Case Studies / Carriageworks Farmers Market
Eveleigh • Since 2015
A farmers’ market built on integrity and community.
Carriageworks Farmers Market was already a beloved weekend ritual for many Sydneysiders — but it needed a clear identity, a stronger sense of purpose, and a framework to protect its authenticity as it grew. The challenge was to preserve the integrity of a true farmers market while giving it the creative and operational backbone to thrive in an urban setting.
Approach
Appointed Creative Director in 2015, I wrote a defining charter that reshaped how the market operated — mandating that every stallholder must be a genuine NSW grower or producer, present in person to sell their own goods. No agents, no distributors — just the people who grow, make, and harvest.
This created a direct relationship between producer and shopper, giving city dwellers an authentic farmers market experience in the heart of Sydney. The weekly curation of over 60 stalls was guided by seasonality, diversity, and provenance.
Shoppers could meet the person behind their produce — whether it was the hands that picked their asparagus or churned their butter. For an audience that wants to know the postcode of their food, this was the real thing.
Beyond curation, I introduced systems for quality control, producer storytelling, and large-scale programming that wove food into the cultural fabric of Carriageworks — from the Producers at Carriageworks series to themed seasonal events that drew international attention.
Outcome
A decade on, Carriageworks Farmers Market has become one of Australia’s most respected and best-attended producers’ markets, welcoming over 5,000 visitors every Saturday. It stands as a national model for authenticity, sustainability, and community connection — proving that when growers lead and integrity guides, a market becomes far more than a place to shop.
