What AIM Farmers Markets Mean to Farmers and Food Makers
AIM organizes and operates nine weekly and seasonal farmers markets across the Bay Area to help connect communities with fresh, local products. But farmers markets don’t just happen—they require staffing, permits, coordination, and year-round work to exist at all.
Farmers markets matter because they give small farms and food businesses a direct way to reach the people eating their food. These markets create space for real connection, bringing people together around good food while supporting the small businesses that feed their communities.
Help secure AIM's farmers markets, the critical lifeline for California's small farms and food makers. If you value fresh food, local agriculture, and the people behind it all, we invite you to give
Michelle Livingston, Rainbow Orchards
You’ve probably seen these apples before, and maybe even taken a few home. They come from Rainbow Orchards, a family farm Apple Hill up in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Michelle from is a fourth-generation farmer, grower of what she calls “mountain fruit.” The cooler nights and higher elevation give the apples their crisp bite and bold, bright flavor you can taste in every variety.
Rainbow Orchards has been been bringing fruit to our markets for over 25 years. Michelle is a master of the market shuffle, and keeper of more apple varieties than we can count. 🍎 Every week she hauls crates down from Apple Hill and setting up before sunrise. She’s the one constantly rearranging her tables, guiding you through each variety, sharing what just came off the tree, and what’s tasting especially good that week.
“We're all here to help each other.”
“ I'm Michelle from Rainbow Orchards. We're a fourth generation family farm located in Apple Hill, which is in the beautiful El Dorado County, Sierra Nevada Foothills. I participate in about 30 markets a week. Six of those are with AIM.
AIM’s markets are really special. All farmers markets are special, but AIM really cultivates such a crossroads of people. It's an inclusive space. To me it’s really, really special that this incredible quality of fruit goes out to every corner, every part of our community.
It's go time when we get here, we have a lot to unload to set up. During this time of year, so many new things harvested all of the time that I have to change my display. Organizing tart apples on one table, sweet apples on another table. There is a lot of thought on the fly that goes into how I set up my stand. It's really all worth it though because our customers are so sweet.
I hope that farmer's markets continue to be busy. Active community building spaces that give opportunity to up and coming farmers, or people like me who have been doing this for 25 years. It's a space where you can get creative and try new things. Being in markets has allowed me to make choices like planting blueberries. That changed the whole nature of our farming. Every dollar you give to AIM supports us, your farmers, at the market as well as your community. We're all here to help each other.”
Javier Toscano, Toscano Family Farm
Javier has been farming since 1991, bringing his Lodi-grown heirloom peppers to our markets week after week. The peppers you see come from heirloom varieties Javier has grown for years, many from seeds he saves and replants himself. Those same peppers also become the hot sauces his family makes. A passion project turned into fifteen varieties now carried in more than fifty stores.
We spoke with Javier at market on a particularly rainy day. The harvest does not stop when the weather turns. Once peppers are ready to be picked, they are harvested, packed, and brought to market no matter what the forecast says. On rainy days the crowds shrink and sales fall, but the work stays the same. Crews still go into the fields. Peppers are still picked by hand. The truck still gets loaded before sunrise. Farmers and producers still show up to feed their community.
“AIM gave us a really good opportunity.”
“Hi, my name is Javier Toscano. We've been farming since 1991 in Lodi, California. We grow quite a few interesting varieties of peppers that not a lot of people do grow. We do have a good fall in from restaurants that buy our peppers every single year, so that's what keeps us growing peppers for our restaurant trade.
In 2012, we decided to give it to the hot sauce business. AIM gave us a really good opportunity to market our sauces. Of course, we started with four sauces, and then we grew to 15 sauces. AIM farmers markets are important to my family because it gives us the opportunity to be able to sell our produce that we grow at our farm.
Today is a rainy day. We still put the same hours, same efforts to the farmers markets as we have a nice day. Being part of AIM has given my family the opportunity to really grow our business. You donating to AIM, it does not just only help AIM, it helps families like myself and families like the ones that work for us. If you’re considering donating, don't hesitate. It's a good place to put your money.”
Andrew Brait, Full Belly Farm
This is Andrew Brait from Full Belly Farm, a Northern California farm located in Yolo County. He's been selling at AIM markets for nearly 40 years. Our longtime partnership speaks to the trust that builds when farmers and shoppers return to the same place week after week. Farmers markets matter because they give small farms like Andrew’s a direct way to reach the people eating their food. “I've been buying since 1986, almost 40 years. They’ve fed me and I'm so grateful,” a faithful market shopper.
“ I’ve spent one seventh of my life here at this market.”
“ I’ve spent one seventh of my life here at this market. My name is Andrew Brait. I'm one of the owners of Full Belly Farm. We have been coming down to this farmers market here every Thursday since the late eighties. It's a really important part of our whole farm cycle. People are eating seasoning. We're truly eating seasonally.
It's December. It's a really exciting time of year. There's a lot of beautiful crops this year. AIM puts on these incredible fresh markets that need your support. It doesn't just happen by itself. Any support you can offer is so graciously appreciated. This is a communal resource. It's an amazing thing that people put their trust in you to feed them. I know who I'm growing these for.”
Azikiwee “Z” Anderson, Rize Up Bakery
Meet Azikiwee “Z” Anderson, founder of Rize Up Bakery. What started as a home sourdough project during the pandemic became a San Francisco–based bakery rethinking what sourdough can be. AIM’s San Rafael market was the first market Z joined after moving into a commercial kitchen, helping Rize Up scale production and meet a growing community of customers.
Rize Up has grown to a team of nearly 30 people, and Z says supporting his team is what he’s most proud of. Farmers markets gave him space to meet customers face-to-face and build community. AIM’s markets have been a place to grow, meet new audiences, and introduce people to loaves and flavors they might not otherwise experience.
“Everyone that I've known feels very lucky that they're at the market.”
“ My name is Azikiwee Anderson. I'm the owner and founder of Rise Up Bakery. Making bread and being a baker and supporting people and having a crew, it's like one of the best parts of my entire life. The things I’m most excited about at the market are seeing people light up and be so excited to try something new, and knowing that all of our hard work is gonna be embraced at their table.
Everyone that I've known feels very lucky that they're at the market. Everyone who's coming to the market feels very lucky that they get that quality of food. Buying into that and supporting that in all its ways is well worth our time. It's just nice to feel the community of people that are really showing up. Then to introduce your product that you care so much about, to basically a whole new group over the last three, four years now of being at a market every single weekend.
Now we're in multiple AIM markets every single weekend. It's a new batch of people that are always coming. We just get to go to these, all these different spots and build family. Supporting AIM, and the farmers markets that they put together is definitely worthwhile.”