After the forced closure of the markets as a result of the coronacrisis, three friends from Rotterdam came up with an alternative. Quinten Mulder and Jort van Dalen, both students of Erasmus School of Economics, and Jorrit de Vries, alumnus at Erasmus University Rotterdam, came up with the idea of Markt010.
How it works
Twice a week, customers can buy vegetables, fruit and cheese in a webshop. The orders can then be picked up on Saturday and Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the student rowing association Skadi, located at the Noorderkanaalweg. 'As of next week, nuts and herbs will also be available', says De Vries proudly to Algemeen Dagblad.
A social initiative
The initiative of the three friends is not meant to profit on. Markt010 is a social action to first of all help the customers of the local market. These people often have limited budgets and end up with higher costs when they go to a supermarket. At the same time, the initiative offers support to all market people who could no longer sell their goods. Dirk Pols, who makes and sells cheese, is very happy with the new initiative which helps him through this period.
Safety first
For the three founders, safety comes first. During the pick-up moments RIVM-guidelines are strictly followed. Customers are asked to stay in their cars as much as possible and for cyclists and people on foot a drive-through is made with a one and a half meter wide counter. It is certainly not the intention to have people walk around like on the real market, that is possible again when the coronacrisis is over.
Three friends set up an alternative for the markets of Rotterdam: a drive-through for the customers
- More information
The article from Algemeen Dagblad can be downloaded above, 2 April 2020 (in Dutch).