Nexus Technology build Hedge Veg site connecting customers to local road-side stalls.

Roadside stalls and honesty boxes have long been a part of rural Jersey life, giving farmers and other growers the chance to sell extra produce directly to the public.

Nexus Technology was delighted to help bring this old tradition into the digital age through a new website showing the exact location of stalls around the island, making it easier for people to find producers near them.

The idea for a Hedge Veg site began at an environment-themed hackathon at Digital Jersey in 2019 where Nexus Technology built two different projects for final submission for the competition.

One of the hackathon projects was a map of local hedge veg boxes with interactive payment options, including an administration system to manage where the boxes are by dropping pins on a map. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, Nexus teamed up with web designers at The Collective to help Bethan Watkins, an Islander with a passion for local produce, create an online map showing roadside stalls across Jersey.

“It has been great to be able to use our technical skills to help get this valuable project off the ground, especially at a time when islanders have been looking for alternative ways to shop. The Hedge Veg stalls have been particularly popular during the lockdowns, as they enabled Islanders to buy food that supports local growers while going out to exercise”.

Bethan shared the map through her Jersey Local Food Challenge Facebook page, and it has reached a wider audience through local media, including a feature on ITV. Dave Edge, Co-Founder, Nexus Technology, said: “When we found out about Bethan’s quest to bring Hedge Veg to more people we wanted to help. We had worked on a similar project for the hackathon last year so we adapted this to make Bethan’s vision come to life in record time.”

Over a month after its launch, hedgeveg.je has been getting over 50 visits a day, and social media groups promoting local produce have experienced a surge in interest.

Over a month after its launch, hedgeveg.je has been getting over 50 visits a day, and social media groups promoting local produce have experienced a surge in interest.