Who Can Apply:

Farmers

Aquaculture

Food producers

Artisans

Nonprofit organizations that work within the immediate communities of the East Bay of Rhode Island and the South Coast of Massachusetts

Applicants who are located within the New England region are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to applicants from Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts

See guidelines for each category below

Who Cannot Apply:

MLM Companies

Corporate/Promotional - can be considered as a sponsorship in some Cases, Political

Application Process:

Mount Hope Farm Farmers Market is committed to curating a community and locally-focused market. While we include as many local vendors as possible, we receive an overwhelming amount of applications each season. As great as friendly competition is, we value our current vendor's commitment and history to our market and keep that in mind while evaluating each application that is submitted. An application does not mean automatic acceptance into the market but will be kept on file and put on a waiting list for future consideration.

During our winter market, when space is limited preference is given to full-time, farmers and food producers with preference given to vendors who do not have a brick-and-mortar.

Each application is reviewed by our application committee consisting of the Market Manager, Executive Director, and Board of Trustees of Mount Hope Farm as well as a rotating vendor and customer representatives. Taking into consideration, the overall market needs, locality, quality of product, past attendance, and outside references if necessary. We are committed to maintaining a diverse community of products within an accessible and friendly environment and take the time to evaluate each application on a case-to-case basis.

Application Timeline:

Summer Market - application opens end of January and is rolling throughout the summer season (May - October)

Vendors will be notified of their acceptance no later than four weeks after their initial application date.

Winter market - applications open Beginning of September and Close the first week of October.

Vendors will be notified of their acceptance no later than October 15.

*Select vendors might be invited to apply during the winter market after the initial application window given the need and space.

Vendor Guidelines:

FRESH PRODUCE, HONEY, MAPLE SYRUP, EGGS, MEAT, SEAFOOD, AND FLOWERS: Throughout the farmer’s market season, 80% of what you sell must be grown on your farm. 100% must be sourced from farms in RI, MA, or CT. Products sourced outside of RI, MA, CT may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We require the display of the farm and state origins of the purchased food. Vendors must provide receipts, if requested, of the items in question.

PREPARED FOODS: Prepared foods must be licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health. Vendors must sell at least three (3) items with ingredients grown in RI, CT, or MA. We require the display of the farm and state origins for the locally sourced ingredients at your stand each week.

ARTISANAL PRODUCTS: Our market is focused on food and agricultural products but we do encourage the sale of artisanal products as well. Handmade products crafted in Southern New England are preferred and will be given preference. We require the display of the farm name and state origins for the locally sourced ingredients.

PRODUCT LIST: Please submit a product list with your application. Growers should submit a list of the earliest and latest dates your products will be available at the market. Any changes to this original product list must be approved by the Farmers Market Manager

ITEMS FOR SALE: Vendors may only sell products listed on their application forms.

MARKET QUALITY: Products must meet a quality level acceptable to the Market Manager, reflecting the freshness and overall high condition of the product. The manager may ask to have products removed by a vendor if they detract from the overall quality of the market, thus affecting other market vendors' sales.

Summer Market Application

Winter Market Application

The Mount Hope Farm (MHF) vendor members and their employees, agents, volunteers, et cetera shall conduct themselves in a professional, business-like manner and cooperate with MHF representatives at all times. Professional conduct will be an ongoing factor in the determination of vendor members' good standing to continue doing business at MHF.

Professional standards that shall be applicable include, but are not limited to, the following:

ACCEPTANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY Vendor members, as a condition of approval, shall accept responsibility for the conduct and actions of themselves and all persons working on their behalf at MHF Farmers Market including, but not limited to, their employees, agents, family, and volunteers.

COMMUNICATIONS Verbal and non-verbal communications of vendor members, and their employees, agents, volunteers, et cetera shall be respectful and courteous. The use of discourteous, harassing, intimidating, threatening, insulting, or abusive language, gestures, et cetera, either in person or by electronic/digital means, shall be prohibited.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Vendor members shall be responsible for responding to and reasonably addressing customer complaints. Customer complaints against a vendor shall be submitted via email only. A vendor-compliant log will be kept within the MHF office. Multiple customer complaints about a vendor shall be a consideration in determinations of good standing.

HONEST REPRESENTATION Vendor members, and their employees, agents, volunteers, et cetera shall represent products and MHF in an honest manner, whether written or verbal. Vendor members shall not disparage the market or the market vendors, merchants, or their products. Fraudulent, dishonest, or deceptive practices, which may reasonably upset market operations, mislead consumers, or damage other market merchants’ businesses through lost sales, shall be prohibited.

PHYSICAL ALTERCATIONS Any person who engages in physically threatening behavior or violence at MHF against employees, other merchants, or visitors, shall be expelled from Farm property and shall remain off the premises pending the outcome of an associated investigation and determination.

REPORTING ISSUES OR PROBLEMS Vendor members must report any issues or problems promptly. Matters that are not reported promptly may be difficult to address satisfactorily. ​​

BROUGHT IN PRODUCE PROTOCOL:

1. Farmers must get approval from the market manager before bought-in produce can be sold.  Ahead of time is preferred but can also at check in the day of with the market manager before those items are sold.  If the manager isn't there that day, then they need to check in with the other produce farms to get their okay.

2.  All bought-in produce needs to be labeled with the farm who grew it and what town they are in.

Requirements for approval for bought-in produce:  

•   Must be local (RI, MA, or CT)

A market email is sent out every Tuesday letting people know who is scheduled for the week. If you are not able to make please let us know as soon as possible.

An additional email out on Friday with the layout of the market.

You can submit newsletter info by emailing here

You can sign up for the newsletter here

I also post regularly on IG you can follow us and please tag us @market_mhf

If you have signed up for the market and can no longer do any of the dates you have signed up for please let us know as possible. Last-minute cancellations not due to weather or no-shows will still be responsible for paying the market fee. Two or more missed markets (not weather-related) will result in removal from the schedule.

Summer Market Schedule:

May - October

9:00 AM-12:30 PM

Location: South Pasture

Winter Market Schedule:

November - December

9:00 AM-12:30 PM

January - March

10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Location: The Barn

Rain or shine outside

Setup Begins 7:45 AM --- please be ready to go by 8:45 AM. (in January and March set-up begins an hour later)

We accept payment via cash, check, or credit cards. Checks can be made out to Mount Hope Farm.

$45 per market for part time vendors

$850 full-time payment for full-time vendors

$50 application fee

$50 full-time marketing fee

$25 part-time marketing fee

Full-time vendors will be invoiced 2 times throughout the summer season. Part-time vendors, you can make your payments the day of the market via check or cash or beforehand using our online payment form

Setup begins at 7:45 AM. please be ready to go by 8:45 AM at the latest, late arrival may result in removal from the schedule.

Outdoor Setup:

Vendors are required to provide their own 10X10 tent, weights, and stakes.

The gate to south pasture will be open

by 7:45 AM. Vendors are allowed to drive directly to their spot to setup, depending on their spot location vendors are allowed to keep their vehicles behind them, otherwise vendors are asked to park in the main customer lot behind the market.

Indoor Setup:

Vendors are required to provide their own 8 ft tables. There are two entry points for barn load-in: One is up the front driveway to the large barn door. The other is up the load-in ramp through the back of the barn.

Space to access the barn doors for load in/load out is limited--especially space to park a vehicle for unloading. It is essential, to ensure smooth setup/breakdown each week and for the consideration of your fellow vendors, that you are fast & considerate when loading and unloading your vehicles. Here is how to unload/load-in:

Pull vehicle up to an open space in the front driveway, or by the back entry ramp.

Unload everything from your vehicle, as quickly as possible, to a consolidated pile.

Go and park your vehicle in the vendor parking area.

Come back and set up your tables and stall area.

When packing up at the end of the market, do the reverse: pack up everything and pile it in one area near the exit. Go get the vehicle, and then load everything in at once.

In general, please try to be aware of where you pull up/park, and notice if you are blocking others in or out of the loading areas! Remember…we’re all on the same team!

please be ready to go by 8:45 AM at the latest, late arrival may result in removal from the schedule.

This year vendor parking is in the inn and office lot. Please be mindful to keep one space open for Russell Morin. If spots are full, do not park on the grass you can either park in the far end ofmain customer lot or in North Pasture, if there are no guests.

We work with Farm Fresh on a token program for SNAP and EBT customers as well as customers who want to use a debit or credit card. You can learn more about this program here

If you are planning to be a part of this program, please fill out this form

We ask that you cash your check within 30 days of receiving it. Lost our reissued checks will result in a $30 fee to offset our administrative and banking costs.

Feel free to use the graphics here to promote the market to your networks.

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