Foodshed Alliance

Foodshed Alliance is a grassroots, cooperative non-profit working to connect, develop and promote a healthy community by strengthening relationships between local producers and consumers. We operate the Salida and Buena Vista Farmers Markets in Chaffee County, Colorado. We aim to educate and expand our authentic, local agriculture and cottage industry; and empower our community to support a thriving, sustainable food system that contributes to the success of the buy-local community.

With a vision woven from our valley’s rich agricultural landscape, Foodshed Alliance started as a single seed before becoming an abundant and interconnected system where each piece is as important as the last.

Foodshed Alliance sprouted in 2007 with the support from dedicated local citizens, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and a USDA Rural Economic Development Grant. Today, Foodshed Alliance represents dozen of local food producers and artisans within a 100-mile radius of Chaffee County, Colorado.

Our Values

• Access: We support access to healthy, fresh food for all residents in our community.
• Stewardship: We encourage transparency, sustainability and integrity of land, animals, and people.
• Community: We promote an inclusive gathering place that celebrates our abundant region.
• Partnership: We believe dynamic and collaborative relationships are essential to shared prosperity.
• Local: We stimulate local businesses and merchants to foster a stronger, more diverse economy.
• Leadership: We aim to be a leading voice, innovator and public force for Farmers Markets in our region.

Foodshed Alliance facilitates a thriving local food economy by organizing and promoting Farmers Markets and Vendors. We manage the Farmers Markets in Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado and host ShedFest, a hyper-local, end-of-the-season celebration of the region’s talents and bounty.

Considered one of Colorado’s most breathtaking regions, the Arkansas River Valley is home to expansive ranches and farmland. With its abundant resources, fresh water and mild climate, Foodshed Alliance’s earliest founders recognized the valley’s potential for supporting a local food economy.

Experience the Arkansas River Valley and its local food systems at a Foodshed Alliance Farmers Market. With two locations - Buena Vista and Salida - Foodshed Alliance Farmers Markets showcase and complement some of Chaffee County’s most vibrant communities.