Digging into the benefits of farm-to-fork eating, we spotlight some of Ibiza’s best organic farms, food markets and home-delivery boxes.
There’s a satisfaction that comes with eating farm-to-fork. You get a taste of the terroir and dig into the local community, supporting the food producers that sow the seeds for a greener future. Small wonder that restaurants such as El Portalon, Aubergine, Wild Beets or La Granja are so popular. This may just be the recipe for the good life.
Slow food or KM0 food – meaning ‘zero kilometre’ – benefits people and planet. Less carbon emissions go into the production of produce picked just down the road. And we get a bigger hit of nutrients while supporting small fishermen and the farmers embracing regenerative practices – principles that increase biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds and enhances the ecosystem.
With a goal to promote organic awareness and sustainability, Ibiza Produce – a project by our friends Ibiza Preservation – has put together an essential guide to the island’s local producers and delivery services. Buy directly from farms, arrange for a produce box straight to your door or find your nearest food market. We picked through Ibiza’s buffet of fat oranges, tomatoes, local honey and olive oil to find the best of the crop.
Ibiza’s best organic farms, ecological food markets and sustainable grocery delivery services
Terra Masia
Terra Masia was pioneering biodynamic practices way back in the 70s, and today its restored finca in the hinterlands of Santa Eulalia is the island’s largest organic farm. Helmed by Marina Morán Jou, its team has restored fertility in the soil as well as the flora and fauna it supports. It’s a beautiful place to visit, especially during summer when farm-to-fork dinners cooked over an open fire are accompanied by good conversation with the growers. Its Organic Farm Box features fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, herbs and edible flowers.
When: Year-round. Home delivery of the Organic Farm Box is available online. Where: Poligono 14, 60, 07840 Santa Eulària des Riu
Mercat de Forada
Proof that good things come in small packages. Mercat de Forada is the kind of place where sunny Saturday afternoons serenaded by live music slip by. Come for the farm-fresh produce, stay for the locally made ceramics, handcrafted jewellery and natural cosmetics. Sipping a fresh aloe vera juice as you watch poetry readings and street performers is the epitome of shopping here. The supermarket grocery haul just doesn’t compare.
When: Saturday, 10am–4pm. Where: Beside Can Tixedó Art Café, Forada Buscastell, San Antonio
EcoFeixes
Launched in the late 2010s, Ibiza’s first organic cooperative brings together 12 small, young farms with roughly eight hectares between them in a bid to improve accessibility to local, chemical-free, produce. EcoFeixes‘ fare is certified by the Balearic Council for Organic Farming Production and is available in boxes from its HQ in Blanca Dona. Top up the basic offering – frilly lettuces, glossy Padron peppers, tomatoes – with specialities such as farm-fresh eggs and olive oil.
When: Wednesday 4.30pm–9pm; Thursday 9am–1pm; Friday 10am–1pm, or call to order a produce box. Where: Carrer de Sa Blanca Dona, 24, 07800 Blanca Dona
Pachamama
When you need to stock your pantry as well as your fridge. Come to this zero-waste shop for package-free grains, legumes, nuts, spices, artisan pasta, tea, body care, detergents and more. A simple way to say farewell to plastic as well as buying just the amount you need. Keep your eye out for workshops on nutrition, the environment and making your own reusable shopping tote. Pro tip: plan your trip to Pachamama on a Friday, when the “zero kilometre” Mercat de Sa Cooperativa sets up shop on the esplanade, near the Camí de Sa Vorera.
When: Monday–Saturday, 10am–2pm; 5–8pm. Where: Carrer de Sant Rafel, 9B, 07820 Sant Antoni de Portmany.
Mercat Nou
Synonymous with quality produce, the indoor Mercat Nou has been feeding Ibiza Town since the late 70s. It’s a lively spot, but friendly too. Between the buzz, expect to find fresh produce and artisanal products such as dried fruits, nuts, fresh-from-the-oven bread, pastries, cheese and pates. The meat and fish selection are especially good here. Elsewhere in Ibiza Town, pick up fresh herbs, flowers and KM0 fare from some of Ibiza’s oldest markets: Mercat Pagès (Calle Vicent Serra i Orvay) and Mercat Vell (Plaça de la Constitució), at the foot of Dalt Vila. Pick up a tuna bocatas (a Spanish sandwich) to nibble as you browse.
When: Mon-Sat 7am-2pm. Where: Carrer d’Extremadura, 5A, 07800 Ibiza Town
Hippy Market Punta Arabí
The vintage treasures, jewellery and handicrafts of San Juan’s Hippy Market are well known for drawing islanders and visitors to the northern coast. No, this isn’t going to be a spot where you’ll stock your pantry. But between the eco-friendly soaps, local artwork and live music, you’ll find tables laden with homemade preserves, raw honey, hierbas Ibicencas and the kind of cloudy olive oils that get gourmands excited.
When: Sundays, 10am–4pm. Where: Avinguda Punta Arabí, 07840, San Juan
Ecological Food Market, San José
There’s a strong community vibe at this small, sustainable market in San José, tucked in the foothills of Sa Talaia. It’s a place to fill your reusable tote (or wicker basket; there plenty for sale here) with jewel-tone tomatoes, biodynamic potatoes and organic meat. Many artisan Ibicencos sell their handicrafts here, including rope slippers, dolls and leather pouches. Take part in one of the eco-focused workshops on bread baking, composting and such, before lunch in one of the town’s farm-to-fork restaurants.
When: Saturdays, between April and October, 9:30am–1:30pm. Where: Carrer de Pere Escanellas, 07830, San José
Can Muson
All the produce you’d expect from Ibiza’s first organic-certified farm, and then some. Fuel up on the finca’s farm-fresh breakfast before you pick through the fresh goats cheese, sobrasada, homemade wine, biodynamic fruit and veg and wine cultivated under the caring eye of farmer María Marí. Dig into Can Muson’s land-to-plate ethos in one of its many workshops – including one on perfecting the art of paella. In the summer months, a farm school gives kids a grounding in why nature and sustainability are so important.
When: Daily, 9am-4pm. Where: Es Coloms, 98, 07840, Santa Eularia
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