CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) – Every Saturday at Rockwood Park, you’ll find families shopping and strolling through Chesterfield’s Latino Farmers Market.
Over one dozen small business owners set up shop at the park to share a piece of their culture, including Loquito Coquito RVA. The family business serves up a taste of Puerto Rico through each bottle.
“It was kind of a little side thing for friends and family,” said Courtney Burkholder Ramirez, one of the owners of Loquito Coquito RVA. “I am in healthcare, so my husband would make it for all the nurses to say hey, keep on going. You got this, and then it took off with this lightbulb moment, like, hey, we can do this.”
The Chesterfield Latino Farmers Market started in April, an idea America DeLoach said has been years in the making.
“I am here, and I feel like home,” she told 12 On Your Side. “I feel like it was needed and I didn’t want to create a place where it was just a buy and sell, I wanted to create an experience.”
The market shines a spotlight on Latino entrepreneurs in the area.
“Latinos, we have contributed to this country, you know, for so long, and we definitely needed to be highlighted,” said DeLoach.
Since starting in April, DeLoach said the event has quickly become a weekend staple in the neighborhood.
“This country has brought me and given me so much, so it’s time to give back the opportunity to everybody else,” she said.
This opportunity means the world to small business owners at the market, who get to share the cuisine and traditions close to their hearts with Chesterfield County.
“It means, you know, that we are showing you what I’m able to do,” said DeLoach. “I’m not selling from my house anymore. I am here, and I have all my permits, I have all my inspections, and I’m showing you my beautiful product.”
“We love being able to mix our Puerto Rican American side with all the other cultures in, again, this melting pot that we have here at the center of Chesterfield County,” said Ramirez.
The Chesterfield Latino Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Nov. 2.
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