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50 Years of Fresh: the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market

by Andréa Parisien | June 2025

It’s before dawn when cars, vans and horse-drawn buggies arrive on site. The birds are still hitting snooze as vendors unload and set up, warmly greeting one another in the process. It’s market day in St. Jacobs and 25,000 people will soon be flooding into Canada’s largest indoor/outdoor year-round farmers’ market. Some are regulars with a clear plan of action; others are day-trippers seeking an antidote to the daily grind. And then, as it has for five decades at 7:30am sharp, the community comes alive. 

The St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market is celebrating 50 years at a time when local, seasonal and sustainable shopping couldn’t be a hotter topic. From its humble beginnings as a livestock exchange to becoming a gathering place for farmers, artisans and entrepreneurs, the Market is truly inimitable, says St. Jacobs Market District General Manager, Joanna Loebach.  

“It is a farmers’ market, but it’s also a destination. And the destination comes from the variety and the abundance of things that we have here. We always say: there’s a place for everybody.”  

General Manager, St. Jacobs Market District, Joanna Loebach 

Keeping it Fresh through the decades

While still rooted in “that rural Mennonite feel, surrounded by countryside,” Loebach credits accommodating the diverse interests and needs of visitors and the community for the continued success of the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market. Traditional must-haves (think summer sausage, warm pretzels and yummy apple fritters) now share space with vendors showcasing the best that Jamaican, Korean, Greek, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Turkish cuisines have to offer. “LOCAL. FRESH. ORIGINAL.” is the Market’s motto, offering guests “that one-on-one experience” with purveyors as an alternative to online purchasing, says Loebach. 

Complimenting the bounty of fresh produce and tasty take-aways at the Market is a slew of passionate artisans and retailers “representing a unique niche of craft or style of making,” says GM Joanna. From eco-friendly self-care products and handmade dog biscuits to African soapstone carvings and Alpaca socks, there is a kaleidoscope of products to tickle the senses. 

And woven into the social fabric of the Market are the stories. Jack and Irene of Romagnoli Farms met selling their produce when the market was a gravel pit. (They later married and now oversee the operation with their daughters.) The Straus Family of Country Style Products employs their 5 children and 27 grandchildren across their three booths. Liv Kelly started sewing as a hobby while recovering from surgery. After graduating from the Market’s Young Entrepreneur Program, she nurtured her hobby into a career and now makes LivLush her full-time gig.  

Enhance your Market Visit

“To me, the market embodies a community that I am truly so grateful to be a part of, offering me both remarkable opportunities and endless support.” 

Liv of LivLush – 2025 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award Recipient  

More Than a Market: Discover 50 Years of Stories

Connections made with fascinating people. Finding unexpected treasures you didn’t know you were looking for. Discovering people and stories that give you a true sense of the place you’re in. The St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market invites you to immerse yourself in experiences that remind you to slow down and reward your curiosity.  

Visit the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, open Thursdays and Saturdays year-round and Tuesdays in the summer months. 

And, be sure to visit the “Celebrating 50 Years of Community” exhibit on the second floor of the Market Building to explore the full story of the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market—complete with historic photos, artifacts, and memories from the past five decades.

“I love the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market for its community atmosphere, as well as serving at the market and seeing people return for more of the local flavours.” 

Elmeda of Kitchen Kuttings – 2025 Community Builders Award Recipient 

Did you Know?

St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market by the Numbers
  • Celebrating 50 years in 2025
  • #1 – Canada’s largest year-round indoor/ outdoor farmers’ market
  • Withstood 2 major fires (the 24,000 sq ft market building was destroyed in 2013, followed by a smaller fire in 2015)
  • 25,000 visitors per weekend (on average)
  • 1 million visitors annually
  • 400+ vendors
  • 70 Legacy Vendors (20+ years at the Market – look for their banners!)
  • 2,400 total years of combined commitment by producers, growers & artisans)

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