By Maria Cook
A company with an innovative farm-to-table concept that has proven successful in Indianapolis has moved its headquarters to Carmel.
Founded in 2016, Market Wagon provides a platform for farmers and other food producers to sell their goods directly to consumers online. According to co-founder and CEO Nick Carter, Market Wagon’s growth has led to a need for more office space as well as more room for the fulfillment side of the business.
“In addition to the online platform that allows farmers to sell, the other component that we couple with that is fulfillment,” Carter said. “So, once a farmer sells a dozen eggs or a head of lettuce, they deliver to one consolidated location and then we ship it out to the consumer.”
Market Wagon’s Carmel headquarters will be more than twice as large as its previous location in Indianapolis. Carter said the new location in southwest Carmel at 4250 W 99th St. offers ease of access to I-465 and is not expected to prolong delivery times or drastically alter routes.
“From a logistics standpoint, it really didn’t change much about our routing. Once our delivery drivers leave the building, their access to other locations in central Indiana is pretty much the same, if not better,” Carter said.
Market Wagon expects to add three to four positions in the next few months. Carter credits Market Wagon’s focus on the logistics side of e-commerce with the company’s success.
“Food is highly perishable. It’s got temperature requirements, and it’s very daunting for a local farmer to fund that operation, to get their products to consumers on their own,” Carter said. “Anyone can easily buy a steak online, but getting that steak to the customer is hard, so that’s what we did.”
