Haymarket by Ashbourne Farms is designed to be the solution for all your needs, whether you want to eat a sustainable lunch with quality ingredients or find a healthier equivalent to fast food.
Leah HunterLouisville Courier Journal
Imagine an immersive, farm-to-table experience where you can buy groceries, pre-made food and order smoothies and coffees in a cafe-like atmosphere all in one trip.
Designed to be that and more, Haymarket by Ashbourne Farms, which opens Wednesday at 3020 River Road, will feature a marketplace, drive-thru, outdoor merchandising area, covered patio seating, and a coffee walk-up within its 6,000-square-foot space.
Take an inside look at what the space has to offer:
What is the Haymarket by Ashbourne Farms?
Haymarket is the dream child of Austin Musselman, the owner of operations and Ashbourne Farm alongside his wife, Janie.
Haymarket is a return to "the old way of selling foods," Musselman told the Courier Journal, where customers can shop while having contact with the people who grow and sell their food.
"It's exciting that we finally have our own produced products on the shelves," he said.
Background: Haymarket on River Road brings marketplace and drive-thru to Louisville
The brand focuses on quality, variety and sustainability, according to a news release, and sources its products from other local farmers and locally-produced providers, as long as they share Haymarket's values for things that are healthy and sustainably produced.
According to the release, Haymarket is a direct extension of Ashbourne Farms, a third-generation working farm and luxury event venue in La Grange. Many of the items at Haymarket will be sourced from the on-site greenhouses and gardens that use the same sustainable farming practices and techniques as Ashbourne Farms.
What can you buy at Haymarket by Ashbourne Farms?
Inside the rustic walls of Haymarket, customers should expect to find a bakery surrounded by an intimately styled grocery area housing fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meals, white wine vinegar, fruit preserves, candies, and more.
A smoothie station fit to make custom blends will supply mixed drinks for recovery protein, antioxidant anti-inflammatory, and daily vegetable doses based on ingredients ranging from cherries, bananas, avocados, hemp milk, spinach, and more. The menu boasts 11 additions, including turmeric, spirulina, bee pollen, and other ingredients.
Feeling hungry? There's something for everyone at Haymarket.
Menu items include things such as the Kentucky Cubano, which is mojo pork, shaved country ham, gruyere cheese, scallion chimichurri, smoky aioli, and pickled piquillo peppers on a bocata roll and the Lebanese American club, which features smoked Freedom Run Farm lamb, muhammara spread, spiced onion relish, parsley, and mint on a roll.
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Options for beet salads, mushroom bowls, carrot turmeric soup, and more are available, as well.
The marketplace's in-house bakery serves artisanal bread and creates goods like macarons, vegan milk chocolate with marcona almonds, tarts, muffins, and more with vegan, gluten-free, and kid-friendly options available.
Haymarket will also sell pre-made sandwiches and goods such as pizzas, salads, and soups. The brand's foods are made with minimal preservatives and added sugars to keep everything tasting better and healthier, according to Musselman.
Finally, Haymarket's coffee walk-up offers coffees, teas, and specialty drinks with your choice of milk and syrup.
What was the vision behind Haymarket at Ashbourne Farm?
Annie Cobetto, the chief experience officer at Ashbourne Farms, said Haymarket is a space and shop designed for everyone.
"It's about the community, and we wanted to touch on as many different people as we can and provide services throughout all the day's parts to be ... a fun place to come on a weekend, grab brunch, grab a fresh-pressed juice, grab a smoothie, or just your every morning coffee stop," she said.
The brand, she added, is driven by purpose, intentionality, and its hope to inspire both consumers and other businesses to consider how they're sourcing ingredients and the quality of the soil that produce is grown in.
"All of those things add up not only to more flavorful products, but more nutrient-dense products," she said.
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With lush greenery, fans, and outdoor tables equipped with umbrellas, Haymarket's patio area fits into an Instagrammable, farmhouse aesthetic. The outside is also equipped with a drive-thru drink station.
"While we've done the work on the backend to ensure the quality of all those products, what we want people to ultimately experience is a beautiful place, somewhere that's inspiring that you want to bring your friends from out of town and say, 'You have to see this,' and also have access more conveniently to that quality," she said.
Cobetto said Haymarket is about "bridging that gap between quality and convenience," and increasing people's access to high-quality products, especially for busy people who may not have time to shop at a farmer's market, cook dinner and clean up after.
"For busy people that care about quality, it's such an amazing opportunity to come in and have these chef-prepared meals ready to heat at home, a sandwich that can be ready in a number of minutes, a high-quality salad with lettuce that was grown in our garden and harvested days before," she said.
What's next for Haymarket at Ashbourne Farm?
Corbetto said having live music in Haymarket's outdoor green space complements the brand's desire to engage the community. Additionally, Haymarket intends to have holiday markets for families to enjoy potlucks, pick out pumpkins, and for kids to take pictures with Santa Claus.
"We do want it to be a place where the community is connected and feels as though it's part of their traditions," she said. "We want to ensure that we create unique experiences for the whole family."
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Reach features reporter Leah Hunter at lhunter@gannett.com.