Farmers' Market at UCLA

What Farmers' Market at UCLA does

Farmers' Market at UCLA is a student-run campus organization affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles that operates a periodic farmers' market at Bruin Plaza, the central plaza on the UCLA campus. The market brings together local farmers and vendors to sell fresh, locally-sourced produce directly to UCLA students and the surrounding campus community, with an explicit focus on sustainable food, food justice, and local agriculture. Events are held every few weeks during the academic year, and the organization supplements market operations with educational workshops, field trips, recipe sharing, and sustainability programming.

The organization's core products are the in-person market events and an accompanying WordPress blog (uclafarmersmarket.wordpress.com) that serves as the primary digital touchpoint, publishing seasonal recipes, food system education, zero-waste shopping guidance, and community updates. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no e-commerce or delivery infrastructure, and no API; communications are handled through the blog, Facebook, and campus networks. The technology footprint is therefore limited to standard consumer web tools.

The business model is community-led and largely non-commercial: the market facilitates direct vendor-to-student transactions, with vendors setting their own prices, and the organization likely collects nominal booth fees from participating farmers. The organization is governed by an annually elected student board with Directors, Programming, Education, Marketing, and Finance committees, and operates as an extracurricular UCLA club rather than a standalone legal entity. Revenue is undisclosed, and the single documented commercial-style partnership is with The Refillery LA for zero-waste shopping.

Name

Farmers' Market at UCLA

Legal name

Farmers' Market at UCLA

Website

https://uclafarmersmarket.wordpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farmers' Market at UCLA is a student-run UCLA organization that hosts periodic farmers' markets at Bruin Plaza, selling locally-sourced produce to UCLA students alongside a blog covering sustainable food education and zero-waste practices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmers' Market / Local Food Retail

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA)

Keywords

• Farmers market
• Local produce
• Sustainable food
• Food education
• Community markets

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Market Operations: The Farmers' Market at UCLA facilitates direct sales between local farmers/vendors and UCLA students/community members. The organization likely generates revenue through vendor fees for booth space at the market, though specific fee structures are not disclosed in available sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Farmers' Market at UCLA operates a periodic in-person farmers' market at Bruin Plaza on the UCLA campus, bringing together local farmers and vendors within roughly 200 miles to sell fresh, locally-sourced produce directly to UCLA students and the surrounding community. The market is supported by a WordPress-based educational blog that publishes seasonal recipes, food systems education, zero-waste shopping guidance, and sustainability content. The organization also hosts educational workshops and field trips to promote food literacy and sustainable eating practices on campus.

Product overview

Farmers' Market at UCLA is a student organization operating a periodic fresh produce market at Bruin Plaza combined with an educational blog platform. The core offering consists of the Farmers' Market itself (selling locally-sourced fruits, vegetables, and specialty items) supported by a WordPress blog that publishes seasonal recipes, food system education articles, zero waste shopping guidance, and community engagement content. The organization also runs educational workshops, field trips, and collaborates with campus sustainability groups. The blog serves as the primary digital touchpoint for market dates, events, and food education content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Produce Market Events at Bruin Plaza Periodic in-person farmers' market held at Bruin Plaza on the UCLA campus, offering fresh, locally-sourced produce from farmers within approximately 200 miles to UCLA students and the surrounding community. Vendors sell directly to attendees on market days that occur roughly every few weeks during the academic year.
• Farmers' Market at UCLA Educational Blog WordPress-based blog that publishes educational content about food systems, sustainability, seasonal produce, recipes, mindful eating, and zero-waste shopping practices, serving as the primary digital communication channel for the campus organization.
• Food and Sustainability Educational Workshops Educational workshops hosted by the organization (planned at a cadence of roughly 1-2 per quarter) that teach UCLA students about sustainable food systems, food justice, zero-waste shopping, and healthy eating practices, often held in conjunction with market days.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produce travels an average of 1,000 miles to grocery stores compared to under 200 miles at farmers' markets
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Refillery LAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2019Partnership to bring zero-waste shopping options to the UCLA Farmers' Market. The Refillery LA focuses on eliminating single-use plastics by offering bulk household and personal care products. This collaboration supports UCLA's sustainability goals and provides students with additional zero-waste shopping opportunities at the market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Santa Monica Farmers Market: Operated by the City of Santa Monica, this is one of the largest and most established certified farmers' markets in Los Angeles, hosting multiple weekly markets. It is directly comparable to Farmers' Market at UCLA in product mix (local produce, prepared foods) and customer base (health-conscious, sustainability-minded LA consumers), though at significantly larger scale and professional (not student-run) operations.
• Atwater Village Farmers Market: Sunday market in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles operated by SEE-LA. Directly comparable as a Southern California certified farmers' market selling local produce to a defined community catchment, with similar vendor composition and sustainability focus.
• Hollywood Farmers Market: Sunday farmers market in Hollywood run by Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), the same nonprofit that operates multiple LA-area markets. It sells the same fresh, locally-sourced produce to urban consumers and shares the same vendor ecosystem and California-certified farmers market regulatory framework as the Farmers' Market at UCLA.
• UC Davis Farmers Market: Agricultural Sustainability Institute-operated weekly farmers market at the UC Davis campus, featuring student-run programming and similar produce sourcing within 100 miles. The closest functional analogue as a university-affiliated farmers market with similar educational mission and student involvement, though UC Davis has a deeper agricultural heritage.
• South Central Farmers' Cooperative: Community-led cooperative of small-scale urban farmers in South Los Angeles focused on food justice and access in underserved communities. Comparable mission (food access, sustainability, community education) and overlapping LA-area geography, though operating as a grower cooperative rather than a retail market organizer.

Emerging players

• Imperfect Foods: Mission-driven online grocer delivering "ugly" and surplus produce directly to consumers, including UCLA students in Los Angeles. Comparable sustainability/anti-food-waste positioning but operates at national scale with subscription e-commerce model, representing a fundamentally different distribution approach to the same customer need.

Others

• The Refillery LA: LA-based zero-waste bulk refill shop that partnered with Farmers' Market at UCLA in November 2019 to bring refillable household products to the market. Adjacent sustainability-focused partner with overlapping customer base (eco-conscious UCLA community) rather than direct competitor.
• UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative: UCLA's campus-wide wellness and sustainability initiative that the Farmers' Market at UCLA operates within. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem and funding/advocacy partner that could either accelerate or constrain the farmers market depending on strategic alignment.
• UCLA Sustainability Committee: UCLA's central sustainability governance body that oversees campus initiatives including zero-waste goals the Farmers' Market supports. Adjacent institutional stakeholder rather than commercial peer, but provides the policy framework and funding pipeline the market depends on.

Regional players

• Berkeley Farmers Market: Network of farmers markets operated by the Ecology Center in Berkeley, California, serving the East Bay. Comparable certified farmers' market model with similar vendor base and sustainability focus, but serving a different geography (Northern California) and thus not a direct competitor to the UCLA market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/uclafarmersmarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uclafarmersmarket

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Farmers' Market at UCLA