Virginia Market Maker – Your FREE Online Marketspace How to Register your Agribusiness(es)

History of Virginia MarketMaker

The National Food MarketMaker portal was developed at the University of Illinois in 2004 by Extension specialists in response to agribusinesses’ needs to establish an online presence to reach direct market customers searching for food products and tourism venues. Provided at no cost to users, the portal is currently hosted by partnerships in 20 states and D.C. In 2015, Virginia MarketMaker was launched with educational and financial support from Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, and Farm Credit of the Virginias. In 2018, the Piedmont Environmental Council connected with the Virginia MarketMaker team, allowing agribusinesses to indicate their affiliation with Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters across eight counties. This allows Buy Fresh Buy Local members to simultaneously update their Buy Fresh Buy Local listing and their MarketMaker profile. MarketMaker will continue to integrate with other Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters and various branding programs across the state. Through these affiliate linkages, agribusinesses with Virginia MarketMaker listings may utilize a one-stop, one-step process to keep their information current across multiple databases. 

What tools are offered on Virginia MarketMaker?

Registration is completely FREE for Virginia agribusinesses and FREELY available for the public to use in their search for fresh farm products and agritourism venues. Agribusinesses may sign up for multiple business types in one step, and update using a single sign-on and password. Simple search features help to facilitate connections along the food supply chain, from farm input suppliers to wholesalers, from pumpkin patches to public institutions, and allow agribusinesses to indicate affiliations such as Virginia Grown, Virginia’s Finest, and Buy Fresh Buy Local, to name a few. The market research tools support marketing plan development, local food system mapping, and buyers’ efforts to source seasonal product offerings. 

How do I register my Virginia agribusiness(es)?

Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to register your Virginia agribusiness(es):

STEP ONE

Go to https://va.foodmarketmaker.com/.

Click on REGISTER/SIGN IN. 

STEP TWO

Click on Sign Up, enter your credentials, and confirm registration.

STEP THREE

Specify the name of your business enterprise and your relationship with the business.

STEP FOUR

Your business is still unpublished. To successfully publish your business and maximize visibility, click on each of the profile categories below that are marked “In Progress” and complete them with the most up-to-date information. Each category will open in a new page where you can enter the relevant details. Click SAVE after completing each profile category. We illustrate this with an example below.

Profile Category Example: Business Types

Click on the Business Types tab from the list of business profile categories. This will take you to a new page. Select the most relevant business type from the list of categories. Once you make a selection, you will be taken to a page specific to that business type. You can select multiple business types; however, be sure to click SAVE after filling in the details for each business type.

For example, select Ag Input Supplier from the list of business types. Once you make your selection, click SAVE.

The Business Types page will now display the business type(s) you selected for your enterprise. You can also add additional business types if needed.

STEP FIVE

Add other key details about your business, including general information that will help users search for and find your listing. It is important that you click SAVE after entering information in each tab. Virginia MarketMaker has partnered with multiple organizations to provide this one-stop online portal for registrants. During your registration process, the Affiliation page gives you the opportunity to indicate any relevant affiliations. Affiliate descriptions and external web links are provided for each partner. Select any and all that apply to your agribusiness, then click JOIN. You can similarly add your certifications by clicking on the Certifications tab in the business profile page.

STEP SIX

Once you have added all the relevant information, click PUBLISH to register your business in the MarketMaker portal.

CONGRATULATIONS! Your new Virginia MarketMaker online profile is now complete. Click the EDIT button to add any of your social media networks, update your current information, or continue building your profile by adding additional business profiles, products, payment options, days and hours of operation, and customer communication options.

Join the 3,400+ Virginia agribusinesses on Virginia Market Maker today. Go to https://va.foodmarketmaker.com. For more information about direct marketing of your farm products in Virginia, visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension's Market Maker portal to find news, publications, videos, webinars, and related resources (https://ext.vt.edu/agriculture/market-maker.html).

Acknowledgments

The Food MarketMaker portal is the largest and most in-depth national database for the agricultural industry. The portal provides a FREE, searchable, online marketing tool to connect buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers’ markets, processors/packers, wineries, restaurants, and more. With the generous support of our partners and stakeholders, Virginia Market Maker is available at NO COST to Virginia producers, processors, and consumers. The program is housed in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and is supported by Virginia Cooperative Extension.