College of San Mateo Certified Farmers' Market

The College of San Mateo Certified Farmers' Market is part of PCFMA, the nonprofit market operator founded in 1988 with a mission to support California farmers and communities through farmers' markets across the diverse Bay Area. That framing gives this Saturday market a clear emphasis: shopping here is tied directly to a long-running organization built around getting California farm products into regular neighborhood circulation. In San Mateo, the market pairs that mission-driven structure with a certified farmers' market format and a year-round schedule, making it a steady option for weekly produce and farm goods.

What you'll find there

The vendor mix called out here centers on California farm production rather than prepared-food variety, with an emphasis on produce, dairy, and other goods tied closely to individual farms. Even with only a few named examples, the profile is specific: one vendor brings nearly a century of Peninsula-area produce growing, while another spans creamery work, citrus, and livestock on a family farm.

• -Andreotti Farms brings fresh, sustainable produce from Half Moon Bay, with the Andreotti family described as having cultivated it for nearly 100 years.
• -Stepladder Ranch & Creamery sells goat and cow's milk cheeses produced on its family farm in Cambria.
• -Find citrus from Stepladder Ranch & Creamery alongside its creamery products and heritage pigs raised on the same farm.

That combination points to a market where shopping can cross from everyday produce into farmstead cheese and specialty agricultural products without leaving the Saturday lineup.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed at the market, a rule likely to affect your visit plan before anything else. The market operates at 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd. at the College of San Mateo, giving it a campus setting rather than a downtown street closure or small plaza setup. It runs on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm throughout the year, so this is positioned as a regular weekly shop rather than a short seasonal stop. Restrooms are not listed among the visit details, so the market page does not present them as an on-site amenity. Payment methods are presented clearly, which helps if you want to plan purchases across vendors before arriving.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted here, and PCFMA also states that its farmers' markets accept WIC-FMNP coupons and Market Match as part of its effort to make fresh food more affordable. That matters at this market because the operator's food-access programs sit alongside its broader mission to support California farmers and communities through Bay Area farmers' markets. Payment methods are identified clearly in the market's visit details, which adds a little certainty when planning how to shop.