Evergreen Events Farmers Market Rules and Regulations

Evergreen Events Farmers Market Rules and Regulations. 

Evergreen Events is an event-planning company in the Philadelphia area specializing in establishing, managing, and promoting venues that support the growers, makers, and do-ers of the region. 

Our markets are “producer-only,” which means you must grow, raise, bake, cook, ferment, distill, sew, draw, design, or make the items that you offer for sale to the community. 

More specific details about our markets and rules are found deeper in this document but please know that in order to sell items at our markets you must also abide by City and State rules and regulations; for example, any prepared food offered for sale must be made inside a certified kitchen; vendors are required to be an official business and carry a liability insurance policy; etc. 

Before submitting an application, any potential vendor should be “market ready,” which means you have the equipment and supplies needed to conduct safe and legal outdoor retail transactions.

If you’re not a producer of a product, then there are other ways to participate in our farmers markets. Local businesses that provide a service can attend as a sponsor and may be invited to promote their services to the customers shopping at the market. Community groups from the neighborhood are invited for free to promote their events and missions. However, we do not permit any political organization as a sponsor of the market, nor do we approve of any political organization setting up a stand at our markets. 

We do encourage musicians or other performers to use our markets as a venue for their artistic endeavors. Requests to participate from artists and other kinds of creators should be submitted here. 

Farmers Market Vendor Eligibility & Registration. Producers must be located within a 150-mile radius of the respective market’s location. Producers must complete and submit an application and a complete product list. For some applicants, we might request more information about ingredients and their sourcing. EVERGREEN EVENTS reserves the right to visit a farm or facility before inviting a vendor to participate in a market. 

When reviewing applications, EVERGREEN EVENTS shows a preference for vendors that:

• use as many local ingredients as possible,
• offer products that change with the seasons,
• make food “from scratch."

Our markets are curated to offer our shoppers a wide variety of local food and beverages and we may pass on a vendor's application if that category of food and product is already represented at the market, even if the applicant meets all criteria.

If accepted, the producer must provide EVERGREEN EVENTS with all relevant licenses; for example, most food vendors must have a Food Establishment License; farms claiming to sell certified organic products must submit their organic certifications; vendors serving ready-to-eat food to the public must be approved by the Health Department and pass an onsite inspection; any vendor selling alcohol must provide a copy of their RAMP certification.

Insurance Requirement. Every vendor participating at the market must have a general liability insurance policy that covers claims of at least $1-million per incident. Certificates of insurance that list EVERGREEN EVENTS and any other relevant party as Additional Insured are due before your first day at market. Evergreen Events will provide you with the exact wording for the Additional Insured parties.

Product Eligibility. Agricultural producers are considered for market if they offer for sale crops or other farm products that they grow, raise, or produce themselves. Agricultural products that originate from other farms are approved by EVERGREEN EVENTS on a case-by-case basis.

EVERGREEN EVENTS must be notified prior to the market date if an agricultural  producer plans to buy-in a product from another farm. It is best to include on your application the name of the products that you wish to buy-in and the location where those products are originally grown or made.

Value-added food products, which is basically any food or beverage that’s been cooked or processed or fermented, and body-care products can be sold provided that:

• the producer can provide the shoppers with a full ingredient list;
• the product is packaged, stored, and merchandised in a manner consistent with food safety regulations.

The following categories of food are exempt from being considered “local food”:

• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Wine
• Nuts
• Olive Oil

For products whose main ingredient cannot be grown or produced locally – for example coffee, olive oil, chocolates, nuts – those products are eligible if they are processed in a local facility. 

We show a preference to vendors who have a hands-on relationship to the raw ingredients and to those who are directly involved in their items' production, as opposed to vendors who use co-packers or who re-sell another company's product. 

We do not accept products that use high fructose corn syrup, too much refined sugar and artificial colors and flavorings, and products that are packaged in environmentally destructive material. 

Vendor Fees. (1) For Philadelphia and Jenkintown markets, vendors will be charged $50 per spot per market. A spot is considered a 10-foot by 10-foot space, the footprint of a typical pop-up tent or canopy.  Vendors who require more than one spot will be charged $65 per market.  

(2) For the Swarthmore market, vendors will be charged $45 per spot per market. A spot is considered a 10-foot by 10-foot space, the footprint of a typical pop-up tent or canopy.  Vendors who require more than one spot will be charged $75 per market.  

EVERGREEN EVENTS will invoice every producer at the beginning of each month for the previous month. You are responsible for notifying EVERGREEN EVENTS if you are not receiving your market fee invoices. EVERGREEN EVENTS reserves the right to charge a $10 late fee for market fees two months past due and will revoke any producer’s invitation to market who is consistently late with market fee payments.

Attendance. EVERGREEN EVENTS can accommodate a variety of schedules, based on the needs of the individual vendors and the needs of the market itself, but we do require the vendors to be present for all the market dates in their schedule, unless the market has been officially canceled for the week by EVERGREEN EVENTS. 

In the event that a vendor cannot attend a market day, the vendor is responsible for notifying EVERGREEN EVENTS as soon as possible and no later than 3 hours prior to the market’s start time. Failure to inform EVERGREEN EVENTS of non-attendance will be considered an unauthorized absence and the vendor will still be responsible for that market day’s fees. Unfair circumstances, claims of emergencies, and signs of bad luck will be judged on their own merit. 

After three unauthorized absences by a vendor in one season, EVERGREEN EVENTS reserves the right to revoke that vendor’s invitation to market. Excessive lateness can also result in banishment from the market.

Market Hours. Selling before the official beginning of the market time is discouraged. Producers should arrive early enough to start selling when the market begins. Producers must stay at market for its entire length of time, even if sold out, unless arrangements are made ahead of time with the EVERGREEN EVENTS.

Market Layouts. EVERGREEN EVENTS will assign the spots at the market. 

Parking. If possible, EVERGREEN EVENTS will strive to obtain free parking spots for the vendors at the market. If parking spots are limited, then we will assign which vendors get to park at market; we will show a preference for farmers and weekly vendors when assigning parking spots.

If you receive a parking ticket while vending at the market, or if you are in a vehicular accident at market, EVERGREEN EVENTS will assist in any way possible but is not responsible for any parking fines or any damage caused by a producer’s vehicle. 

Equipment and Signage. Every vendor at the market must bring a tent, tables, and tent weights that equal a minimum of 25 lbs per tent leg. Weighing or tying down your tent is a requirement for every market. If your weights or ropes are absent or inadequate, then you will not be permitted to use your tent or canopy. There are more specific guidelines regarding tents and weights at the end of this document. 

Producers must either have prices present for each item offered for sale or have a sign listing all the prices of their goods. 

Producers must have an identifying sign or banner with the name of their business, their address or the name of their town and state, and preferably a way to contact the vendor outside the market, for example a website address, email address, or phone number.

Stand Appearance and Presentation. Producers must be neat and clean, must wear shirts and shoes, and have the ability to wash or sanitize their hands while at market. 

Participants of the market should not expect to use public trash cans. Each participant is responsible for cleaning their spot before leaving for the day. Sometimes this requires vendors to bring a broom, dustpan, and their own trash receptacle with them to market.

Smoking is not permitted at any market, even during the periods of time when we are setting up and breaking down. 

It is strongly discouraged to wear any clothes or accessories, or to display any signage, that promotes any political organization or that endorses any political figure. 

Inspections and Visits. EVERGREEN EVENTS reserves the right to visit any farm or production facility to inspect growing practices and crops and to verify application information. 

Market Management. EVERGREEN EVENTS is responsible for the operation, management, and administration of its farmers markets. EVERGREEN EVENTS has the authorization to make operational and administrative decisions including the application, interpretation, and enforcement of these rules.

Sales Reports. Every producer will be asked to submit sales data. 

EVERGREEN EVENTS will keep the sales information confidential. Sales data is a valuable tool to evaluate the health and progress of both our operations and businesses. We can use sales data to find trends, to observe the effectiveness of our promotional efforts, and to replace vendors who stop coming to market. 

READY TO APPLY? Follow the link HERE to submit an application.

Additional Tent & Weight Policies. The following is also a requirement from the City of Philadelphia. Vendors who do not come to market equipped with proper weights or ropes will not be allowed to set up a tent. Putting weights on the tents is the first thing that is done after the tent is set up.

Weights: must be at least 25 lbs. each and be secured to each tent leg or where two legs meet. For one 10'x10' tent this means 4 weights, each weighing 25 lbs or more. For two 10'x10' tents this means 6 weights. Weights must be securely fastened to the tent leg or frame. Dumbbells or other household items loosely tied to the leg are not acceptable. Simply laying a weight on the small "foot" of the tent leg is also not acceptable. 

Ropes: vendors who choose to use ropes or straps to secure their tents must be confident in the ability of their system. 

In the event that any vendor's tent is moved away from its original position or tipped by the wind, and had not been secured as described above, that vendor will be barred from any further participation in an EVERGREEN EVENTS market. 

High winds: in the event of very high winds, usually over 15 mph, EVERGREEN EVENTS reserves the right to not allow vendors to set up tents or to take down tents after they have been set up. Vendors are encouraged to use their own discretion to operate without tents if they judge conditions too windy.

READY TO APPLY? Follow the link HERE to submit an application.