FRESHFARM Markets strives to build and strengthen the local food movement in the Chesapeake Bay region. We use our markets to create vibrant urban and community places, to provide economic opportunities for farmers and to showcase our region's agricultural bounty. We aim to create a sustainable urban-rural partnership that brings the blessings of healthy local food to our communities and sustains the working landscapes that feed us. FRESHFARM Markets began as a program in the Public Education Division of American Farmland Trust. In May 2002, we incorporated as an independent, nonprofit organization in Washington, DC, and received 501(c)3 status. In 1997, the first FRESHFARM market was opened in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC, and in 1998, a second market was opened in St. Michaels, MD. The Dupont Circle market has expanded from a customer base of 21,000 to more than 100,000 and has been named by The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times of London as one of the top farmers' markets in the country.