Are you tired of eating food exported from halfway around the world? Do you miss the taste of fresh produce and real meat? Does the idea of the local market create nostalgia? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Qout Market is the place for you!
Quot Market is an experiment started by two Kuwaiti women, Budour Al Qasar and Noaf Hussein two years ago as the first and longest-running farmer’s market in Kuwait. The market is open 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on the first Saturday of Kuwait’s prime growing season (November through April). It is located on the roof of Arraya Car Park in Kuwait City where dozens of vendors and thousands of visitors flock to buy and sell local food, flowers, artisan goods, oils, soaps, candles, and all sorts of other products.

Beyond Food: History, Community, and Culture

In the past, the local market took place in the public square for all to attend. It was a place where people from all corners of the known world could come together to buy and sell their goods. Thus, cultural boundaries were crossed, and the beginning of a global community was formed. Today, however, Walmarts and online shopping have replaced most of these ancient markets.
But this doesn’t have to be the case! At Quot Market the marketplace is alive once again! And with it has come the revival of a lost historical community.
At Quot Market, surrounding the vendors, are communal seating areas where people can gather together to eat, drink, talk, and learn about people they might never have otherwise met. With an estimated 15,000 visiting Quot Market from all over the world, cultural boundaries are once again being crossed as a new global community is formed. Here, at Quot Market, people break bread together independent of their nationality or heritage.

Beyond the Market: Body, Mind, and Family

Quot Market does not only operate a public marketplace, however; it also hosts other events that bring communal living alive.
First, there is the week-long series of workshops that Quot Market has termed “Nourish.” Here, not only is the body nourished but so too is the mind. At the workshop, there are courses offered on the basics of nutrition, food photography, the culinary lifestyle, kitchen skills, and a number of other things as well as food demonstrations.

Also, Quot Market hosts a series of weekend trips to local farms during the Kuwait growing season. There, a series of family-friendly activities are scheduled including the sharing of a meal prepared with ingredients from the farm by a local chef, a tour of the farm, and a mini farmer’s market with produce from various local farms. Further, transportation to and from the event is included!

How to Apply to be a Vendor

For farmers who wish to apply to be a vendor at Quot Market, the process is simple and quick: access the application here and share your gifts with the world!