Helping hands - The Denver Post

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Helping hands

Farmers market vendors team up to survive during the winter

Jars contain mycelium, at right, that will eventually be used to grow mushrooms at Fox Fungi Urban Mushroom Farm in Denver on Monday. HELEN H. RICHARDSON — THE DENVER POST

Rachel Dunhoff, co-owner of Fox Fungi, looks at hard wood blocks where mushrooms grow inside the company’s fruiting room at her urban mushroom farm in Denver on Monday. HELEN H. RICHARDSON — THE DENVER POST

A chef’s mix of Fox Fungi mushrooms for a restaurant delivery. PROVIDED BY FOX FUNGI

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By Sara Rosenthal

Special to The Denver Post

As winter approaches and outdoor farmers markets wind down, many small businesses that rely on summer sales are now faced with the difficult task of planning for their off-season.

To help ensure that fellow market vendors stay afloat until spring, one of those companies, Fox Fungi, has launched a co-op out of its urban farm in south Denver where producers and artisans can continue to sell their products through April.

“We’ll be paying the rent on the space either way, so we figured, let’s open it up and see if we can help friends out,” said Rachel Dunhoff of Fox Fungi, which grows and sells a wide variety of cooking mushrooms, including enoki, lion’s mane and shiitake. “Around September, customers often start asking where they can find us and other producers in the off-season. Since we reduce production by 20-25% at the farm in winter, we have the space to share.”

So far, the co-op has over 160 products available from more than 60 vendors, including Taeko-san Takeout, Rebel Bread and Sfoglina Pasta, all of which are recognizable to people who shop at local farmers markets. Customers can shop for these products at farmerfoxandfriends.com and then pick them up the following weekend.

“We wanted to cover a variety of categories including milk, eggs, cheese, meats, vegan, gluten-free, pet products, home and beauty items. Most importantly, it’s all sourced from Colorado-based producers. If they aren’t local, we won’t even consider adding them,” Rachel explained.

The online marketplace will offer weekend pickups throughout Denver, Parker and Castle Rock, and delivery for $7 within a 12-mile radius of their commercial space at 2370 S. Kalamath St. They will also accept walk-ins. “Just tell us what you need. We have coolers and freezer shelf space in the back and are happy to fulfill orders,” Rachel said.

Many farmers market vendors struggle with expensive commissary kitchens or lose their spaces altogether during the winter and have to look for other revenue streams to pay the bills.

Rachel, for instance, picks up more hours at her second job as a flight attendant, while her husband drives for Amazon. Their market colleagues also work side hustles like Uber or DoorDash. Some also travel up and down the Front Range to a handful of winter markets like the Foothills Mall Winter Fawrmers Market in Fort Collins.

“We have 22 weeks to make it through before spring arrives,” Rachel said.

All of the proceeds from sales will go back to the individual sellers, she added. “If this works well, we’ll take the site down in April when the farmers markets start up again and reactivate it next winter. It’s all about helping our community to stay connected and thriving.”

Sara Rosenthal is a Denver-based freelance writer.