Less than a year after being destroyed by fire, The Green Pig Country Market has officially started its reconstruction process. Owner Dawn Beckwith says that they are going big with the new designs.
The Green Pig Country Market, located in Salisbury, sells locally grown produce, as well as products from a variety of local artisans. It is known among New Brunswickers to have great atmospheres in not only the market but also its Sunflower Festival and Corn Maze events.
In September 2022, a large fire destroyed the market. The team was heartbroken but did not hesitate to take advantage of the situation as soon as they could.
“We’ve been just working really hard at getting the new building designed, and kind of tweaking it to the way we like it,” Beckwith tells Huddle.
Although they do not have a building of their own this year, they are still providing the community with their locally-grown produce. Beckwith says they planted the garden at the end of April, with just as much produce being grown as in previous years.
Currently, they are only able to sell what they are getting out of their garden in season but have plans on setting up temporary coolers to help store their produce.
“Once we get the building going, we’ll have it jam-packed with lots of local goodies, for sure,” says Beckwith.
Along with this, they also plan on travelling to the Moncton and Salisbury farmers’ markets to help reach more people. They will also have an on-location, temporary structure in place on Saturdays just off the highway in Salisbury.
Plans for the new building, meanwhile, are coming along, with the reconstruction beginning earlier this month. Beckwith says that they are going much bigger with the new design.
“It was just like, take the opportunity to grow the space a little bit,” says Beckwith. “It’s a little tight in there on a busy weekend, so we were like ‘okay, well this is our chance to make that expansion that we’ve talked about but never wanted to do.’”
Beckwith says that the old space was roughly 4,000 square feet, whereas the new space will be roughly double the size at about 8,000 square feet.
They plan to try and maintain the rustic feel of the old building but recognize that that will be a bit harder with a brand-new building. However, they will be doing their best to rebuild that same feel no matter how long it takes, with hopes that it will come with time.
As for The Little Red Rooster Cafe which was found alongside The Green Pig Country Market, Beckwith says that it will most likely take more time to get that up and running once again.
“The Red Rooster will definitely be back,” she says. “We put the kitchen in a little bit bigger, we’re thinking wood-oven pizza, but it’ll be one of the later phases of the market.”
This summer, Beckwith says that they will be relying on the temporary structure that they have in place, and plan to have a grand opening of the new building in Spring of 2024. They still plan to host their annual corn maze for the community this Fall, but will, unfortunately, need to put a hold on their Sunflower Festival until the summer of 2024.
“It’s definitely not a typical year, of course,” Beckwith says. “We’re just looking at ways that we can still get our vegetables circulated.”
Regardless of the setbacks, the team at The Green Pig Country Market does not plan on falling behind. With their on-location Saturday markets, as well as their Green Pig On The Go, they hope to once again welcome all of those who have come to love their local country market.
Ryley Roach is a student intern with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
