Save the Date – Sat, Sept. 17, 2022!
We are 30 years old this year!
1st Portland Farmers Market at Alber’s Mill, 1992
To celebrate this notable milestone and honor our vast community of vendors, shoppers, partners, volunteers, staff, and board members, we are hosting an all-day party on Saturday, September 17, at our flagship PSU Farmers Market.
We are planning an at-market event celebrating our community with special guests, chef demos, live music, kids’ activities, and a Portland Farmers Market museum with pictures, memorabilia & videos to showcase what we’ve been up to for the past 30 years. Here is our event schedule:
- 8:30 am – Market opening bells!
- 9:00 am – PFM Museum opens.
- 9:30 am – Presentation by PFM executive director Katy Kolker and various PFM community members.
- 10:30 am – Chef Demos by Elsy Dinvil of Creole Me Up and Laura Bennett of Eloisa Organic Farm.
- 12:15 pm – 1 pm – Musical performance by The Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers.
In the weeks leading up to the celebration event, we will be rolling out our video series spotlighting & celebrating the PFM community.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and now, YouTube to check out these videos and stay current on the at-market event details!
In our three decades, Portland Farmers Market has directly connected millions of shoppers to thousands of local food growers and producers with deep roots in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Portland Farmers Market was founded in 1992 by three local activists – Craig Mosbaek, Ted Snider and Dr. Richard Hagan, who wanted to “bring the best of the country to the heart of the city.”
The first Portland Farmers Market was held on June 13, 1992, in the Alber’s Mill parking lot on NW Naito Parkway along the Willamette River with 13 vendors. By the end of that inaugural season, the vendor pool had grown to 22.
(Left to right) Craig Mosbaek, Richard Hagan & Ted Snider, 1992
The first Portland Farmers Market was held on June 13, 1992, in the Alber’s Mill parking lot on NW Naito Parkway along the Willamette River with 13 vendors. By the end of that inaugural season, the vendor pool had grown to 22.
Seven of the 22 original vendors from that inaugural market season are still with us today!
- Baird Family Orchards – Dayton, OR
- Gabriel’s Bakery – Portland, OR
- Gathering Together Farm – Philomath, OR
- Kenyon Growers- Forest Grove, OR
- Osmogaia – Woodburn, OR
- Salmon Creek Farm – Battle Ground, WA
- Liepold Farms – Boring, OR. Please note Liepold Farms wrapped up their 2022 season earlier in August at PSU and Shemanski Park Farmers Markets.
We would like to acknowledge the other original vendors that have retired or now sell their products online or at their brick & mortar locations:
- Early Mom – Aloha, OR
- Hummingbird’s Flower Farms – Salem, OR
- Kaleng Produce – Canby, OR
- Lucky Farms – Gresham, OR
- Market Fruit/Packer Orchards – Hood River, OR
- Oregon Walnuts – Beaverton, OR
- Persephone Farms – Lebanon, OR
- Philleos Premium Pack – Eltopia, WA
- Rogue Creamery – Central Point, OR
- Rick Steffen Farm – Salem, OR
- Spring Hill Organic Farm – Albany, OR
- Springwater Farm – St. Helens, OR
- Thompson Farms – Damascus, OR
- Viridian Farms – Dayton, OR
Thank you to everyone who passed through Portland Farmers Market over the past three decades. You all have shaped the organization in one way or another into what it is today.
Want to learn more about our history?
We will continue the celebration of our anniversary through the end of this year with a blog post series highlighting achievements and moments over the past three decades. Stay tuned!
