Davis Farmers Market

What Davis Farmers Market does

Davis Farmers Market is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (legal name Davis Farmers Market Alliance, EIN 47-4702989) operating certified farmers markets in Northern California since 1976, with a flagship year-round market in Central Park, Davis (301 C Street) and five satellite locations at UC Davis, Sutter Davis Hospital, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, Sutter Medical Center Roseville, and Sutter Auburn Faith. The organization serves individual consumers seeking fresh, locally grown produce and artisan goods, local farmers and producers seeking direct-to-consumer sales outlets, the Davis Joint Unified School District through the Davis Farm to School program (operating since 2000), and healthcare partners via the Sutter Health hospital-market program. It employs 16 staff and is led by Executive Director Randii MacNear, with legacy involvement from co-founder and former Davis Mayor Ann Evans.

The Alliance's core offerings include the Central Park Saturday and Wednesday markets, the Picnic in the Park summer evening event series (since 1995), Gift Basket Central holiday service, the annual Village Feast fundraiser co-hosted with Les Dames d'Escoffier Sacramento, and an online merchandise shop (aprons, hats, totes, mugs, T-shirts) hosted on Square. Underlying technology is limited to a content-marketing website, email newsletter, Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest social channels, and the Square e-commerce storefront — no proprietary software, APIs, AI/ML systems, or mobile applications are disclosed. The organization accepts CalFresh, WIC, and Senior nutrition coupons at market.

Revenue is generated across four streams: vendor booth fees (farmers, artisans, food purveyors, and crafters selling at the markets), charitable donations and fundraising (online giving, planned gifts, IRA rollovers, matching gifts, and an endowment fund held at Yolo Community Foundation), merchandise sales via the Square shop, and the Village Feast fundraiser (communal dining, silent auction, and sponsorships benefiting Davis Farm to School and Les Dames d'Escoffier). The Alliance has been recognized with the Slow Food Yolo Snail of Approval Award (2018, 2019) and has been repeatedly voted by Davis Enterprise readers as the best community event and best place to take an out-of-towner in Yolo County.

Name

Davis Farmers Market

Legal name

Davis Farmers Market Alliance

Website

https://davisfarmersmarket.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Davis Farmers Market is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating certified farmers markets across Northern California since 1976, serving individual consumers, local farmers, schools, and healthcare partners through its flagship Central Park market and five satellite hospital and university locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmers Markets

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Farmers market operations
• Local produce sales
• Community agriculture programs
• Farm to school education
• Nonprofit market management

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Vendor Booth Fees: Farmers and artisans pay fees to sell at the market. Vendors offer produce, farm products, crafts, baked goods, hot food and coffee at the Davis Farmers Market and satellite locations.
2. Donations and Fundraising: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Davis Farmers Market Alliance accepts charitable donations. They receive gifts supporting the market's operations and Davis Farm to School programs through online giving, mail, matching gifts, IRA charitable rollovers, planned gifts, and endowments.
3. Merchandise Sales: The market operates a Merch Shop selling market-logo merchandise including aprons, hats, totes, mugs, and T-shirts through Square e-commerce site.
4. Village Feast Fundraiser: Annual fundraising event featuring communal dining, silent auction, and sponsorships. Proceeds benefit Davis Farm to School and Les Dames d'Escoffier Sacramento Chapter.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Davis Farmers Market operates a community-based network of physical farmers markets where local farmers and purveyors sell fresh produce, farm products, crafts, baked goods, hot food, and coffee directly to consumers across six Northern California locations. The organization runs the Davis Farm to School education program in partnership with Davis Joint Unified School District, hosts signature community events such as Picnic in the Park and the Village Feast fundraiser, and operates an online Merch Shop selling market-logo apparel and goods.

Product overview

Davis Farmers Market is a community farmers market organization operating since 1976, with its flagship market in Central Park, Davis, CA. The organization runs a multi-location farmers market network including its main Central Park market, four partner locations (UC Davis, Sutter Davis Hospital, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, Sutter Auburn Faith), and several branded programs. Key offerings include the Davis Farm to School educational program (supporting local school districts since 2000), the Picnic in the Park summer evening event series, Gift Basket Central holiday service, Village Feast annual fundraiser, and an online merchandise shop. The organization is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under the Davis Farmers Market Alliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Davis Farm to School: A project of the Davis Farmers Market Alliance that supports farm and garden-based education in Davis Joint Unified School District.

Products and services

• Davis Farmers Market Central Park The main farmers market operating in Central Park, Davis, CA. Open year-round on Saturdays (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Wednesdays (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.), offering fresh produce, farm products, crafts, baked goods, hot food and coffee from local farmers and purveyors.
• Davis Farm to School Program A project of the Davis Farmers Market Alliance supporting the Davis Joint Unified School District with farm and garden-based education, farm-fresh foods in school meals, and recycling/composting programs. Operates since 2000.
• UC Davis Student Community Center Market Satellite farmers market at UC Davis Student Community Center operating Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. during Fall and Spring Quarters.
• Sutter Davis Hospital Farmers Market Partner farmers market at Sutter Davis Hospital, 2000 Sutter Place, Davis, operating Thursdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (May through September).
• Sutter Medical Center Sacramento Farmers Market Year-round partner farmers market at Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, 2825 Capitol Ave, operating Thursdays 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
• Sutter Medical Center Roseville Farmers Market Partner farmers market at Sutter Medical Center Roseville, 1 Medical Plaza Drive, operating Wednesdays 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Sutter Auburn Faith Farmers Market Seasonal partner farmers market at Sutter Auburn Faith, 11815 Education St, Auburn, operating Thursdays 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Picnic in the Park Summer evening event running May through September on Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m., featuring local bands, food vendors, beer/wine garden, and children's entertainment. Transforms the Wednesday market into a festival of food, music and family fun.
• Gift Basket Central Free basket and wrapping service for market shoppers who purchase three or more items, available during the holiday season (December Saturdays).
• Village Feast Fundraiser Annual fundraiser held each October at Central Park, featuring a Provençal Grand Aïoli-style communal dining experience. Proceeds benefit Davis Farm to School and Les Dames d'Escoffier Sacramento Chapter.
• Merch Shop Online merchandise store offering market-logo apparel and goods including aprons, hats, totes, mugs, and T-shirts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Davis Farm to School program supports all schools in Davis Joint Unified School District with garden grants, farm field trips, and farm-fresh foods in school meals.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sutter HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership to manage farmers markets at Sutter Davis Hospital and Sutter Medical Center Sacramento. Markets promote community health by providing access to fresh, locally grown produce at hospital campuses. Sutter Health's goal is to increase fruits and vegetables by 20% and offer more plant-based recipes in hospital cafeterias.
• Davis Joint Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavis Farm to School program, a project of Davis Farmers Market Alliance, supports DJUSD goals to provide farm and garden-based education, increase farm-fresh foods in school meals, and reduce solid waste through recycling and composting programs.
• Soroptimist International of DaviscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOperates beer and wine garden at Picnic in the Park during summer months. Profits support Soroptimist programs for women and girls, including monthly mentorship at King High, grants for single moms, and work to end human trafficking. Also supports Davis Farm to School.
• Davis Downtown Business AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to incorporate live music and alcohol portion of Picnic in the Park into Open Air Davis initiative, planned for spring 2021 pending health guidelines.
• Visit DavisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism partner promoting Davis Farmers Market as a destination for visitors to Davis.
• Visit YOLOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism partner for Yolo County promoting farmers market and local attractions.
• Fiery Ginger FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Davis Farm to School to provide free produce to children age 18 and under during Farm to Fork month. Fiery Ginger Farm, located in West Sacramento, supplies fresh vegetables distributed at DJUSD school meal pickup sites.
• Les Dames d'Escoffier Sacramento ChapterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-beneficiary of Village Feast annual fundraiser. Both organizations support education programs around food and agriculture - Davis Farm to School provides garden grants and farm field trips, while Les Dames provides scholarships to women in food, wine, agriculture, and hospitality.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Imperfect Foods: A national direct-to-consumer online grocer sourcing produce and pantry items from farmers and producers, comparable as an emerging digital channel that overlaps the local-farm-produce value proposition Davis Farmers Market offers, but with national scale and home delivery rather than in-person market attendance.
• Farm Fresh To You: A California-based organic farm-to-doorstep CSA delivery service founded by a Capay-area farming family, comparable as an adjacent farm-direct-to-consumer channel that competes for the same local-producer demand that Davis Farmers Market vendors serve, but with subscription box delivery rather than physical market venues.

Broad incumbents

• Sprouts Farmers Market: A publicly traded grocery chain with hundreds of stores emphasizing fresh, natural, and local produce, comparable to Davis Farmers Market as a broader incumbent offering overlapping fresh-local-produce positioning at scale, though without the nonprofit, community-event, or farm-to-school programming layer.

Regional players

• Pacifica Farmers Market: A Coastside-certified farmers market run by a Pacifica-based nonprofit, comparable to Davis Farmers Market as a community-managed California farmers market with vendor booth-fee economics, though serving a coastal San Mateo County audience rather than Davis's inland Sacramento Valley market.
• Menlo Park Farmers Market: A Sunday farmers market operated in partnership between Menlo Park and the nonprofit Collective Roots, comparable to Davis Farmers Market in nonprofit management structure and community-programming orientation, though located on the San Francisco Peninsula rather than in Davis's Sacramento Valley catchment.
• Healdsburg Farmers Market: A nonprofit-run certified farmers market in Sonoma County, California, comparable as a community-based Northern California farmers market with seasonal programming and local-producer focus, though serving a different geography than Davis.

Direct peers

• Agricultural Institute of Marin: A Marin County nonprofit that operates multiple farmers markets (including the renowned San Rafael Sunday market), directly comparable as a multi-site nonprofit farmers market operator running signature community events and farm-to-school-adjacent programming in a Northern California adjacent region.
• Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (CUESA): Operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, this iconic San Francisco farmers market is a direct peer: nonprofit-managed, mission-driven, focused on local farmers and artisan food producers, with educational programming and signature events analogous to Davis Farmers Market's Picnic in the Park and Farm to School.
• Sacramento Certified Farmers' Markets: A network of certified farmers markets operating across Sacramento County, directly comparable to Davis Farmers Market as a regional, multi-location nonprofit farmers market operator serving Northern California with similar vendor booth-fee and event-based programming models.
• Ecology Center (Berkeley Farmers Markets): The Berkeley Ecology Center operates three farmers markets in Berkeley and North Berkeley as a nonprofit, directly comparable to Davis Farmers Market in mission (sustainable agriculture, community education), multi-location structure, and vendor booth-fee revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DavisFarmersMarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/davis.farmers.market
• Pinterestpinterest.com/davisfarmmarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/davis-farmers-market

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Davis Farmers Market