The Portland Farmers Market, with its prestigious farmers and food artisans selling right in the heart of an urban city on Saturdays and Wednesdays, has helped make the city a national food destination. Now, thanks in part to a local pop star turned civic booster, it’s getting ready to grow bigger than a zucchini in August.
Icebreaker, the New Zealand company that pioneered the outdoor merino wool apparel category, has been named the ‘official base layer supplier’ of the 2010 New Zealand Olympic Committee.
The company will provide the 50 Kiwi athletes competing in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games with its Bodyfit base layer garments including three different tops, leggings, socks, gloves and scarves. The team began wearing its Icebreaker in late October when it met for the Winter Games in Central New Zealand.
Portland’s love affair with farmers markets only grows stronger. The Portland Farmers Market had record attendance in 2009, with more than 620,000 people shopping at the five area markets. That’s a 16 percent increase from the year before. Those shoppers spent nearly $6 million, a nine percent increase from 2008.


