Market Day
Every week a chance to buy at the best price, to eat and to supply your kitchen
By Franco Cartín

It all started out as an idea to help farmers get their products to the people; today, it is an event filling the streets and squares of the Central Valley with color, lovely smells and tastes.

Fresh and exotic fruit and vegetables are maybe the most likely images tourists envision when landing in a tropical country like Costa Rica.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are basic things on anybody’s shopping list, whether they are singles, couples or families from here or wherever.

For this reason, every weekend from early Friday morning till Sunday afternoon, you can find the colorful Agricultural Markets in virtually any crowded or remote place in the metropolitan area.

A little bit of history about the Farmers' Market:
The establishment of the Farmers' Market was achieved during the administration of Lic. Rodrigo Carazo Odio in the period from 1978 till 1982. This establishment aimed at creating free markets. Business was already starting to emerge in some parts of the country. The markets where places where farmers could directly sell to the consumer, thereby stimulating production and lowering the cost of living.

Actually, the markets were already being held some time before. In the city of Turrialba, a small group of farmers started to organize themselves spontaneously. This group consisted of farmers who gathered in the street next to the railway, selling their products every friday and saturday. This activity was immediately accepted and a lot of others wanted to do the same.

While observing markets in countries like Guatemala, Mexico and Brazil, people started to think about the possibility of starting an agricultural market program in Costa Rica. As a result, the San José city council and the Ministry of Economics gave the green light for farmers to organize themselves at the Zapote square.

At the first market on Zapote square, 64 farmers gathered, hailing from different parts of the metropolitan area. The amount of customers getting in line to buy the products was infinite.

People wanted to take advantage of the fact that no middle men interfered, which meant that prices of any product were almost two third’s less their usual value.

There exists a market for a market:
Since 1979, the Farmers' Market have appeared at a lot of places, from eastern Paraíso de Cartago westwards to San Ramon, Alajuela. From de mountain villages of Heredia in the north, to Aserrí, Alajuelita and Hatillos.

Some of the Markets have remained small, attended by entire farmer families, who bring their sons and daughters early in the morning in order to attend the family’s market boot.

On the other hand, some Markets have grown at such a pace, that they absorbed other markets and even made some disappear. Some problems were caused by middle men, who visited the farmers thursday in order to buy their products, and sell these at the markets overcharging the customers.

The abuse by middle men and the boom of supermarkets have almost made the Market succumb.
Nowadays, less than 16% of all the market boots of any market are attended by an intermediary, the rest are occupied by the farmers themselves.

The Farmers’ Market get modernized:
The existence of the markets have created a large amount of additional products and services, relating to different market activities. This was caused by the continuous specialization of markets the last couple of years, in order to be of better service to their clients.

Today, at some markets there exists the possibility to rent a shopping cart for 300 colones ($0.60) and let customers go about their way like in the supermarket, only a lot cheaper. Nowadays, a lot of markets offer parking space for your vehicle while you shop, access to public toilets, sale of meat, cheese, eggs, flowers and plants.

The Farmers’ Market starts friday morning in the communities remote from the San José city centre. “I prepare the products on thursday in the afternoon. Friday, in Atenas, I open the dining at 3:45 in the morning, and sell the whole day...” we were told by “Macha” who attends her “soda” and sells empanadas, pupusas a la Tica(filled tortillas),gallo pinto(rice with beans) and gallos de salchichón(rice with sausage and vegetable) to the sellers and customers at three different markets. “I open every Saturday at 4:00 in the morning in Guadalupe and close at 2:00 or 2:30. I open again, here in Zapote, Sunday early in the morning and close at 2:30 when I leave for home to sleep till Tuesday.”

You can buy fresh fruit juice, where one can taste the true flavor of the freshest fruit. Besides, flowers are sold, from giant heliconias to colorful sweet violets, beautiful roses and elegant lords and ladies.

The most important Farmers’ Market in the San José area:
Saturdays from 05:00 in the morning: San Juan de Tibás, close to the Saprissa Stadium; San Vicente de Moravia, north of the National Bank; Plaza Víquez, at the same square; Guadalupe, behind the Pilar Jiménez y Pavas school, close to Pali.

Sundays from early in the morning: Desamparados, close to colegio Técnico; Zapote, next to the ring at plaza de Toros; Coronado, 3 blocks north of the San Isidro church.

In Heredia: around the Rosabal Cordero Stadium; Hatillo 8, close to the ring road; Alajuela, next to the Morera Soto Stadium.

Since the Farmers’ Markets first started 1974, next to the railway in the town of Turrialba, the markets have evolved significantly. For a long time the markets were only popular by the economically less fortunate.

Today, the markets are so easily accessible that they have expanded their audience.

Nowadays, it is a common sight to see a luxury car next to a modest car on the parking lot. It has become a democratic place, where the people unite shoulder to shoulder with the national farmers to buy and sell in solidarity... And why not stop at Macha’s soda for an empanada?