FARMINGTON -- Behind the scenes at farmers' markets, producers are up early getting their products picked, cleaned, weighed and packed.

Then they load their vehicles, drive to market and sit for hours in a parking lot to sell the fruits of their labor, knowing there are chores to be done back at the farm.

What if those same products could be sold online?

"In my opinion, it is the future for farmers' markets," said Angelo Pirri, whose family at Sherman Farms in Fairfield raises goats and sells milk, cheese and yogurt.

Pirri is one of the producers selling through the Western Maine Market, a new, Farmington-based virtual, local food shopping experience that is open four days a week. It is run by the nonprofit Western Mountains Alliance.

"This is the start of something really big," said Pirri, who was found at his booth at the Waterville Farmers' Market Thursday.

For producers, the online market offers a new outlet for their locally produced goods and the encouragement to develop a niche market because of the direct access to customers.

For consumers, it means convenience, greater selection and knowing they have the food they ordered waiting for them on pickup day.

Orders are placed at www.westernmainemarket.com and are paid through PayPal, a secure payment site that allows users to have the cost charged to their credit, debit or checking account.

The market went "live" in April and for now is geared toward customers living or working within a 30-mile radius of Farmington. Pickup is between 4 and 6 p.m. during the Sandy River Farmers Market on Front Street in Farmington; other venues are being explored.

There is also the possibility of linking up with other markets such as the Oxford Hills Food Cooperative, according to the Alliance's market coordinator, Tricia Cook. The list of producers who have signed up to sell during the growing season includes farms from Avon to Windsor. On the user-friendly Web site, shoppers can learn about the producers, link to their Web sites, and order meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, flour, honey and maple syrup products, baked goods, vinegars, flowers, spice blends, herbs and skin care products.

Andy Marble, from the Marble Family Farm in Farmington sells greens, vegetables, whole grain breads and baked goods. He and his wife, Sarah Winslow, sell at the physical market on Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and online.

Until now, the Marbles have shut down their greenhouses in the winter. That may change if the online market takes off.

"I would plant more varieties, like carrots and other winter crops, if I knew we had the customers," he said. "We are really psyched about the possibilities."

Dennis and Sara Wilk own King & I Angus in New Sharon where they breed registered Black Angus cattle using cutting-edge genetics. They have just started selling vacuum freezer-wrapped meats at both markets and wholesale to restaurants.

Dennis Wilk said the online venue is a great opportunity and the hope is to build a customer base so they can go from slaughtering one animal a month to one a week. Their meat is a hit, he said.

"We are getting return customers each week," he said.

Regular online market customer Kimberly Trider-Grant of Leeds works at the University of Maine at Farmington. She said the market site is easy to navigate and the service allows her to quickly pick up her order after work.

"These are wonderful products. You look at the listings on the Web site and it lets you plan meals around what is available. I would highly recommend people try it," she said. "It is another way to support farmers."

Cook said the project had a start-up goal of a half-dozen producers and 50 customers. As of this past week, there had been 125 shoppers. A hundred have signed up but had not yet ordered.

Tanya Swain, the executive director of the Alliance, said the venture is an experiment and is modeled off a similar one in Plymouth, N.H.

"Our goal was to find an efficient way to connect farmers to new types of consumers," she said. "We hope over time it will become self-sustaining and something that does not rely on grants for support."

The market got off the ground with grants from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education and from the Harvest Fund. But grants are not sustainable, which has made it necessary to charge a sales-based fee to sustain the Web site.

A 2.9 percent PayPal fee and a 15 percent administrative fee are added to each product sold. As sales increase, the administrative fee will decrease, Swain said.

"Right now, we are nowhere close to covering our costs," she said.

At the end of season, the Alliance will reassess the program.

"It is also hard with this economy. When we first came up with this idea over a year ago, our target was the consumer interested in local food. They were people who had jobs but did not always have time to get to the farmers' market after work," she said.

"But with layoffs and people who still had jobs cutting back on what they spend, sales are slow," she said.

The concept of ordering food online also takes getting used to.

"People need to get on the site and just try it. It does require people to change their shopping patterns and it needs a certain level of commitment," she said.

For information, call the Western Mountains Alliance at 778-3885.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com