The vendors are:
• FreshStart Farm, a dairy and creamery located in Jackson Center in Shelby County that sells milk, chocolate milk, cheese, yogurt and cheese curds. Owner Martha Thomas said she wanted to preserve her small dairy rather than sell out to a larger corporation, and was seeking to boost its visibility. Previously open only on Thursday and Friday, FreshStart began as a full three-day vendor earlier this month.
“The market has served as an incubator of businesses,” Thomas said. “And I know that Dayton is interested in local food.”
FreshStart’s dairy herd consists only of grass-fed Jersey cows that produce milk that is higher in fat than milk from other dairy cows, Thomas said.
• Festival Fresh Popcorn, founded by Bill and Kelly Graham of West Carrollton, which sells several varieties of popcorn, including kettle corn and caramel corn. The business had been a Saturday-only vendor and started last year by selling at a stand outside the market. Kelly Graham said she and her husband launched the endeavor last year as a second business "because we love popcorn, and we love coming up with different recipes and varieties."
• Sweet P's Handcrafted Ice Pops has moved its booth into a permanent vendor location in the middle of the market and is now open three days. It previously was a Saturday-only vendor. Pam Bertke, founder of Sweet P's, said she now offers fruit-based, dairy-based, "paleo"-style honey-sweetened, and banana-based frozen pops, and has developed more than 250 flavors.
The market also has added Dragon’s Gate Garden, which sells micro-greens grown organically by founders Paulletta and Gil Gwinnup of Dayton. The vendor also offers herbal teas, dried herbs and live herb plants.
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