Kroger Wants Change The Way You Shop At The Farmers Market

Do you have a Kroger supermarket near you? Founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1883, this nationwide grocery store chain is now America's largest, counting nearly 2,800 locations in 35 states (via its official website). Often ranked among Americans' favorite places to buy groceries (via Reader's Digest), Kroger is known for its extensive production of in-house products ranging from bread to cookies to soda to peanut butter — helping to keep selection high and prices low (via Kroger).

The chain has also made waves for its increasing commitment to greener shopping practices, such as its recent partnership with Loop, a brand that provides reusable, refillable containers to grocery stores in Canada, France, Japan, Australia, and the U.K. (via Loop). And now, Kroger has announced a new offering for fans of sustainability: a "digital farmers market" that will allow its shoppers in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area to order local, artisan products with all the convenience of online shopping.

If you love preparing meals with local produce but online shopping best suits your needs, then you just might be the perfect candidate for Kroger's Farmers Market — if you live in Atlanta, Georgia, that is. The nationwide grocery store chain recently announced a new pilot program that could eventually expand to other U.S. markets, according to an article published on Grocery Dive. A partnership with Market Wagon, an online ordering and delivery service for locally farmed and artisan goods, Kroger Farmers Market offers shoppers more than 1,150 farmers' market-type products that can be ordered online and are delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays (via Grocery Dive).

"Kroger's new digital farmers market pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business," Felix Turner, corporate affairs manager for Kroger's Atlanta Division, wrote in a press release that was shared with Grocery Dive last week. "This partnership reinforces the importance of buying local to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective, and efficient last-mile solutions."

The pilot program appears to be an offering for conscious shoppers who love local products, but who prefer the convenience of shopping online and having items delivered to their homes. Kroger has been expanding its selection of locally raised food items of late, announcing last month that its Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator, a program designed to bring more local food companies to Kroger shelves, would return for a second year.