Completing
the Meal
Patrons
filled the Jackson Street parking lot. Children climbed the jungle gym. Music
filled the town square. Two local vendors brought beer and wine to the farmers
market for the second straight week.
“Just
being at the market is a great way for people to learn about my little hole in
the wall,” said Lucas Rate, Owner and Brewer of Moscow Brewing Company. “We
don’t get a lot of foot traffic at our location, back on Almon Street, so this
is an amazing opportunity.”
Rate
and Jeremy Ritter, Owner of Camas Prairie Winery, became two of the first
vendors to sell beer and wine at the Moscow Farmers Market.
“There
were several people congratulating us just for being out there,” Ritter said. “Before
our first booth at the market, some people didn’t know there was a winery in
Moscow; if nothing else, it’s a great way to advertise our product.”
Moscow
Art Director Kathleen Burns researched farmers markets in Idaho and found two
in Boise that sell beer and wine regularly.
“I
looked at the best practices from Boise’s markets, and I started thinking about
how we could implement beer and wine in Moscow,” Burns said.
Erin
Carroll, Moscow famers market commission chair, and the commission talked to market-goers
to gauge interest in beer and wine.
“We
received 365 yeses and 13 no’s,” Carroll said. “You could say we were pretty
excited to get that kind of feedback.”
Moscow
City Council unanimously approved an ordinance allowing the sale of closed
containers of beer and wine from local vendors at the final three farmers
markets of the 2014 season as part of a pilot program. The ordinance also allows
the vendors to sample out the product in small one to one and a half ounce
cups.
“Before
the ordinance, the market had only food, and by adding beer and wine, we’ve
completed the meal,” said Carroll.
The
pilot started during the three smallest markets of the season, so there may not
be enough data to show city council if the pilot was a success, Carroll said.
“If
we don’t get enough feedback, we hope city council will approve another pilot
program for next year’s season so we can get a better sample size,” Carroll
said.
Rate
thinks Moscow is a great community, and he hopes the program returns full time in
2015.
“Right
now I’m a one man operation, so if the city brings the program back, I’m going
to need more help brewing,” Rate said. “I had to scramble just to finish
crafting beers for the last two markets.”
There
will be some things that still need to be ironed out, Ritter said, but he is
positive and hopeful the program will return.
“I’m
excited for the future. I’d be willing and ready to fill some slots at the market
if council makes the pilot a long term project,” Ritter said.
The
last farmers market of 2014 is Saturday, Oct. 25th from 10 a.m. to
one p.m. on Third Street in downtown Moscow.
-30-
Outline: The city of Moscow approved a pilot program for the
final three farmers markets of 2014 to allow beer and wine to be sold near the
market for off-site consumption and small samples. If the pilot is a success,
the city could choose to add beer and wine sales for good.
-30-
Story pitch:
My story centers around the short (but expectedly
successful) policy to allow beer and wine sold at the Moscow Farmer’s Market.
The Moscow City Council approved the new policy last week. The Moscow Farmers
Market Commission did a study during a few Farmers Markets to see how many
people would be on board to buy beer or wine from local vendors. The last three
markets (including two days ago, Sat. 11) will have samples and full craft
beer/wine bottles for sale. The Moscow Farmers Market Commission Chair Erin
Carroll said that she received 365 yeses and only 13 no’s when she asked them
about their interest in buying beer and wine from the Farmers Market.
The story is relevant now because this could be the only
three weeks the Farmers Market has wine and beer. However, IF this is
successful then it would be the first time they’ve sold beer and win from local
vendors, so it would be a great story to cover as the first ever. I’m
interested to go to the market and see how successful things are, or are not.
-30-
Interviews:
Moscow Art Director, Kathleen Burns: 208-883-7036
Owner Camas Prairie Winery, Jeremy Ritter: 208-882-0214
Owner, Brewer Moscow Brewing Company, Lucas Rate:
208-874-7340
Moscow Farmers Market Commission Chair, Erin Carroll:
509-335-8998
No comments:
Post a Comment