Makers Market brings community together in Bridgewater

The Material Institute’s first Makers Market at its Bridgewater market garden was a joyful celebration of local enterprise, fresh food and community connection.

The Material Institute works with children, young people and families to build skills in growing, cooking and sharing healthy food, using its market garden as a hands on space for education.

Stall holders from across Tasmania joined local vendors for the event, creating a vibrant marketplace set around the gardens.

Community members gathered to browse handmade goods, purchase fresh produce and enjoy a welcoming outdoor space.

Material Institute Content Manager Yasmin Mund said the event exceeded expectations.

“Having our first Makers Market at our market garden in Bridgewater provided a unique event for the community to attend, bringing together stall holders from across the state and down the road to sell their wares,” she said.

“The atmosphere on the day was joyous and everyone enjoyed the beautiful day among the flowers.

“We had perfect weather and an excellent array of offerings from our stalls.”

Access to fresh, nutritious food remains a key focus for the organisation, particularly as rising food prices continue to impact families.

“Access to fresh produce for our community is vital for food security and health,” Ms Mund said.

“As prices continue to rise, eating fresh produce becomes less accessible.

“It also reduces food miles, cultivates a sense of agency in learning to grow your own food, and we reckon it tastes better too.”

Ms Mund said the success of the event was also credited to the stallholders who took part.

“The support from the stallholders was vital to the success of this experiment for us,” she said.

“We were not sure how it would go, but everyone was blown away, we are grateful that those first stallholders took the gamble with us and we think it paid off.”

“For us our market really brought a number of pieces of the puzzle together.

“It enabled local enterprise, provided a unique experience for our community and offered delicious fresh local food at a reasonable cost, while opening our garden to the public to see what we do.”