World PEAS ("People Enhancing Agricultural Sustainability") Marketing Cooperative
NESFP helped form the World PEAS Coop in 2005 with the goal to help immigrant and refugee farmers sell more of their produce to new audiences at higher prices. By forming a coop, small, beginning farmers are able to combine their products with other small farmers and access larger and potentially more lucrative markets. Additionally, for some immigrants and refugees whose limited English language skills or work schedules make direct sales difficult, participating in the World PEAS Coop helps them to sell more products at higher prices in less time than working on their own. The Coop holds regular membership meetings and has a board of directors who make decisions about the marketing channels, prices, and dividends retained for coop operations. Currently, over a dozen producers are contributing to the World PEAS Coop. The World PEAS Cooperative Organizational Chart provides information regarding the structure of World PEAS.
Participation by World PEAS Coop at Farmers Markets
World PEAS participates the Lexington Farmers Market, in Lexington, MA. The market runs every Tuesday through October, from 2:00 PM through 6:00 PM.
World PEAS also participates in an urban farm stand, in Medford, MA. The farm stand is located outside of the Mellon Bank Building. World PEAS participation in this initiative varies from week-to-week, depending on availability of produce.
Available produce varies from week-to-week. Please see the produce availability list, which shows typical vegetable availability during late spring, summer, and early fall.
Join our Community Supported Agriculture Program
In the 2006 growing season, NESFP farmers began their first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. Part of a growing movement of direct marketing and CSAs, the World PEAS Cooperative provides weekly shares of fresh, locally-grown veggies for member families. As "shareholders" in farm operations, member families make an advanced commitment to supply some costs of production in return for a variety of fresh vegetables. These shares provide enough produce for member families of four to enjoy for each week of the 18-week season, and they consist of summertime favorites like tomatoes and peppers as well as ethnic, specialty vegetables from our farmers' home countries. Visit the CSA page for more information.
Other Initiatives
The CSA is just one of the marketing opportunities for the World PEAS Cooperative. New immigrant farmers that produce for World PEAS also sell to various local wholesale accounts, including Whole Foods Markets, and participate in the farmers' markets at Lexington, Lowell, Lawrence, New Hampshire, and other Boston area locations. Over time, the cooperative's farmers hope to expand their participation to many of the other farmers' markets in Massachusetts.
