Can a local, digital marketplace bridge the gap between small-scale Irish food producers and the modern consumer? And just how feasible is this model? Report by Mel White

The North Tipperary Online Farmers Market provides a compelling case study in the scalability and financial viability of community-led food hubs. A long-term study of the market has provided plenty of valuable data on consumer behaviour and the operational realities of this short supply chain model.

As the following analysis shows, while the market is thriving in terms of variety and customer engagement, the data raises urgent questions about long-term sustainability and the necessity of continued institutional support for local food organisers.

Overview of the digital marketplace

Imagine being able to order high quality, locally produced food from your neighbours with a few clicks, then picking it all up from a single collection point, close to home. Or for a food producer, imagine being able to sell directly to local customers, without the time commitment of standing all day at a face-to-face market, or the food-waste involved in returning home with unsold products at the end of the day. In the age of online shopping, surely this should be an option?

This was the future-oriented vision behind the Open Food Network, an online shopping platform upon which the North Tipperary Online Farmers Market operates.

Customers order online from a variety of producers before Tuesday each week, then on Thursdays suppliers drop their produce to a central delivery point to be collected later the same day by customers.

The priorities of the market organisers are to ensure local farmers and food producers get paid a fair price, and that local consumers have a direct and easy way to access a wide range of high quality local produce.

Background of North Tipperary Online Farmers Market

In early 2025 Cloughjordan Community Farm secured Department of Agriculture funding for an expansion of the North Tipperary Online Farmers Market from the small town of Cloughjordan (population 700 approx.) into Nenagh, a neighbouring town with a larger population (10,000 approx.) and therefore a larger customer base.

This digital market was first established in July 2021 with initial funding from Rethink Ireland that supported the market for its first year of operation. After initial expenses for equipment, the majority of this funding was spent on staff costs for developing a business strategy and launching the market, along with continued administration and marketing, with a smaller proportion allocated for the ongoing costs of space rental for produce collection.

From November 2022 when this funding ran out until May 2025 the market continued to operate on a voluntary basis, while rental costs were waived to allow the market to continue with minimal overheads. What this meant on the ground was that market organising tasks were pared back to the minimum requirements for continued operation, and the volunteered time was not able to extend to outreach to attract new customers. This is reflected in a corresponding drop in sales for the 2023-5 period (see chart below).

For many of the market’s suppliers this was no longer worth their while, and the number of producers selling on the market dwindled from a high of 22 down to 13. Without the injection of further funding, many of the market stakeholders were beginning to fear that closing was inevitable.

Market activity over time, comparing funded and non-funded periods:

It is also worth noting that the early periods overlap to a significant extent with COVID-19 restrictions. Not only were there still restrictions in place (such as reintroduced entertainment restrictions in December 2021), and travel distance restrictions, the North Tipperary Online Farmers Market market was quite a naturally socially distanced place: the digital pre-ordered dimension reduced social distance risks considerably, as these were done remotely; supermarket shopping involved being in the presence of many other people. Even the collection didn’t involve much by way of human-to-human contact: boxes were premade for customers and simply collected. By end of Q3 2022 most restrictions had been lifted, and, moreover, old shopping patterns were back for most people. This too may have had an impact of market performance, alongside funding considerations.

Market expansion into Nenagh

There had long been plans to extend the market into Nenagh, but without staff hours or the means to pay for a collection space, this expansion had been put on hold until further funding was secured.

The long-awaited expansion attracted 9 new food producers to the market, allowing customers to now purchase many products that had not been previously available, including organic lamb, beef and pork products, a wider range of seasonal vegetables, a variety of breads and other baked goods, and home-cooked Indian ready-meals and snacks. The market also began to operate weekly rather than bi-weekly as before.

Under the new system, producers have the option to drop off in Cloughjordan or Nenagh, and similarly customers can choose their most convenient pick-up point, while market staff manage the logistics, sorting the produce and transporting it between the two venues. This system allows producers to reach a wider pool of customers, and customers to choose from a wider variety of produce.

Comparison of variety of produce purchased in a sample month (Oct 2024 vs Oct 2025)

Customer Activity

The graph below illustrates some of the data gathered to help determine how well the market is serving customer interests.

While some of the ups and downs may reflect seasonal variations, and an expected dip early in the year following higher spending during the Christmas period, the overall trajectory indicates a healthy increase in return customers, and a steadily growing number of regular customers. These factors combined indicate that the market is providing a valuable service in the locality.

The above data also shows the market continuing to attract new customers, albeit at a slower pace than when the expanded market first launched. This indicates a continued need for outreach and marketing, while data gathered via the various marketing platforms (left) demonstrates a significant increase in public interest since the market expansion. This correlates with dedicated staff time allocated to marketing campaigns.

Another unexpected but interesting outcome is that, contrary to projections, customer growth in Cloughjordan has so far outpaced the increase in new customers from Nenagh (see chart below). The market organisers had anticipated that the town with the larger population would draw in a larger volume of customers, but figures show this has not been the case.

This correlates to the increase in available produce since the market expansion, and seems to indicate that it is smaller, more rural communities who benefit most from this type of initiative.

This may be due to the fact that these populations have less readily available access to a wide variety of produce than people living in larger towns.

Viability of the Market

The Open Food Network platform allows the market hub to set a flat percentage fee on top of the price set by the producers, in order to cover overheads. For North Tipperary Online farmers Market, this fee is set at 20%. The market organisers believe this is the highest fair price that they can charge for this service – any higher, and either customers would be asked to pay a higher price, perhaps deterring them from shopping at the market, or producers would have to take a cut to their income, while being expected to supply the same amount of produce.

The operation of the market involves certain non-negotiable expenses. Some of these are deducted at source, for example the fees paid for online payment services. Other costs include space rental for produce collection, fuel costs for transport between Nenagh and Cloughjordan, insurance, and a limited budget for marketing.

As can be seen in the chart to the right, these general overheads are roughly equivalent to the hub’s income, when the figures are viewed as an average over time.

However, as the chart also shows, this 20% overhead fee does not begin to cover the cost of staff hours.

At present, three different individuals are employed on a part-time basis: the market manager who oversees the collection day, liaises with customers and producers, and manages the mailing list, social media and other marketing; the admin/tech support person who manages the online platform and the background logistics necessary to ensure everything is delivered to the right place and the right person; and the bookkeeper, who keeps the finances in order and ensures the producers get paid.

To date, since the market expansion, these staff hours have been paid for with grant funding. This analysis shows the continued need for similar funding to secure the future of the market, and enable this essential service to continue to be available for both local food producers and consumers. It could also be said to makes the case for a basic income for local food organisers, as well as local food producers.