Portland Farmers Market

What Portland Farmers Market does

Portland Farmers Market is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 by Craig Mosbaek, Dr. Richard Hagan, and Ted Snider that operates five physical farmers markets across Portland, Oregon. Its portfolio is anchored by the year-round PSU Farmers Market at Portland State University (Saturdays 8:30am-2pm summer / 9am-2pm winter, up to ~90 vendors and as many as 9,000 weekly shoppers in summer) and four neighborhood-specific seasonal markets: Shemanski Park (downtown, Wednesdays), King (northeast, Sundays), Kenton (north, Wednesday evenings), and Lents International (southeast, Sundays). The markets serve individual consumers, chefs and restaurants, SNAP recipients, local farmers and food producers, and diverse ethnic communities, with multi-language website access in Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese.

The organization is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors and operated by paid staff (11-50 employees). Its operating model is built on physical market infrastructure: vendor booths, the Market Information Booth where shoppers purchase $5 market tokens (with a $4 convenience fee and $20 minimum), and integrations with SNAP/Oregon Trail EBT, Double Up Food Bucks (SNAP matching up to $20/day per market), and calendar/maps services (Google Maps, Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365, Outlook Live). Vendor fees cover core operating costs including site rental, permits, advertising, insurance, and staffing; supplementary revenue comes from market sponsorships (Dave's Killer Bread as flagship sponsor, plus cultural and operational partners), donations, and fundraising.

Portland Farmers Market is led by Executive Director Katy Kolker and supplements its market operations with programs including the Matthew Choi Farmers Market Vendor Grant, market music and busking, guided market tours, community group booths at King/Kenton/Lents, cultural events (Lunar New Year with the Oregon Chinese Coalition, truffle dog demonstrations with the Pacific Northwest Truffle Collaborative), and a food-rescue partnership with Urban Gleaners. The organization publishes an annual Impact Report (latest 2026) and maintains a single Instagram channel (@portlandfarmers) and email newsletter for community engagement.

Name

Portland Farmers Market

Legal name

Portland Farmers Market

Website

https://portlandfarmersmarket.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Portland Farmers Market is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit operating five physical farmers markets across Portland, Oregon, connecting ~90 local farmers and food producers at its flagship PSU market with up to 9,000 weekly shoppers, plus SNAP/EBT acceptance and Double Up Food Bucks matching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmers Markets

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230), Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA), Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO)

Keywords

• Farmers market operations
• Local food distribution
• Fresh produce retail
• Vendor marketplace services
• Community food programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vendor Fees: Vendors pay fees to participate in markets. Fees cover essential costs of operating markets including site rental, permits, advertising, insurance, and staffing.
2. Market Sponsorships: Sponsors fund individual markets, special events and programs. Used to keep vendor fees low and fund educational outreach.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Fundraising campaigns and donations from the public support the organization's operations.
4. Market Tokens: Shoppers purchase $5 market tokens at the Market Information Booth with credit/debit card or check. $20 purchase minimum and $4 convenience fee assessed.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Portland Farmers Market operates five physical farmers market locations across Portland, Oregon, providing booth space and a managed marketplace where approximately 90+ local farmers, food producers, and artisans sell directly to consumers. The organization runs a year-round flagship PSU market plus four seasonal neighborhood markets (Shemanski Park, King, Kenton, Lents International) and supplements market operations with a SNAP/EBT token system, Double Up Food Bucks matching program, vendor grants, live entertainment, and guided tours.

Product overview

Portland Farmers Market operates five distinct farmers market locations across Portland, Oregon, serving as a platform connecting local farmers, food producers, and artisans with the community. The portfolio includes the year-round flagship PSU Farmers Market (the largest with up to 90 vendors and 9,000 weekly shoppers), plus four seasonal markets: Shemanski Park (downtown, Wednesdays), King (Sundays), Kenton (North Portland Wednesday evenings), and Lents International (culturally diverse, Southeast Portland Sundays). The organization offers supplementary programs including a market token system for cashless transactions, Double Up Food Bucks (SNAP matching up to $20/day), vendor grants, live music entertainment, guided educational tours, and community group booth spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PSU Farmers Market The flagship year-round farmers market at Portland State University, operating Saturdays 8:30am-2pm (summer) and 9am-2pm (winter), featuring up to 90 local farmers and food producers and welcoming up to 9,000 shoppers on summer Saturdays. Targeted at downtown residents, office workers, tourists, families, and chefs.
• Shemanski Park Farmers Market A downtown Portland market open Wednesdays 10am-2pm from May through October and November 25, featuring over 30 vendor booths filled with farm-fresh and locally-made food, serving downtown residents, office workers, tourists, and chefs.
• King Farmers Market A Sunday market featuring about 30 farmers and food producers, offering fresh local produce and food plus breakfast and lunch options in a family-friendly setting. Open Sundays 10am-2pm, May through November, serving the Northeast Portland neighborhood.
• Kenton Farmers Market A Wednesday evening market in historic North Portland, operating 3-7pm from June through September, featuring a dozen vendors as a convenient midweek destination for fresh produce and local food.
• Lents International Farmers Market A Sunday market providing fresh, local, and culturally relevant produce to the diverse Lents community in southeast Portland. Open Sundays 10am-3pm from June through November.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 9,000 shoppers on summer Saturdays at PSU Market
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship sponsor, core and minor.

• DKB (Dave's Killer Bread)flagship sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud sponsor of Portland Farmers Market. Dave's Killer Bread sponsors the organization and its markets.
• Double Up OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatches SNAP benefits spent at all five Portland Farmers Market locations, up to $20 per day at each market. Program supports food security and local farmers.
• Urban GleanerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood rescue organization that collects unsold items from vendors at end of market day. Supplies food to emergency relief agencies and food-to-school programs.
• Oregon Chinese CoalitionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartners for Lunar New Year celebrations and cultural events at PSU Farmers Market. Brings traditional activities, performances, and Chinese culinary vendors.
• Pacific Northwest Truffle CollaborativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartners for truffle dog demonstrations and educational events showcasing native Oregon truffles at PSU Farmers Market.
• Truffle Connection PNWminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarket vendor offering truffles and truffle products, participates in collaborative events with Pacific Northwest Truffle Collaborative.
• East Portland CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to present the Lents Farmers & Makers Market at The ZED location, expanding market access in East Portland.
• Oregon Farmers Markets AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella organization for Oregon farmers markets. PFM refers shoppers to learn about other Portland area farmers markets.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (Cuesa): Flagship San Francisco farmers market run by a nonprofit (CUESA) with high vendor counts, year-round operation, and significant weekly shopper traffic — closely comparable nonprofit farmers-market-operator model with strong brand and weekend flagship dynamic.
• Hollywood Farmers Market (Hollywood Market Society): Nonprofit Saturday farmers market in Portland, Oregon — directly competing in the same city and customer base as PFM's PSU market, with overlapping vendor pool and Saturday/weekend shopper segment.
• Santa Monica Farmers Market: City-operated multi-location farmers market in Southern California with multiple weekly markets, vendor fee structure, and SNAP acceptance — directly comparable multi-market public-facing farmers-market platform serving urban shoppers and local farmers.
• Greenmarket (GrowNYC): Nonprofit network of more than 50 farmers markets across New York City operated by GrowNYC, with vendor fees, EBT/SNAP acceptance, and educational programming — directly comparable large-scale nonprofit farmers-market operator serving diverse urban neighborhoods.
• Seattle Farmers Market (Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets): Nonprofit operator of multiple neighborhood farmers markets in the Seattle metro with vendor fees, SNAP matching, and year-round/seasonal locations — directly comparable nonprofit-market-operator model to PFM in an adjacent Pacific Northwest city.

Others

• Farmers Market Coalition: National nonprofit trade association supporting farmers markets across the U.S. — adjacent enabling organization in the same farmers-market ecosystem, useful as an industry-context peer rather than a direct operator competitor.

Regional players

• Oregon Farmers Markets Association: Statewide umbrella organization for Oregon farmers markets that PFM itself partners with — comparable as a regional farmers-market support network, though operating at the association level rather than running individual markets.
• Hillsdale Farmers Market: Independent neighborhood farmers market in Portland, Oregon — comparable direct competitor serving a different Portland neighborhood with similar vendor-fee nonprofit model and weekend format.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/portlandfarmers
• Xx.com/portlandfarmers
• Facebookfacebook.com/portlandfarmersmarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portland-farmers-market

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portland Farmers Market