For small Australian farm operations that value-add to their produce and consumers alike; this is a great idea – an online farmer’s market called Farmhouse Direct.

Most of us have lost our connection to food. There is a gaping chasm between paddock to plate and field to fork.

With so many issues in our food production system, many people would prefer to buy directly from the farmer or producer. Farmer’s markets have seen a resurgence in popularity; but it can be difficult to get to one.

Not any more for Australian consumers.

Farmhouse Direct is an online farmer’s market that provides Australians with locally produced food and regional delicacies.

A project initiated by Australia Post and the Victorian Farmer’s Federation; this isn’t a warehousing operation – farmers and producers ship their goodies directly to you. For example, your shopping cart may have 4 different items that will come from 4 different locations and you’ll receive each part of that order individually. Of course, to minimise freight costs; buying multiple items from a single producer where possible is a good idea.

Vegetables, fruit, raw honey, tempting cheeses, organic foods; bakery items, jams, preserves and even meat and fish plus much more – there are thousands of products available on the site from close to 200 producers. You can also contact the producer directly from their virtual stall on the site with any questions you may have.

If you’re a farmer/ producer and would like to participate, further information is available here. From what I could ascertain, there’s no direct cost to producers involved. Australia Post makes their money through the shipping aspect.

While Farmhouse Direct is only available to Australians, perhaps there is something similar in the USA, Canada or the UK? If you know of an equivalent online farmer’s market, please leave a comment and URL of the site below.