by Do you need tomatoes? Cukes? What about onions? With the formal debut of Navore Market, San Diego County now has its first online marketplace that links consumers with reputable farmers and food producers to purchase fresh, locally grown food. Longtime local favorites such Rodney Kawano Farms, Heritage Family Farms, Eli’s Farms, and Hukama Produce are included on the new platform.
Caroline Driehaus, a resident of La Jolla, founded Navore, a central location for local cuisine that allows customers to buy straight from farmers without the middlemen typically found in online food servicers. Customers can choose between pickup and delivery and personalize their options. Throughout the county, farmers markets and farm stands serve as pickup places.
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According to Caroline Driehaus, founder and CEO of Navore Market, “We at Navore think that local, fresh food should be as accessible as imported goods lining grocery store shelves.” Our local economy is being strengthened and new revenue opportunities for farmers are being created as we continue to connect customers with locally grown food.
Now available on the Navore platform, Hukama food is a family-run farm in Ramona that specializes in producing healthy, pesticide-free food. Co-founder Byron Nkhoma, who is originally from Zimbabwe, started farming in 2015 and now works with his wife Joyce and their four kids. Their family-owned business is dedicated to giving San Diegans more access to local cuisine.
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Hukama Produce Co-Founder Byron Nkhoma stated, “Even though we sell at the Hillcrest Farmers Market every Sunday, it’s important for us to reach people who can’t always make it there.” In addition to giving our company a new source of income and distribution channels we didn’t have before, a platform like Navore helps guarantee that more families and communities continue to have access to our food.
USDA’s Local Food Promotion Program, which seeks to expand access to locally grown food and improve economic prospects for small- to mid-sized farmers, awarded Navore a grant. San Diego food farmers can now sell for free on the Navore marketplace through 2026.
To learn more, go to NavireMarket.com.
