This report covers April 2023 through March 2024, a time of revitalization in the Bay Area and beyond. As downtown San Francisco rebounds from the ripple effects of the pandemic, Foodwise farmers markets have been a constant source of economic support for California’s small sustainable farmers and food entrepreneurs, healthy food access for thousands of Bay Area residents, and education and empowerment for eaters of all ages.
Over the last year, we expanded our Building Equity program and Pop-Ups on the Plaza events, providing market opportunities for dozens of BIPOC food entrepreneurs. As emergency food benefits ended last year, our farmers markets helped low-income families maximize their EBT dollars for fresh, healthy food. Celebrating 30 years in 2023, Foodwise farmers markets continue to be vibrant hubs of nourishment, learning, and connection as we engage kids and adults in our education programs, demos, and talks. We can't do this important work without you! Let’s look back on what we accomplished together.
Often in San Francisco, it feels like farmers markets are only for a few people who are informed or have the right access. Foodwise Kids brought much more inclusivity and access from a really early age, having first-graders understand that the city has all of these markets that are accessible to them.
—Julia Schorr-Sherer, bilingual teacher, Sanchez Elementary School
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice
As we strive to grow thriving communities through the power and joy of local food, Foodwise recognizes our responsibility to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) within our organization, Bay Area community, and food system at large.
In early 2024, we formalized our DEIJ commitment, outlining actions we are taking to build a truly equitable and sustainable food system, one that nourishes, celebrates, and empowers all. We share more about how this commitment comes to life in the report below.
Connecting the Bay Area with California’s Food Shed
For more than 30 years, we’ve connected climate-wise California family farms with San Francisco residents to make fresh, sustainably grown food accessible to all. Our farmers markets reflect the talent, innovation, and diversity of our community.
Sustaining Small Family Farms & Food Makers
Foodwise’s Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and Mission Community Market are vital sources of income for 140 family farms and food businesses. Farmers and food makers report that Foodwise farmers markets account for about 25% of their sales on average, with 70% reporting that their participation led to restaurant sales and connections.
Over the years, Foodwise has been committed to supporting the farms, supporting the producers, and supporting those in our community who have been underserved. Foodwise has focused on bringing all of us together, so we can all learn from and share food with each other.
—Lorraine Walker, Eatwell Farm, Ferry Plaza Farmers Market seller for 30+ years
Growing the Farmers Market Community
We work with innovative business owners who prioritize sustainability, social justice, and community health. Starting a food enterprise can be risky, requiring a lot of up-front investment. Our farmers markets provide a lower-risk market entry point for small farmers and entrepreneurs to build their brand, grow their audience, and meet customers face to face as they begin to formalize their businesses.
We welcomed 11 new farms and food businesses at Foodwise farmers markets over the past year:
Canteen Meats | Gumbo Social | Little Fish Co. | Kuali Salsa | Mangosay | Rize Up Bakery (shown here) | SF ChickenBox | Sonoma County Meat | Trees of Life Farm | Very Mulberry
It’s been very life changing to have this opportunity. What we’ve been so taken aback by is the response of the international community who’ve come by our booth. [They] have fallen in love with our salsa and have pushed us to think about our business outside of the US and what’s possible.
—Janeen and Rodrigo Cruz, Kuali Salsa
Building Equity for BIPOC Entrepreneurs
Your support ensures access to economic opportunity for local, sustainable, and BIPOC-, immigrant-, and women-owned food businesses, so they can grow and thrive. Through our Building Equity program, we provide business development resources and farmers market opportunities to support the growth, economic viability, and asset-building of BIPOC entrepreneurs across the Bay Area.
Building Equity Program: Setting Early-Stage Businesses Up for Success
Our Building Equity program has grown in collaboration with our community partners, including En2action, La Cocina, Mandela Partners, and, new in 2023, the Fillmore-based Black-led marketplace In The Black. To help set participating business owners up for success, we offer:
- Technical assistance: Supporting entrepreneurs in stall setup, equipment, and rules and regulations.
- Financial support: Waiving application fees, offering reduced stall fees, and paying for required permits.
- Marketing: Promoting businesses and offering additional marketing opportunities at events and programs.
Opportunities range from participating in our Pop-Ups on the Plaza events to spending a month- or quarter-long pop-up residency in one of our farmers markets to longer-term placement in the market.
Market pop-ups have a tremendous positive impact on my business because I’m exposed to customers that I wouldn’t necessarily be exposed to. When people come to visit San Francisco, one of the first questions they ask is, ‘Where are all the Black people?’ And I love that Foodwise is very deliberate in saying, ‘Yes, we’re still here.’
—Nicole Thrower, Belle Noire
Building Equity Program Stars
Last year, 46 BIPOC-, immigrant-, and women-led businesses popped up at Foodwise farmers markets, building their brands and sharing their passion and delicious food.
A Girl Named Pinky | Afia's Journey Craft | Afro Street Sizzle | Andina | Baby Bean Pie | Belle Noire | Buko Bakes | California Sweet Chicken | Camucha's Kitchen | Chef Sarah Germany | CIK Apparel | Clandestina Cocina (shown here) | Classie | Cloud Surfin Apparel | Coaster Cookies | Coccinelle Boutique | CocoaCentric | #DopeInRealLife | Dreamer Boyz | Flor de Chile | Free Play Music Group | Freestyle & Co. | Gourmonade | Harmonic Bliss | Ice Body Skincare | Irie girlnola | La Bella | Lil Alijo Catering | Living with Phyllis | LoJo's Tacos | MelanAid | Minnie Bell’s | Mo’Raysha | Origen | Papa Rudy | Pass the Sauced | Quanies | Sabores del Sur | Sam’s Jams | Sukulenta | Sweets by Sevyn | Tha MF'n Vegan | The Baking Endeavor | Urban Valley | Val's Hosiery | Yes Pudding
Pop-Ups on the Plaza: Celebrating Black Food Makers
An initiative of our Building Equity program, Pop-Ups on the Plaza is a series of public events celebrating Bay Area Black-owned businesses with delicious food, crafts, and community. Activating San Francisco’s Ferry Terminal Plaza and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, each free event showcases 12 to 20 Black-owned food and craft businesses and attracts thousands of Bay Area visitors, providing economic opportunities and contributing to a diverse, inclusive, and vibrant San Francisco Waterfront. Shown here, thousands of visitors celebrate at the 3rd annual Juneteenth on the Waterfront.
Pop-Ups on the Plaza lures in newcomers for my business and takes them on a culinary journey they may have never gotten a chance to experience before. The exposure garnered from events like Pop-Ups on the Plaza is invaluable for our business, as it not only introduces our unique flavors to a broader audience but also fosters lasting connections with new patrons, enriching our community presence.
—Vanessa Lee, Smoke Soul Kitchen
Pop-Up to Permanent Vendor
Over the years, 15 of our Building Equity pop-up participants have transitioned permanent vendors at our markets, and some have gone on to open thriving brick-and-mortar businesses. In the last year, we were excited to welcome Gumbo Social and Chef Sarah Germany (shown here) as permanent vendors at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
When I first popped up in the farmers market, I wasn’t going in with any expectations. It was a little overwhelming. But everyone was so welcoming. It has been unbelievable…I didn’t think I was going to be in a position this soon to be thinking about getting a bigger truck. It’s something I feel like is now within reach. I’m able to see my own growth.
—Sierra Young, founder of Mangosay
At our Pop-Ups on the Plaza: Celebrating Black Women Makers event, food entrepreneurs share what the farmers market community means to them:
Ensuring Fresh Food Access for All
Like you, we believe that healthy food is a right, not a privilege. As cost of living and food prices have increased, lower-income individuals and families have been most impacted, with 1 in 4 San Francisco residents at risk for food insecurity. Together, we’re helping families put fresh, local food on the table, while strengthening vital lifelines between small California farms and our Bay Area community.
Maximizing CalFresh EBT Amidst Rising Food Costs
During the pandemic, the federal government increased SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to help individuals in need, from college-age youth to working adults with kids to retirees. Many shoppers started using CalFresh EBT at Foodwise farmers markets, where they could double their benefits through the Market Match program, and they have become regular shoppers ever since. Though emergency EBT boosts ended in early 2023, leaving many families at risk for food insecurity amidst inflation and rising food costs, shoppers continue to make the most of their CalFresh benefits at Foodwise farmers markets with Market Match.
Market Match: Making Farmers Markets Affordable
Through the Market Match program, low-income shoppers can make the most of their CalFresh EBT benefits at Foodwise farmers markets to buy nutritious food, while supporting local farmers. When a customer uses their EBT card, they receive an equal amount in Market Match tokens for free to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, up to $15 per day—doubling their food dollars for free. With your support, we’ve been able to keep our match at $15, despite cuts to federal funding.
Without EBT, or without the Market Match, a lot of us don’t have as much incentive to come back. Market Match is really important because it doesn’t just benefit EBT users, but also the people who make the farmers market possible.
—Julia, farmers market shopper and CalFresh EBT recipient
Empowering Eaters of All Ages
It takes everyone participating to create the equitable and sustainable food system we all need, which is why education has always been at the heart of Foodwise’s work. Our farmers markets are spaces where neighbors can learn and share food knowledge, put values into action, and build community together. Whether you’re a farmers market regular or a kid visiting for the first time, our education programs inspire eaters of all ages to take part in a fair, regenerative, and delicious food future for all.
Foodwise Kids & Families
For kids to grow up with a love of fresh fruits and vegetables, they need joyful opportunities to taste, learn, and share food in community. Through Foodwise Kids, San Francisco youth and their families build food wisdom and nurture cooking skills for life.
Since 2012, Foodwise has offered free nutrition and wellness programs to San Francisco Unified School District elementary school classes (grades 1 through 5), using the farmers market as a classroom for empowering the next generation of healthy eaters. Through comparative tastings, exploring the market, and a hands-on cooking lesson, we nurture children’s love for fruits and vegetables, teach them to prepare healthy, seasonal foods, and raise their awareness of their role in a sustainable food system.
Connecting Bay Area Kids with Fresh Food & Farmers
Foodwise has been here for thousands of SFUSD students and their families, offering free food education at a critical time for their health and wellbeing. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we welcome kids to the farmers market to explore and taste, meet local farmers, and learn how to prepare healthy, seasonal foods alongside their classmates. In the summer, we host summer camps from local YMCA chapters, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other community groups.
The demand and waitlist for this free program remains high. Foodwise Kids prioritizes higher need classes, where over 80% of students qualify for free and reduced price lunch, as well as schools that have higher percentages of BIPOC students, groups who statistically have less access to fresh, local produce.
What I like most about this program is that it meets students where they are at with their knowledge and comfort with local and seasonal produce and there are no wrong answers. Rather than prescribing what students should eat or what they should think about food, it gives them the opportunity to try new things and come to their own conclusions.
—SFUSD Teacher
Family Cook Nights: Bringing Food Lessons Home
Building on experiences in Foodwise Kids, we hosted 4 Family Cook Nights with SFUSD classes. The Family Cook Night provides a capstone to the farmers market field trip and in-class cooking lesson, where students prepare a from-scratch meal with their families. For some parents, it was their first time ever cooking with their kids. Each family was sent home with a bag of farmers market produce to cook a second meal at home together!
I am really passionate about learning how to cook new meals. This event really made my son excited to try new foods and to learn how to cook and that makes me really happy.
—Parent participating in Family Cook Night
See Foodwise Kids in action, and hear from kids, family members, and educators themselves!
Foodwise Teens
A sustainable food future depends on today’s youth. Last year, 88 students participated in Foodwise Teens, a paid youth development program where teens become change agents for a sustainable, equitable, and nourishing food future. Through hands-on experiences in the garden, in the kitchen, and at the farmers market, students learn about food justice, develop important life and job skills, and build community together.
Foodwise currently offers this paid after-school program for high school students at three San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) partner schools, prioritizing students who have been underserved in the academic environment. Offering three sessions throughout the year (Seed, Grow, Cultivate), with each one building on the next, Foodwise Teens is a constant source of connection, learning, and empowerment.
Teens Growing Food & Community Together
Foodwise Teens offers participants opportunities to nurture their health and wellbeing, build leadership and stewardship, and explore careers in their food community. While students learn about food justice, sustainability, and growing their own food, they also get job experiences at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, visit rural and urban farms, and cook together. Students graduate from the program reporting increased self-confidence and deepened awareness of the food system and their agency within it.
I really liked the cooking demonstration. It was kind of like a bonding experience for all of us and making actual pasta from the start, instead of just having hard pasta from the grocery store, it tasted so much better. It had a better texture. And it inspired me to start wanting to cook those types of things at home.
—Foodwise Teen Rogelyn Novicio (left), seen here leading a public cooking demo at the Foodwise Classroom
Students Land Summer Jobs with Farms & Foodwise
Over the summer, 21 SFUSD students deepened their professional experience by participating in the Foodwise Teens Summer Fellowship, an 6-week paid job placement and mentorship program. Foodwise Teens supported local farmers and the Foodwise operations team, taught younger students in our Foodwise Kids program, or tended their school gardens. The program provided much-needed staffing support for our farms and an opportunity to offer on-the-job mentorship for local youth, like Lineth (second from left) shown here at Green Thumb Farms.
Joining Foodwise Teens helped me to practice my English. I am now able to have a conversation with someone I don’t know. I wasn’t able to do that in my sophomore year. At first I didn’t feel safe, but now I do.
—Foodwise Teen Henry Cruz, seen here working at Frog Hollow Farm
Community Education Programs
Foodwise farmers markets are places for neighbors to gather and share food wisdom and culture. From public cooking demos to hands-on family activities, we provide a space for our community to connect and learn from each other, meet farmers and chefs, and deepen our understanding of culinary traditions and our food system.
Foodwise Demos Celebrate the Bay’s Diverse Food Culture
At our free cooking demos at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, 35 Bay Area chefs, local farmers, food makers, cookbook authors, and educators shared their stories and accessible, seasonal recipes at the Foodwise Classroom, with recipes and tastings for all. With 60% of them led by BIPOC cooks, these programs reflect the diverse cultures and richness of our food community. Reaching beyond the farmers market, we also livestreamed the demos to engage thousands of community members online.
Our Community Sharing Food Wisdom
We were honored to host these local chefs and partners at the Foodwise Classroom:
Aaron Escalada, Abaca | Angélica Mena, Sukulenta | Annie Wang, Annie's T Cakes | Audrey Hitchcock, Ramini Mozzarella | Christina Alexis, Pleasure Principle | Edmund Baylon, Abacá | Eleana Hsu, Shared Cultures | Eli Curtis, Bisou Chocolate | Elianna Friedman & Alicia Faris, Joyful Family Cooking | Emmanuel Galvan, Bolita | Fernanda Baggio, Acquerello (shown here) | Fibershed | Foodwise Teens | Jennifer Huang, Nusa | John Arcudi, Delfina | John Ash, The Hog Island Book of Fish & Seafood | Katie Reicher, Greens Restaurant | Kim Alter, Nightbird | Lorraine Walker, Eatwell | Malena Lopez-Maggi, Xocolate Bar | Mariko Grady, Aedan Fermented Foods | Micah Siva, 1,2,3, Nosh with Me | Minh Tsai, Hodo | Mo'raysha Pouoa, Mo'raysha | Nichole Accettola, Kantine | Pablo Estrada, Fattoria e Mare | Pierre Thiam, Simply West African | Pujan Sarkar, ROOH | Rahanna Bisseret-Martinez, Flavor + Us | Raquel Goldman, Norte 54 | Reem Assil, Reem's | Sarah Germany, Chef Sarah Germany | Shelley Lindgren (A16) + Kate Leahy, A16, Italian Wine, | Viola Buitoni, Italy by Ingredient | Zakiyyah Shaheed, Baby Bean Pie
My experience at the Foodwise Demo was exceptional. In the beginning I was nervous. This is my first time doing a demo like this with a camera and filming my cooking style. A lot of people were happy with the food and some asked for the recipe. Days after the demo at the farmers market, I had a few people visiting my stand buying my food and asking me about the food procedures and ingredients used at the Colombian Pacific Coast. Some recognized me and said hi. I also got a catering gig from some of the attendees.
—Angélica Mena, Sukulenta SF
Foodwise Talks: Convening Leaders, Organizing Community
Last year, we were proud to bring back our public talks, convening food movement leaders, chefs, and farmers to discuss challenges and solutions to some pressing food issues of our day, from racial equity to the rising cost of food. At four talks, more than 200 of you gathered to deepen the conversation and take action around building a more just food system.
- Black Chefs & Wine Makers Talk (shown here) with Tiffany Carter, Ryan Williams, Fern A. Stroud, Tanya Holland, Mayor London Breed, and Michele McQueen
- Building Equity for Black Entrepreneurs with Andrea Baker, Dontaye Ball, Tiffany Carter, Sabine Dabady, and Shakirah Simley
- The True Cost of Food with Cathay Bi, Aomboon Deasy, Gaby Maeda, and Katie Ettman
- Can Small Food Businesses Spark San Francisco’s Revitalization? with Nafy Flatley, Pia Harris, Emiliana Puyana, and Christine Farren
Volunteer Power
Over the year, 272 dedicated volunteers, interns, committee members, and board members generously contributed 4,752 hours introducing kids to fresh produce, helping shoppers at the farmers market, supporting our free cooking demos, and more. These team members are essential to keeping our work going!
I moved to San Francisco last year without knowing anyone, but thanks to Foodwise, I found a welcoming and inspiring community here…What motivates me to come back is the kids’ laughter, curiosity and joy when they find a new favorite food or praise produce as the best one they’ve ever had, like white corn! Every class is unique and full of wonders.
—Yuki Tatsumi, Foodwise Volunteer
Interning with Foodwise has been such a core part of my college experience. I have not stopped learning since my first day, always trying to pick up different skills and knowledge at each opportunity. Every program/event is designed so that people with a variety of backgrounds are able to connect and share food and knowledge with each other. I can always trust Foodwise to prioritize diversity in food and a commitment to giving people equal access to good food.
—Christine Kim, Foodwise Intern
Thank You for Making a Difference
We could not do this work without you! Last year, 1,463 of you supported Foodwise’s farmers markets, food access, and education programs through individual donations or purchasing tickets to our fundraising events. Thank you for contributing to a thriving Bay Area that nourishes all people, local economies, and the living earth.
Financials: Your Donations at Work
We cannot do all of this good work without deep investment from our community. Through your generosity, we were able to serve our Bay Area community though our farmers markets, food access initiatives, and education programs, and grew our Building Equity program. Here’s how we put your donations to work.
Let’s Grow a Foodwise Future Together
At Foodwise, we are firmly committed to keeping small climate-wise farms viable, ensuring access to fresh, healthy food for all Bay Area families, and supporting youth in becoming informed eaters and food leaders. Your partnership and participation are critical. Thank you for putting your values into action to create the equitable and sustainable food future we need. We look forward to continuing this vital work with you in 2025 and beyond.
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