Copa Farmers Market is on the lookout for more farmers.

The year-old weekly market has filled a much-desired need in Maricopa, giving dozens of artisans, vendors, food trucks and even musicians and DJs a central location to do business.

But founder Kevin Keone Okuma admitted there’s one aspect he’s been struggling to maintain: produce.

InMaricopa caught up with Okuma during last week’s State of the City address — where he was named a 2026 Community Champion for bringing Copa Farmers Market to the city — and he said that was one criticism dimming his light.

“It’s overwhelming because we live in such a great town, and it’s hard to find those connections sometimes,” he said.

In a community surrounded by sprawling agricultural fields, you wouldn’t think it would be difficult to find produce, but that’s not necessarily the case. While you can find corn or melons growing in fields, many more farms produce alfalfa for livestock feed or sunflowers for cosmetic oils.

Others are simply disappearing.

Okuma’s current supplier is Crooked Sky Farms, which operates out of Gilbert and south Phoenix, but he has to commute there for produce, and the supply is often limited.

“Sometimes I don’t get a good selection, and I have to find other places with organic produce. It’s exhausting,” he said.

He’s also driven to some homes but has met with little to no luck in making a connection. In the meantime, he’s hoping to connect with farmers willing to sell produce at the market.

“I’m looking for someone out there that can really help us grow … so we can see this being a long-term thing,” he said.