Meet Michelle, a marvelous market manager and MyPick® vendor

Last week, we told you how Michelle Seaborn kept the Grimsby Farmers’ Market alive after a disastrous downtown fire.

This week, we’d like to tell you about the other side of Michelle. Not only is she a savvy market manager, she’s also a brilliant MyPick® vendor with an inspiring opinion about locally grown food.

Local and proud

Being a MyPick® Verified Local Farmer® vendor means Michelle can proudly say that everything she sells has been grown at Silmaril Farms. The farm, which has been operating since 2004, is home to a small flock of sheep, turkeys and chickens, just to name a few. The animals are fed a natural diet that’s free of hormones and growth promotants. Silmaril Farms also produces eight varieties of apples, including MacIntosh, Honey Crisp, Empire, Red and Golden Delicious, Mutsu (Crispin) Fiji and Ida Red.

“Customers feel more assured that they are getting local, homegrown products from a verified farmer,” said Michelle. “I can tell you exactly how they were raised. For many shoppers, that is extremely important.” Silmaril Farms has been MyPick® verified for two years.

The MyPick® brand fosters customer loyalty

Michelle hopes that eventually every farmer who sells at an FMO member market will receive the MyPick® designation so that customers never have to worry about whether or not their food is truly local.

“We have a steady clientele that comes to the farm and seeks us out at the market,” Michelle said, adding that the farm is only about five minutes away from the market. “I spend a lot of time talking about my products, how they are raised and grown.” Michelle’s customers are so loyal to her brand that they often visit the farm if she sells out at the market.

“I enjoy the whole farmers’ market experience and as the market manager of Grimsby Farmers’ Market, I am very pleased and proud of the wide variety of products our local vendors have on hand. Markets are a tremendous way of learning about nutritious and healthy food.”