Fresh start planned for
Cielo Farmers’ Market

By Matt Liebowitz

After a failed initial attempt, the Cielo Village Farmers’ Market is back with new vendors, new management, and a new plan for success.
In mid September, about 30 vendors will set up shop in Cielo Village, at the corner of Del Dios Highway and Calle Ambiente in Rancho Santa Fe. On Fridays, from 3:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., vendors will sell an assortment of locally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats and fish, and handmade crafts.
The new Farmers’ Market comes on the heels of the market that began on April 8 of this year, but lasted only one month before closing.
The failed first attempt came as a result of several factors, including mismanagement, said Jeff Meints, who, with his wife, Jen Acitelli, owns Synergy Hair Studio, a Cielo Village tenant.
Issues such as expensive and low-quality produce, and an inconvenient set-up exacerbated by high winds from poorly placed booths, crippled the market’s chances for success, Meints said.
“It just wasn’t what it should have been,” said Meints.
He hopes to avoid the pitfalls that snagged the previous market.
To that end, Meints and Acitelli, along with a group of five others who had hosted booths at the first market, formed a committee to manage it this time around.
Changes that will be evident at the new market include a new location in a blocked off cul-de-sac by the Cielo Village entrance—chosen for ease of parking and low winds—convenient public bathrooms, and high-end fruits and vegetables from all new vendors, including Encinitas Orchids. Meints and the committee are in the process of finalizing the list of vendors.
“We’re shooting to make this a really great farmer’s market,” Meints said. “It’s much more convenient. I think it’s going to work out really well.”
“When I get behind something,” he added, “I don’t half-ass it. It’s going to succeed.”
The new location will also allow community members to get a look inside Cielo Village, with the hopes of enticing businesses to move into the complex.
Cielo Village is located at 18021-18029 Calle Ambiente, Rancho Santa Fe.