About
Welcome to St Ives Farmers’ Market – a community venture to help make fresh local produce available in St Ives, Cornwall.
The market runs every Thursday throughout the year at The Guildhall, Street an Pol, St Ives. It’s in the town centre, next door to the Visitor Information Centre.
Opening times are 9.30am until 2.00pm.
At the market you can find a wide range of local food to meet your needs, including meats, vegetables and baked goods – depending on who trades on a particular day and what is in season.
Why Shop at the Farmers’ Market?
Farmers’ Markets are good for the environment and good for the local economy.
They reduce food miles – the distance travelled from farm to fork, thereby saving energy and cutting pollution.
They keep money circulating in the local economy and help provide a livelihood for farmers and producers.
They help build links between producers and consumers, so that shoppers can have confidence in the food they buy, and sellers can get direct feedback on the food they offer.
Who runs the Farmers’ Market?
The market is operated by a community group called GULP – which stands for Great-tasting Unbeatable Local Produce. It’s a not-for-profit organisation that was set up to support local food producers and make local produce more widely available in St Ives.
If you would like to find out more about GULP, or would like to lend a hand with our activities, please get in touch with Tim on 01736 795387 or by emailing: info@stivesfarmersmarket.co.uk
Who can trade at the Farmers’ Market?
Any business that grows, bakes, rears, catches, smokes, brews or cures local food is eligible to take part in the markets.
By local we mean that the business must be based within 30 miles of St Ives (that means almost as far as St Austell and Padstow). Some ingredients can be ‘imported’ from further afield, in which case they must have been substantially altered by the trader.
While the market is primarily geared towards food, other goods may be sold if they are linked directly to the land – for example, cut flowers or plants.
The market aims for high standards in animal welfare. We favour free range and organic producers, and avoid factory-farmed meats.
The market is run so as to provide a variety of goods and this sometimes means that traders offering a similar product to one that’s already on offer are put on our waiting list rather than being able to trade immediately.
To find out who may be trading at the market, please look at our Stallholders page for the details and websites of individual traders.
Busking at St Ives Farmers' Market
Buskers are welcome at the market, and there is a designated space inside the hall where you can play. Sound carries well in the hall, so music should be acoustic. We offer a £10 payment to buskers for an hour's play, and of course that can be topped up with what the shoppers will put into the hat.
