We begin The Farmers Market edition by starting on the Spanish Mediterranean coast in the city of Valencia, where the OLEA project was born.
The city of Valencia stands out for the intense commercial activity of its streets and the maximum exponent of this are, without a doubt, the Farmers Markets. Distributed in the different neighborhoods of the city, the markets offer customers and neighbors the best fresh and quality product, in addition to a direct deal with consumers, which makes them meeting points for neighbors and modern food centers.
Likewise, increasingly, Farmers Markets are moving at the pace of the demands of today’s society and have been able to adapt to the needs of their customers, putting at their disposal a number of previously unimaginable services. Some of them have home service, have their own web page, open in the afternoon, have jewelers, banks, etc. all this, with the aim that the customer can make their purchases with the maximum possible comfort.
Also, in recent years, we have proceeded to the full or partial rehabilitation of many of our Farmers Markets, one of the most representative examples is the Mercado Central located in the center of the city.
Three emblematic markets of Valencia:
- Central
- Ruzafa
- Cabanyal
Close to our hearts at Olea is the Ruzafa Market, which is the first market we visit:
The history goes back to the ninth century, but life in the market as we know it began in 1954 when it was designed by Julio Bellot Senet which was later approved by the city council and construction started in 1957. Over 60 years old, and spread out across almost 5,000sqm (53,800sqft) the Ruzafa Market has become a way of life amongst the Valencians.