Mission:
The Capital District Cooperative shall provide a central and proper location for local, Capital District agricultural producers to market their product. This goal, as from our cooperative inception, must be for the purpose of continued success and sustainability of the Capital District agricultural enterprises to benefit the whole community.
Vision:
To be a premier center for wholesale and retail agriculture and food service in the Greater Capital Region, encouraging farmers, tenants, and buyers that benefit agriculture, and providing a financially viable vehicle for all to market their products, both wholesale and retail.
A Proud History
The Capital District Cooperative, Inc., now commonly know as the Capital District Farmers Market in Menands, was created for the farmer by the farmer in 1933. Today, the market is still going strong, supported by the over 100 members of the Cooperative. In 2010, the USDA officially declared the Farmers Market in Menands a Regional Food Hub.
The Farmers Market in Menands started out as a place where farmers could buy, sell, and distribute their goods, and they still do so today. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, starting at 5:30 a.m., from the end of April until the beginning of November, farmers line the square to sell to grocers, restaurants, and anyone else who buys in bulk. In a addition to the morning wholesale market, the Farmers Market in Menands is also home to several wholesale distributors. Not only do they buy directly from the farmers in distribute throughout upstate New York and Western New England, some sell to the general public as well. They are typically open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Saturday.