05/29/2026
Happy Friday Localvores! Get excited because Fridays at 6pm is when our online shop opens for ordering.
We’re more than a market! Why does The Benton Box exist you ask?
The Benton Box grew out of the beloved Southtown Farmstand & Market, stewarded for the last 13 years by Benton Box founder Cheryl Good and her partner Michael Viliardos. What started as a small Tuesday gathering around a CSA pickup slowly became a vibrant community market filled with local growers, makers, musicians, conversations, and connection.
But Cheryl noticed something important: Sometimes you don’t need an event.
You just want good local food. Sometimes the market is crowded. Sometimes you’re tired. Sometimes your schedule doesn’t line up. And sometimes you simply want an easier way to support local farms without giving up half your day or evening.
The Benton Box also makes space for small farms and micro-producers who may not have websites, online stores, staffing, or the stamina to attend weekly markets. Selling at market takes infrastructure, customer service skills, setup, teardown, and a lot of energy. Not everyone wants to be a marketer — some people simply want to focus on growing beautiful vegetables, baking bread, making jam, raising animals well, or crafting quality products.
That’s where we come in. Now, after completing our winter pilot season and entering our 8th month, we realize we’ve created something really special:
A flexible local food marketplace for people who want to eat locally — even when life is busy. We’ve even expanded pickup options out the Alsea Highway to better serve Philomath-area residents too. Over 250 people have made accounts!
And just to clarify for newcomers: The Benton Box is not a CSA box.
You order what you want, when you want. No weekly commitment. No mystery box. Just good local food from people you can feel good about supporting.
So whether you’re ordering fresh produce, baked goods, pantry staples, local meats, mushrooms, cleaning products, flowers, or handmade treats… We’ve got you covered!
