Do you miss going to the market to buy fresh organic vegetables? How about browsing through art and craft stalls for one-of-a-kind, hand-made items, or conversing with folk who are just as obsessive about perfectly stuffed olives, crusty loaves or chunky chutneys as you are? Well the wait is over. Ripe is finally bringing its long-awaited organic and local produce market to Abu Dhabi next month, and are on the lookout for vendors. We caught up with Ripe manager Becky Balderstone to hear more.
What inspired you to set up the market?
I’ve long been a fan of the weekly deliveries of fruit and vegetables from local farms in the UK, where I’m from, but when I moved to the UAE, I struggled to find fresh, organic and local produce at affordable prices. It seemed like the obvious choice to introduce the concept herself myself, so I established Ripe, working closely with the Dubai Garden Centre to provide a delivery service of boxes of local fresh produce and holding weekly food markets in Dubai. These have been such a success that we’re bringing the markets to Abu Dhabi now too.
Any particular favourite market back home that you’re basing this one on?
No, not just one market as I love them all, but I do admire Abel & Cole in the UK – and this is where I get my inspiration from. I just spent the summer in Australia and spent a lot of time visiting the markets there. There were so many talented people creating fun and exciting food and non-food items, I wish more people would do the same here!
So what goodies can we expect to pick up at the market?
Our produce comes from a small selection of hand-picked farms in the region, mainly near Abu Dhabi Liwa, RAK and Al Ain. For a farm to pass the Ripe test, it must follow organic practices and use eco-friendly operating systems, which mean less damage to the environment as well as much better produce in terms of taste and freshness. Our focus will be on local produce, in particular the Ripe products, as well as Prime Gourmet Sausage Sizzle, Jamm Bakery bread, Pink Peppercorn dips, Cooking ID chutneys, Gourmet Point Oils, Toffee Princess fudge, Tonic juices, including wheatgrass shots, Be Super Natural health foods and more.
Sounds delicious. And how about the non-food aspect of the market?
We have a thriving artisan community in the UAE. I’m excited that we will have stalls selling tie-dyed wearables, silver keepsafes, home accessories, jewellery made from recycled materials, beaded jewellery, photographs, textile artworks and many more fabulous things.
We hear you’re looking for vendors – what kind of produce are you still looking for?
I would love to source olives, nuts, salad dressings, quiches and savouries, fish, ice cream and sorbets.
Why do you think Abu Dhabi needs a farmer’s market?
Like Dubai, it has nothing that mimics the local markets we are used to in our own countries, which offer a really friendly place to chat to other food and craft lovers who are passionate about what they do. At the Garden Centre we have a chance to create a community market, a place people will go on a Friday morning for an outing. Buy produce, maybe when it is cooler have a picnic, meet friends, go for a stroll in the park after shopping.
Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?
Our next big project will be to introduce farm visits, which will be the perfect opportunity for kids and adults to meet the farmers and see exactly where and how their fruit and veggies are grown. Ripe will also soon have a resident nutritionist to educate, motivate and inspire our customers to make a healthy, organic diet a part of their everyday life. We’re also planning a monthly kids’ market with a focus on things for children, not all local produce, but small businesses. We would also like to encourage recycling of jars, egg boxes and, of course, the Ripe boxes.
Ripe’s Food and Craft Market will open in Abu Dhabi on Friday, November 18 and run weekly at the Desert Garden Centre in Khalifa Park from 9.30am-1pm. If you’d like to participate, contact Abu Dhabi Ripe market manager, Susan Cherrey at susan@ripeme.com.
