After 12 weeks of intense activity, with the same number of exemplary rural initiatives, the Harvest Market pop-up store has closed in A Coruña with a positive result from the experience thanks to the massive recognition of the public.
It is estimated that over 50,000 people have visited the space in Riego de Agua to discover the entrepreneurial initiatives and their products during the last three months. These figures back a project driven by Corporación Hijos de Rivera, R and Gadis with the aim of promoting the socioeconomic development of Galicia and the sustainability of its countryside, on this occasion, by raising awareness of and promoting successful initiatives.
During the closing act this morning, Antonio Viejo, Corporación Hijos de Rivera Director of Institutional Relations, expressed on behalf of all the companies who had backed the initiative his “gratitude to all those who had collaborated to make the project a reality, especially those in charge of the participating initiatives for showing that setting up in rural areas is not only possible, but, with enthusiasm and the capacity to innovate, it can be a resounding success”. In his own words, “the countryside contains a lot of present but also a lot of future”. Taking advantage of the occasion, he announced the intention of the initiative’s promoters to continue devoting effort and resources to supporting the Galician countryside within the frame of the Mercado de la Cosecha.
An intense activity calendar
The Mercado de la Cosecha space became the centre of dynamism for the countryside, in the very centre the city, for 12 weeks. From its opening in July, there have been a total of 48 organised activities ranging from chats, tastings and all kinds of workshops. A range of informative proposals to which a large number of people, interested in finding out more about the opportunities that our rural areas have to offer for entrepreneurship and enjoyment of a high quality of life, attended.
Every week brought a new image and protagonist. The store has seen a great range of projects, such as Cortes de Muar cheeses, Ecocelta earthworm compost, the eggs and jams of Pazo de Vilane, Olei oils, the games of Buxaina, Daveiga mariñeira biscuits, the cream biscuits of Granxa Maruxa, contemporary basket-making of Idoia Cuesta, the ecological cheeses, yoghurts, and milk of Arqueixal, Maeloc ciders and Ponte da Boga wines, all of them innovative initiatives that are worth sharing.
Thanks to them all, the public has had the opportunity to, among other things, make hand-made cheese, discover the history of the “mariñeira” biscuits, enjoy cocktails made with cider, find out about “gastrosexology”, learn about the autochthonous Galician olive, make baskets, play traditional games, try wines from the Ribera Sacra area, think about home-made vermicomposting and even learn about the role of the Galician “pazos” (traditional noble houses) in bringing rural areas to life.
For her part, María Estévez, from Olei oils, on behalf of all the participating companies, expressed her gratitude and satisfaction for “a fantastic experience” while sharing her project and products.
It has been an unstoppable succession of activities and surprises that has had the support of both A Coruña citizens and the large public that has visited the city this summer which, in the words of the organisers, “means added responsibility when looking at future Mercado de la Cosecha projects in order to meet people’s expectations”.
What is the Mercado de la Cosecha ?
The Mercado de la CosechaPop-Up store is a project driven by Corporación Hijos de Rivera, Gadis and R whose main objective is to promote the socioeconomic development of Galicia and the sustainability of rural areas. In order to do so, it carries out different awareness raising and promotional initiatives, such as the Parladoiros (Roundtables), already in their second edition, the Son d’Aldea event, which exalts rural life, or the pop-up store which comes to an end after almost three months of activity.
