Eagan's Market Fest a Hotbed of Entrepreneurial Spirit

Want to watch a free market economy in action? Head to Eagan's Market Fest.

Small business owners and fledging entrepreneurs flock to the weekly farmers market—one of the most established events of its kind in Minnesota. Every Wednesday, roughly 60 vendors gather at to hawk jewelry, produce, kettle popcorn and even hot strudels to thousands of attendees.

In part because of its popularity, Market Fest serves as a launching pad for young businesses, whose owners are anxious to try their products in the court of public opinion and network with more experienced vendors, Market Fest Coordinator Kerry Phillips said.

Eagan Patch spoke with three local small business owners to get the skinny about their experience at Market Fest. Here's what they had to say:

Simmer Down Teas

When Terry Danielson wants to know what customers think of his latest tea blend, he heads to Market Fest.

There, Danielson hands out hundreds of samples daily to interested customers—and gets instant feedback.

”It’s a fertile ground and it's very inexpensive to test out products," said Danielson, the founder of Simmer Down Teas. "For me, also, it’s test marketing, it’s a chance to look for other people to make contacts."

Danielson, a project manager at Seagate, started Simmer Down Teas after speaking with the owner of a teahouse while on a business trip to Taiwan. After learning the intricacies of tea blending, he decided to open up a shop in his spare time. Now, he blends lemon green ginger tea, pomengranate hibiscus teas and berry and cardamom teas.

For three years, Danielson has attended Market Fest. The feedback he's gotten from customers has helped him pinpoint popular tea blends, which he brews in a kitchen in back of a former TV repair shop in Eagan.

Growing demand has validated his business concept, said Danielson, who wants to open his own storefront soon.

“I’m the type that I put my big toe into the water, and now I’m ready to dive in," Danielson said.

Ruhland's Strudel Haus

Tom Ruhland takes his traveling strudel stand to seven farmers markets a week.

Eagan's Market Fest was one of the first events Ruhland attended, and it continues to be one of his favorite stops. For six years, Ruhland has been a regular in Central Park—selling 39 different varieties of strudels, including chicken pot pie, mucho burrito and spinach feta artichoke flavors.

Ruhland, who has experimented with selling his products at grocery stores, says he prefers the immediacy of producer-consumer relationships at farmers markets to mass grocery store distribution.

“There’s no real relationship between us and our customer in a grocery store; we are one option among 40,000 options that someone could spend their money on," Ruhland said. "But the farmers markets allow us to develop relationships on a variety of levels."

Ruhland, an Eagan resident, used to be a teacher. But now his growing strudel business occupies all his time.

"I make food, and I’m making it with my hands, and when someone buys it and they serve it to their family, I know and respect the intimacy of a relationship that I develop with my customers."

JonnyPops

Call them entrepreneurs with a heart.

After Eric Brust's cousin died following a struggle with drug addiction, Brust decided to take the business idea they dreamed up together and turn it into a living, breathing enterprise.

Brust, a student at St. Olaf College in Northfield, gathered a gang of three college buddies and created JonnyPops—named for Brust's deceased cousin, Jonathon Jeffrey. Together, the group decided to donate a portion of the profits to the Hazelden Foundation, an addiction treatment center.

Founded in 2011, the frozen popsicle producer currently sells three flavors: Coconut Pineapple Paradise, Merry Mountain Berry and strawberry. But Brust and his partners, Kilian Wald, Connor Wray and James Marshall, hope to introduce at least three other flavors later this summer.

The group made an appearance at Market Fest for the first time earlier in June, and they hope to use their experience there as a springboard to attend other events in the area, including the Minnesota State Fair. After that, Brust and the others hope they can distribute their popsicles on a national level.

“The best part of it for us so far is the grassroots level, just that we can get out and talk with customers," Brust said, referring to Market Fest. "It’s great for us to be able to build a lot of brand equity."