The New York Times says a new start-up company, Foodzie, provides "a similar experience to a farmers market" by creating an online marketplace for small, artisan food producers.

It's a stretch to compare surfing on the Internet to a leisurely stroll through a local market, picking up ripe tomatoes and making cordial conversation with a farmer. We wouldn't call it an online farmers market, but we do like the idea of an online marketplace that supports artisan food producers and growers.

Foodzie is the "gourment version of Etsy," which, if you don't know, is an online marketplace for handmade goods (really cool stuff). Etsy has been very successful, selling nearly $13 million worth of products in December alone.

How do these businesses work? Well, Foodzie allows vendors to post their goods for free, but it takes a 20% cut of each sale. This might seem high, but in the food business, it's not. (Remember when we told you that the producer's share of a sale is typically small compared to the middlemen?)

Foodzie will probably excite people who don't have a farmers market nearby or other retailers that sell artisan food. Though this model doesn't always meet the definition of local food, it may be just what some entrepreneurs need to keep small businesses going and meet a growing demand for handmade food products.

The site is still growing -- it's only been live since December -- but the staff and their investors are pretty confidant that it will be successful.

Don't miss the cheese page. It's especially enticing. And also the Foodzie blog, which currently has pictures of Obama and Biden cookies and promises more coverage of the Fancy Food Show.

Source: New York Times