Montreal’s public markets are proud to announce a pilot project called Kiosques de la relève. The project’s next-generation market stalls are turnkey spaces that can be rented by the day. They are aimed at up-and-coming food-related businesses looking to introduce their products to shoppers at the city’s public markets. Two businesses were already able to sell their products last weekend and many more are already looking at the availabilities further in the season according to their production.

“In the last year, we’ve listened closely to the needs of entrepreneurs, who have been asking for a flexible format for selling their products in our public markets. Today, we are pleased to launch the Kiosques de la relève project, which will allow us to test a new form of vending, better suited to the realities of many young companies. We thank the governments of Quebec and Canada for their financial support for this project,” said Mr. Nicolas Fabien-Ouellet, executive director of the Corporation de gestion des marchés publics de Montréal.

An initiative tailor-made for young companies

The pilot project is designed to meet two crucial needs of young companies seeking to sell their products in our public markets: stall rental by the day, and minimal infrastructure and commercialization costs. For this first trial year, the project consists of three stalls at Jean-Talon Market. A second phase, involving the city’s other public markets, is planned if vendors show sufficient interest in the new format.

“This new approach allows us to be part of Jean-Talon Market, an exceptional showcase for our products and expertise,” said Ms. Rebecca Turcot of Microgreenroots, cowner and producer of the business, who will be at Jean-Talon Market several days this summer based on the farm’s production schedule. “We’ve been considering it for a long time and are very pleased to have this opportunity. We have already booked several days for the season and we can’t wait to see how customers respond to our products!”

Several vegetable farms and food service companies have already booked timeslots for this season. Interested companies are asked to contact the Corporation de gestion des marches publics de Montréal by email at location@marchespublics-mtl.com or by calling 514-937-7754, ext. 46.

The project is funded through the Programme Proximité of the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, a program run under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which includes a $2 billion investment for strategic shared-cost initiatives. The Canada-Quebec agreement for implementing the Partnership has total funding of $293 million over five years, provided by the federal government (60%) and the province (40%).
 
About the Corporation de gestion des marchés publics de Montréal
The Corporation de gestion des marchés publics de Montréal is a social economy enterprise responsible for the planning, development and operation of Montreal’s public markets. Its mission is improve access to fresh food through a network of public markets that brings Montrealers closer to local farmers and agri-food businesses. Since 1993, it has been mandated by the Ville de Montréal to manage the Atwater, Jean-Talon and Maisonneuve markets, six neighbourhood markets and three Solidarity markets. It is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors composed of five merchants and five residents of the Montreal urban agglomeration. Its membership includes nearly 200 merchants active at the public markets. The Corporation’s network of public markets is frequented by more than three quarters of Montrealers, with more than 3 million visits annually.