Build a food marketplace for producers, farms and artisan brands
Bring farms, bakers, roasters and food brands together on one Shopify store. Customers fill one basket from many producers, each producer ships or delivers their part, and you are paid your commission automatically.
Vegan America: 300+ vendors, 6,000+ products, launched in under 2 weeks
What food marketplaces need
| Need | How Garnet handles it |
|---|---|
| Product information buyers expect | Fields for ingredients, allergens, origin, certifications (organic, vegan) and best-before dates |
| Delivery zones per producer | Each producer sets rates per zone; rates combine at checkout |
| Free-shipping thresholds | Show customers how much more to add from a producer to get free delivery |
| Seasonal availability | Holiday mode hides availability while a farm is off-season |
| Recurring orders | Subscription products for veg boxes, coffee or weekly bread, through Seal Subscriptions |
| Producer vetting | Application form with hygiene certificates and licenses as file uploads |
| Producers with an online shop | Sync from Shopify, WooCommerce and other platforms |
Case study: Vegan America
Vegan America is a US marketplace for plant-based products across food, cosmetics and fashion. As a new venture, it needed to launch fast with little capital. With Garnet it went live in under 2 weeks, recruited 200+ vendors in 3 months and now onboards 10 to 20 new vendors a week. Sellers connect their store in about 20 minutes.
"The solution itself is super intuitive, and from a vendor's perspective, it's a no brainer: in just 20 min, and for free, they gain access to a new sales channel."Jonathan Faran, CEO and co-founder, Vegan America
An online farmers market
Run a weekly online market for your region: producers list what is available this week, customers order, then collect their basket at one of your pickup points or get it delivered locally. Each producer sees only their part of the orders and prepares it. You pay producers on a fixed day each week.
B2B food marketplaces
Connect food suppliers with restaurants, cafés and retailers. Use product fields for pack sizes and minimum quantities, Make an Offer for volume pricing, and Shopify's B2B features for trade accounts and net payment terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about food marketplaces? We have answers.
Ask a QuestionHow do I start a food marketplace?
Pick a focus (local farms, a diet such as vegan, a cuisine, or B2B supply), recruit 20 to 50 producers, and solve delivery or pickup first. Then add Garnet to a Shopify store.
How do online farmers markets work?
Producers list their weekly produce, customers order online, then collect at a pickup point managed in Garnet or get their order delivered. The platform takes a commission or a membership fee from producers.
Can producers sell subscriptions?
Yes. Through the Seal Subscriptions integration, producers can sell recurring boxes and deliveries.
What food information must I show?
Rules depend on your country. In the EU, the key information (including allergens) must be available before purchase for food sold online. Make these product fields required so every listing complies.
Can I sell fresh and chilled products?
Yes, as long as producers deliver them themselves or use a cold-chain courier. Let each producer set the zones they can serve.
Bring your region's producers to one basket
Install Garnet on your Shopify store and onboard your first producers this week.
