Called an aggregation hub, the weekly food pickup at the La Jolla United Methodist Church will be the first of many, Navore’s La Jolla-based founder says.

Expanding its mission to connect consumers with local farmers and food producers, Navore Market has launched its first-ever aggregation hub, or food pickup site, Jan 13 in La Jolla.

Navore Market is San Diego’s first online marketplace dedicated to connecting local farmers and producers directly with customers, aiming to bring the charm of a farmers market with the convenience of online shopping.

Since founder and chief executive Caroline Driehaus, a La Jolla resident, began Navore last year, the program has grown in popularity, offering both pickup and delivery for local food orders.

The food producers set up their own storefronts on Navore and manage their own products, pickup and delivery plans, Driehaus said, cutting out third parties.

Image courtesy of Navore Market

There have been “so many food producers who love the idea and are excited to join,” she said.

The aggregation hub, held weekly from 2 to 6 pm Tuesdays at the La Jolla United Methodist Church, will serve as a centralized community pickup location, expanding access to fresh, local food for community members and local organizations. The rollout is supported by the USDA Local Food Promotion Program.

Through the Navore-managed aggregation hub, food producers “have another pickup option that they normally would not have access to,” Driehaus said, also increasing the pickup options for customers.

Other hubs around San Diego will launch shortly, she said. “We’re trying to set them up throughout the county, … increasing accessibility for one community or population.”

Navore and its aggregation hub offer a parallel farmers market experience, Driehaus added. “If you don’t have the time to go to the farmers market, you can’t really shop from the same local food producers.”

Navore, which also has wholesale options for businesses, provides an access point to continue to purchase your favorite farmers market foods, she said, a concept born of her own busyness. 

“I never was able to go to the farmers markets,” Driehaus said, “even though I loved going to them. I just thought there should be a more convenient option. 

“As I started doing more research, I saw that the local food producers also needed another sales channel to be able to sell their products,” she said. Navore “was needed on both sides.”

For more information, visit navoremarket.com.