New Co-op will take your fruit to market

[seanj]

Are you growing excess fruits and vegetables and have too much? Looking to make a little extra money? There is a new co-op forming that will bring your excess produce to the Maku'u Farmers Market. The Maku'u Backyard Growers Co-op.

Whether you are a small backyard grower or a large farm, you can participate. Drop offs happen each Saturday at 4pm Orchidland TrueValue and 4:30 at Hpp Community center, or you can bring your produce by the booth on Sunday mornings before 9am.

The goal of the co-op is to increase access to local food for consumers and to stop the needless waste of quality local produce that is grown on the island. The Co-op also wants to build a stronger local economy and a more vibrant community.

Visit makuubackyardgrowers.wordpress.com for more info.

[macuu222]

Do you have to be a member of the co-op to sell our excess backyard produce to you? Do you get payed immediately upon giving you our produce or is it whatever sells at the market?

[seanj]

Members are simply people who supply their excess produce to sell through the co-op. It is free to join. We take the produce to market, what does not sell can either be picked up or donated to the food bank.

We pick up every Saturday at 3 locations:

4pm @ Orchidland
4:30 @ HPP Community Center
5pm @ Pahoa outside Subway

Pickups subject to change, that is why we ask for you to sign up, so we can contact you about any changes.

[allensylves]

Sean,
I looked for you last Sunday and could not find you. I know locations change in the Makuu Market, but do you have any idea where you will be April 1 or is there any way you could post your booth number (location) here once you know?

Allen
Finally in HPP

[seanj]

I sure wish I knew where our booth would be every week, but I don't know until the morning of. I get in line as early as 1:00am to get a good spot, but sometimes the options are not even that good. We try to stick close to the Homegrown booth, down that main middle aisle, but there are no guarantees. That's just the way it goes at the Maku'u market unless you have a permanent vendor stall. We have a big colorful sign so just try to look for us. We're there every Sunday.