Mercado Popular is a Latina-led initiative making fresh, culturally relevant food more accessible in Hartford while supporting local farmers and planting seeds for food justice.
We believe everyone should feel good about the food on their table.
Fresh food for Hartford, connecticut
With grocery stores far and few, and fresh food even harder to find, our founder Jocelyn Cerda started organizing pop-up markets to fill the gap with love, culture, and care in every bag.
What started as one woman’s mission has grown into a community-powered movement to make fresh, healthy food accessible to all while uplifting local farmers, especially farmers of color.
Mercado Popular began in 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a direct response to food insecurity in Hartford.
It all started with one woman and a mission to feed her neighbors.
Every purchase supports food equity, farmer sustainability, and the collective health of our city.
We connect you to local food and each other.
harvest box program
Offers pantry goods, eggs, dairy, meat, and seasonal produce from Connecticut farms and BIPOC makers.
Mercado popular's farm store
Delivers fresh, hand-packed produce and pantry stalples to Hartford families either purchased or sponsored by neighbors like you.
Through our Farm Store and Harvest Box Program, we make fresh, culturally relevant food more accessible across Hartford.
We source directly from small farms
That means every apple, bunch of greens, or jar of jam you take home has a story and keeps your dollars rooted in the local economy.
When you choose Mercado, you’re saying yes to a food system built on care, connection, and equity.
Many of them owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color across Connecticut
what we believe
We believe fresh food is a right
We believe food should:
Not a privelage.
Nourish, not exclude.
Honor our roots and reflect who we are.
Connect us to our cultures, our neighbors, and the land.
