By Mark Ambrogi

Now you can attend a Farmers Market without ever leaving home on aSaturday morning.

At least that’s how FarmersMarket.com co-founder and chief executive officer Nick Carter describes his business, which launched Jan. 1.

“For the consumers, it is an online farmers market experience,” Carter said. “You can find local vendors just like you would at a farmers market. Most of our vendors are traditional farmer market vendors as well. You cna find their products, place an order, pay online and then pick up once a week in a local pick-up spot.”

Carter said the first pick-up spot was in the Fishers/Geist area with Moody’s Butcher Shop,10106 Brooks School Rd., Fishers.

“We started in (Fishers/Geist) so we could work out the kinks,” Carter said. “We plan to have 50 (pick-up spots) across the state by the end of the year. There are people’s homes or businesses that can host it.”

Other area pick-up spots set are Zionsville (Moody’s Market and Butcher Shop, 20 E. Cedar St.) and Carmel (Chocolate for the Spirit, 301 E. Carmel Dr.). There also are pick-up spots in Plainfield and Kokomo.

Carter, an Indianapolis resident who grew up on a family farm near Kokomo, co-founded the service with board chairman Chris Baggott, a Greenfield resident who co-founded ExactTarget. Carter and Baggott both have ties to the software industry.

Carter said what is unique for the farmers is FarmersMarket.com is creating a network of markets hosts.

“All the products are linked and inventories are linked,” Carter said. “If an order is placed for a Carmel pick-up, it diminishes inventories in all the markets. Especially with produce, a lot of our products are inventory limited.”

As of now, Carter said the site offer 80 products from 22 different vendors. Carter said orders have been increasing each week.

Ryan Thomas, who lives in Westfield, serves as a market support specialist.