How farmers markets link past and present for immigrant entrepreneurs

The sun is shining, and farmers market season is here.

That means more fresh produce (strawberries! tomatoes! cucumbers!), and new vendors, many with roots from around the world, are bringing a taste of home to local Atlanta markets.

Among them is Bivinia Delgada. “This is my first farmers market [season],” she told 285 South on a recent Wednesday afternoon at the Decatur Farmers Market off Clairmont Road. She started Black River Juice Bar a year ago, named after Rionegra, the city where her grandparents lived in Colombia. “It is so beautiful, it’s between the mountains and rivers. The colors, the mountains, the food, the trees. It is amazing,” she said, after handing over a bottle filled with green juice to a customer.

Though the company is named after her grandparents’ hometown, they weren’t the only inspiration behind Black River. “I started juicing for my mom,” she explained. Her father had passed away from cancer, and when her mom was also diagnosed with cancer, she wanted to try something that might support her healing. “She drinks it everyday.”

Biviana said her father’s illness began shortly after arriving in the U.S. The family had fled Colombia in 1999, and she said years of living amid the ongoing civil war had taken a toll on his health. “I’m a true believer that you get sick by the environment.”

Black River offers a range of different juices and smoothies – using classic ingredients like apples, spinach, and ginger, but also less common ones like bok choy (“I was introduced to bok choy when working in a restaurant in New York”), kumquats (“they are so powerful”), and guanabana, a fruit native to Central and South America (“I buy them from Asian supermarkets…and I’m trying to grow them [at home]”).

Biviana moved to Metro Atlanta with her husband and son about three years ago. They had lived in San Francisco and New York, cities with a bustling farmers markets scene. “I fell in love with the [Union Square] farmers market back in New York,” she said. “I used to take all the veggies…and make something delicious.” 

What makes farmers markets so special, she said, is the pride that vendors have in their product. “Your product here is the only way that you fund it…everybody here works every day in the morning, to bake, to make good things.”

For Biviana, and others vendors like her, the community farmers markets aren’t just a way to start a small business without large overhead costs. They’re also a way of connecting with her new life in Atlanta, as well as paying tribute to her family, and the home she carries with her.

Here are some of the other immigrant vendors at local farmers markets:

Taste of Egypt by Sahar: Sahar Alkenawy and her son run this small business that offers catering as well as sells classic Middle Eastern dishes like Egyptian style chicken shawarma and falafel wraps (the falafel are made with fava beans instead of chickpeas) at pop-ups and local markets. “She learned from her mother, and then she passed on to her all the secret recipes and everything…” Sahar’s son told 285 South. They hope to eventually open a family restaurant.

Decatur Farmers Market: Wednesday, 4-7pm. Farmers market locations and dates vary.  Follow their Instagram for updates.

Aleppo Kitchen: Started by Barwin and Yaser, who moved to Clarkston from Syria in 2016, this family-owned business has been a regular at local markets for years. Expect to find  baba ganoush, hummus, fattir (spinach, meat, or chicken pies), shawarma, and desserts like traditional baklava and cream cheese and gaimar baklava. They also offer full-service catering. 

East Atlanta Village Farmers Market: Thursdays, 4pm – 8pm

Oakhurst Farmers Market in Decatur: Saturdays, 9am – 1pm

Avondale Farmers Market in Avondale Estates: Sundays, 10am- 1p

Caribe United Farm – Gabriel and Tamita run a Caribbean style farm in Crawford, Georgia, where they raise pigs and chickens. You can find them at local markets selling farm fresh non-gmo eggs, sausages, and “Caribbean goodies.”

Grant Park Farmers Market: Saturdays, 9am – 1pm

Oakhurst Farmers Market: Saturdays, 9am -1pm

EstoEtno Fine Bakery – Tiina D’Souza was frustrated when she moved to Atlanta and couldn’t find pure rye bread, like the kind she grew up eating in Estonia. “I found that none tasted like the real thing. I soon realized that almost all of the ‘rye bread’ in America is actually made from wheat–with a little rye flour added,” she says on her website. So she took matters into her own hands and started EstoEtno, which sells traditional Estonian style breads, cakes, and pies (“with less sugar than traditional American desserts”). Here’s where to find them.

Avondale Estates Farmers Market: Sundays 10am – 1pm 

Grant Park: Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Piedmont Park Green Market: Saturdays, 9am – 1pm

Alpharetta Farmers Market: Saturdays, 8:30am – 1pm

Farmers market locations and dates vary. Check website for updates.

Heaps Pies – Like Tiina, New Zealand native Jake Harvey missed the foods he grew up with when he moved to Atlanta. At Heaps, you’ll find a range of different pies, from “steak and mushroom,” filled with chuck, mushroom, and dark ale;  the “bhindi masala,” stuffed with charred okra, cashew, and mango chutney (who knew my Pakistani dad’s favorite food, stuffed into pie form, was also a kiwi classic?!) to the “thai chicken,” made with green curry, thai basil, and lemongrass. You can also order ahead.

Morningside Farmers Market: every other Saturdays, 8am – 11:30am

Oakhurst Farmers Market: Saturdays, 9am – 1pm

Grant Park Farmers Market: Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Herbs & Kettles: Mumbai native and doctor Poorvi Chordia and her husband, Abe, also a physician, launched their tea business in 2021. “We travel to small sustainable farms in different regions of India to directly source the best single origin, single batch teas we love and trust,” reads their website. Among their best-selling teas include rose cardamom chai, blue chai, and Assam golden needle. 

Piedmont Green Market: every week

Grant Park Farmers Market: Sundays, 9am – 1pm, once a month

Dates and locations vary. Follow Instagram for updates.

Victoria Cakes: Pastry chef Gaby Gonzalez sells a range of cheesecakes – including dulce de leche and coffee,  blue cheese and white chocolate and basque cheesecake.

Decatur Farmers Market: Wednesdays, 4pm – 7pm

Grant Park Farmers Market: Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Dates and locations vary. Follow them on Instagram for updates.