What does MFM Provide?
MFM considers it a challenge every week to see what further value can be provided to vendors and customers alike. We are constantly fostering a "nutritional atmosphere" - which means people leave the market every week feeling joyful, connected, and inspired. We also want people to learn something new each and every time they come to the market. We accomplish these things by providing the following:
1. Tents and weights to all vendors - stored at the market ready to be set up each week
2. Marketing options like professional documentary style videos, website features, and featured vendor posts available to all vendors
2. Marketing options like professional documentary style videos, website features, and featured vendor posts available to all vendors
3. On-site pop-up classes taught on a regular basis by local experts in agriculture, homesteading, natural medicine, healthy lifestyles, and much more
4. On-site live music entertainment
5. Community resources, healthy lifestyle resources, homesteading resources, and networking resources
How much Does it Cost to be a vendor?
Vendor Partner Standards
Cottage Food Vendors
Cottage food vendors sell prepackaged and non-temperature controlled food items that are not made in an inspected kitchen. Our standards for cottage food vendors are that they use certified organic ingredients (or ingredients that have come from organically practicing sources) whenever possible. We require a list of all the ingredients that are used so that we can confirm that our standards are met!
Meat vendors
Meat and poultry vendors sell temperature controlled processed meats by the cut. Some vendors may also offer bulk options (such as a quarter cow), and some may raise meat to order. We require farm visits to insure that all products come from animals that were fed either chemical free grass/hay and/or organically grown feeds. We never allow meats that have been given hormones, antibiotics or vaccines.
PRODUCE VENDORS
Produce vendors use a variety of different methods to grow their crops, and most methods can be done in an organic manner. We require farm visits to insure that no toxic chemical pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, weed killers, fertilizers, or other harmful substances are used on or near the crops. Once gardening methods are approved, all crops grown using the methods are approved as well.
Personal Care Vendors
Personal care vendors sell a variety of products - anywhere from homemade soaps and lotions to hair products and deodorants! Our standards for personal care vendors are that they use certified organic ingredients (or ingredients that have come from organically practicing sources) whenever possible. We require a list of all the ingredients that are used so that we can confirm that our standards are met!
Educating Vendors
Educational Vendors help us carry out a big part of our mission at MFM. They provide many informational resources, connections, classes, consultations, and sometimes services that help move others forward in their own personal homesteading and healthy lifestyle journeys. Our requirements for all educational vendors are that their philosophies must align with our core beliefs on health/wellness.
Preserving Vendors
Preserving vendors are absolutely essential to our local food supply chain. They sell food products that have been canned, pickled, freeze-dried, dehydrated, or made to last for a longer duration of time using some other method. Our standards for preserving vendors are that they use certified organic ingredients (or ingredients that have come from organically practicing sources) whenever possible.
medicinal Vendors
Medicinal vendors sell a variety of products - anywhere from herbal tea blends specifically designed for certain ailments, to elderberry syrups! Our standards for medicinal vendors are that they use certified organic ingredients (or ingredients that have come from organically practicing sources) whenever possible. We require a list of all the ingredients that are used so that we can confirm that our standards are met!
Gardening Vendors
Gardening vendors provide seeds, seedlings, fully grown plants, cut flowers, as well as informational materials and classes. They are essential to our forward growth in this community towards natural health and interconnected self-sufficiency. Our standards for gardening vendors are that they must carry no GMO seed, and their plants may not be sprayed with any chemicals that are outside of organic standards.
the paperwork
The First Step
Getting Started In Your Industry
If you are just getting started in your business and are wondering what kind of paperwork you need to sell your goods, the first place to start is obtaining all permits and licenses that apply to your industry! Some examples of the kind of permits and licenses you might need are Food Handlers Permits, Food Manufacturers Permits, and Food Managers permits. If you are a food vendor, you can find lots of information of what is required of your business on the Texas Health and Human Resources website!
The Final Step
Joining the MFM vendor community!
Once you have submitted an application to MFM and you have all the other paperwork in order, all thats left to do is sign our simple yet thorough vendor agreement, and you're done! We are so excited every time a new member joins our community - we grow and learn best together! This document will be sent to you as soon as your application has been approved, and you will also receive a link to join our Facebook community. We look forward to getting to know and learn from you!
Vendor Application
Interested in becoming a vendor? We'd love to hear from you! To see if you're a good fit, you can read through the information above on this "Become A Vendor" page, and when you're ready you can return here to submit an application.
Below we have listed a few questions that we'd like you to answer so we can get to know you a little better! Please answer these as accurately as you can, then hit "Submit". Remember, this is just a gathering a few preliminary details - we will be in touch soon to hear more about what you do! Please be aware that it can take between 1-2 weeks for us to review the information provided and get back with you about setting up a time to talk further depending on when the application was sent in.
Below we have listed a few questions that we'd like you to answer so we can get to know you a little better! Please answer these as accurately as you can, then hit "Submit". Remember, this is just a gathering a few preliminary details - we will be in touch soon to hear more about what you do! Please be aware that it can take between 1-2 weeks for us to review the information provided and get back with you about setting up a time to talk further depending on when the application was sent in.
A few notes before you get started:
1. "Organically practicing" to us means that even if your business is not organically certified by the USDA, your business follows the same standards. That means no toxic pesticides, insecticides, weed killers, or other chemicals are used. It also means your ingredients are either certified organic, or that you have confirmed that your ingredient sources follow organic standards. We are dedicated to providing pure, natural products at MFM!
2. We have three pricing options at MFM - Please refer to the information related to pricing on the "Become A Vendor" page to learn more about these options!
3. Please make sure to list all the products that you would be interested in selling, including the specific types of items (i.e. peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.), not just the categories (i.e. produce)! This helps us have a better understanding of what you offer, and how it fits in with the items that other vendors have available!
We look forward to hearing from you! #jointhefoodrevolution
