According to their Facebook page, The Naivasha Farmers’ Market is an exciting, Not-For-Profit, Pop-Up farmers’ market committed to providing the gorgeous people of Naivasha-and-beyond with fresh, diverse and truly scrumptious produce and a lovely place to meet up with other like-minded foodies and friends.
It’s held at Longonot Farm on South Lake Road in Naivasha (next to Sopa Lodge) and usually runs from 11am – 4pm. So far in 2019, the renowned pop-up market has been held on 2nd of February, 6th of April, 8th of June and recently on Saturday 3rd of August. Longonot Farm has ample parking and the pop-up market is very Family Friendly, with myriad of activities for kids of all ages.
After months of trying and failing to get to the Naivasha Farmers' Market, on Friday 2nd of August my intrepid friends and I finally managed to make our way down from Nairobi to Naivasha for the illustrious Naivasha Farmers' Market. As fortune would have it, getting to Naivasha a day before the market, on the Friday, was the best decision. As it were, due to unforeseen circumstances there was a gigantic 10-hour traffic snarl-up on the Naivasha - Nakuru highway.
We had pre-planned to stay at a lovely lakeside home via AirBnB, in Sanctuary Farm. Once in Naivasha we made our way into the picturesque Sanctuary Farm and to our home for the weekend. We were greeted by Andrew, our wonderful host with the most.Given the location of the house, in the evenings we’d spot giraffes & zebras coming right up the house, it was just amazing.
After a good night sleep, we made our way down to Longo Farm on Saturday 3rd of August,. We each paid a fair Ksh 300 entry donation at the gate and in we went.
We had previously been informed that all donations go to a Naivasha based charity; for this particular August edition all proceeds went to KSPCA.
The grounds were absolutely wonderful; green grass everywhere, vendor marquees placed in a way that guides you around the site, a rather bemused camel ferrying kids around the grounds and best of all the sun was out in its full glory.
I would like to say a tremendously huge CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing Organisers & Staff at Naivasha Farmers’ Market and an additional thank you to the incredible Vendors on the day.
The day genuinely far exceeded my expectations! The weather was gorgeous, the food was excellent, the drinks were cold and refreshing, the band was wonderful, the toilets were exceptionally clean, there was a plethora of amazing vendors and the general atmosphere was full of love & happiness. I kid you not I was literally smiling the entire time I was there.
As we walked around my friends and I got the chance to meet and chat to the wonderful vendors spread across the grounds. We did find ourselves purchasing a lot more stuff than we planned. Here are some of the vendors we interacted with.
CEDAR FARM
My good friend Gacheru & his sister Marion had an assortment of exquisite fruits & vegetables from their farm.
With their well stocked bar, they kept the crowd well hydrated and lubricated with an assortment of ice cold beers and cocktails. Asante Sana Chaka for the stellar service.
Eco warrior and Singer/ Song writer, MUHABI, performed fantastic music over the course of the day. Thank you for the lovely sounds.
I managed to get some superb Mature Gouda Cheese from these guys. They told me they were Nairobi based and can deliver around the country; so if you fancy some delicious Gouda cheese delivered to your door, give them ring.
I bought myself a wonderful hand stitched, custom hand-cut, leather bound journal from these amazing artisans. I admit I was instantly sold, by the beautiful sketches they had in their sample journals. Absolutely exquisite.
You can reach them via email on info@errrgatti.com or erregatti@gmail.com ...
Or call them in +254 (0) 729 232 171, +254 (0) 710 971 778 or +254 (0) 706 515 563.
What is a sunny day out without some wine? To be honest I don't think I want to know. I managed to grab a lovely deep, dry red Merlot wine from the lovely ladies at the Baraka Wine stall. It was absolutely delicious. If I recall correctly it was a Teperberg | Vision 2018. Stav Orr, thank you for the delicious delicious wine and for the assortment of wine tasters; we shall be in touch very soon.
On the Baraka Israel website they state, that they are an Israeli – Kenyan company working together to bring the best of Israel's products to Kenya. They can be contact via email at info@barakaholyland.com, via phone on +254 (0) 791 389 771 or via WhatsApp on +972 523930567.
I managed to get some lovely jewellery for my better half Elizabeth, from Beau Designs.
To find out more about their amazing work, you can reach the via email on beaudesigns1@gmail.com or call Joan on +254 (0) 719 436 511.
Now this stall had some utterly wonderful chillies. We were treated to an unbeleivelbly delicious sample Red Hot Chilli Jam; unfortunately they had run out of supplies by the time we got there. They had sold like Hot Cakes... pun intended. I did come away with a fantastic Fresh Strawberry, Chilli & Mint sauce... bordering on Life Changing. Thank you for the seriously delicious chilli sauces.
