Mission of the Market
The Bethlehem Farmers’ Market operates as a community service for Southside Bethlehem. We operate to (1) address the food desert issue plaguing community residents, (2) offer a place for the community to engage and interact, (3) educate the community about nutrition, (4) promote non-profit and community partners, and (5) act as an economic incubator for small businesses and farms in the Lehigh Valley.
Bethlehem Farmers’ Market provides a safe and clean environment in which local farmers and vendors are able to sell their products to the members of the Bethlehem and greater Lehigh Valley communities - free of charge.
The market aims to select vendors who offer products that both appeal to our customers and abide by the Buy Fresh, Buy Local guidelines of the Greater Lehigh Valley branch. The Bethlehem Farmers’ Market supports Lehigh University’s Campus Sustainability Plan and Master Plan.
History
The Bethlehem Farmers’ Market was an initiative of the Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem (CADC-B) fourteen years ago to provide locally grown produce and fruits to residents of the City of Bethlehem. The market has been in two locations in South Bethlehem, the first near the Banana Factory off of Third Street. After consideration of feedback by patrons (lack of parking, hard to walk in the dirt/gravel), the CADC sought out a new location.
For the 2006 market, Lehigh University offered Farrington Square (formerly Campus Square) as a new location for the market with the hope of establishing a more accessible location for residents and local patrons. The market enjoyed a successful 2006 season and has since remained in Farrington Square in South Bethlehem.