We believe that every purchase is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in.

Our Vision is for all communities to be self-sustaining and for people to buy directly from one another.

Core values

Every meal can be a celebration!

We respect the land and champion those who tend it, because our health and the health of the planet are interconnected.

Real food is essential to good health: everyone should have access & local is better!

Every time we buy food, we are casting a vote for the kind of world we want to live in.

Individuals and individual decisions can make a difference…when we work together, our impact can be great!

Why Farmers’ markets?

The Corporate food system is broken

The vegetables in our supermarkets are grown on enormous farms, harvested before they are ripe, and transported thousands of miles. The average item of produce on a supermarket shelf has traveled 1500 miles. This way of farming is bad for our health, and the health of our planet.

Fast Facts

Big farms lose 1% of their topsoil every year.

Vegetables grown in poor soil are less nutritious and less flavorful.

Fewer than 1 in 10 adults eats enough vegetables.

40% of all diagnosed cancers are linked to poor diet.

Farmers’ Markets are a solution

  • healthy people

    Vegetables grown in healthy soil, and allowed to ripen in the field, are more nutritious.

    They’re also addictively flavorful.

  • Healthy Planet

    Small farms grow a wide variety of crops. Diversity in the field means less need for pesticides and fertilizers. (This is good for soil and streams, amphibians and birds).

    Selling locally means lower carbon emissions.

  • Healthy Communities

    Our markets gleaning partners bring unsold, (but still delicious), food to neighbors in need. Our compost hubs turn household food scraps into healthy soil—rather than greenhouse gases.

    All of our markets accept EBT.

OUr team

Our Founder

Mark Anderson (aka “Farmer Mark”) is a banker turned small farmer.

Originally from the midwest, Mark ventured to UCLA for grad school. Shortly after graduating with his MBA, Mark somewhat randomly found himself running a small tomato farm. Wearing the boots of a small farmer, he quickly became convinced that real, locally grown, food is the foundation for healthy living.

While selling his produce at local markets, Mark became frustrated that many markets didn’t act in farmers’ best interests. In 2009, he founded the Playa Vista Farmers’ Market with the guiding principal of “putting farmers first.” At the same time he started the nonprofit Sprouts of Promise - to leverage farmers’ markets with an educational component.

Mark currently serves on the board of Grow Good, an urban farm providing nature-based healing for those experiencing homelessness. He previously served on the Board of the State of CA Certified Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee and is a TEDx speaker with his talk on how he “fell in love with a tomato.”

Home Team

  • Aubrey Yarbrough

    Director of Community Development

  • Natalie Labéjof

    Director of Operations

  • Ikuko Nakano

    Operations Manager

  • Shawna Lehman

    Shawna Lehman

    Social Media Coordinator

  • Anmol Pavade

    Volunteer Coordinator

Market Managers

  • Molly

    West Hollywood

  • Gerry

    West Hollywood

  • Joan

    Westwood Village/Broxton Nights

  • Jessica

    Costa Mesa

  • Trinitee

    Hollywood Park

  • Elisabeth

    Playa Vista

  • Patti

    South Park

  • Tierra

    Newport Beach

  • Kelly

    N Laguna Hills

  • Amber

Market Crew