locations, or on large online platforms that source their products from unknown places, and/or from suppliers who bring products from places so afar that they remain fresh for a day or two. When you shop local, your food is coming from your community directly to you, and your orders are delivered by an honest, woman founded, family-run, small business.
For more information regarding the NOCO Virtual Farmers Market, visit: www.nocovirtualfarmersmarket.com
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