Rootly Market in the Press

Rootly started the way a lot of things start on a homestead — with too many eggs and not enough people to give them to. Evan Pilot, a Michigan homesteader, was selling eggs, honey, and produce to neighbors through Facebook DMs, text threads, and word of mouth. The logistics were a nightmare: missed messages, no-shows at pickup, no way to know what was available without asking. He thought, “There has to be a better way to do this.”

So he built one. Rootly Market is a local food marketplace where small-scale farmers, bakers, beekeepers, and food makers can set up a storefront in minutes, list their products, and let buyers browse, order, and pick up — all without the Facebook chaos. Think of it as an Airbnb for local food: you search by location, find producers near you, and pick up fresh food directly from the person who grew it.

Rootly launched in Michigan because that’s home. But the problem isn’t Michigan-specific — every state has backyard farmers, cottage bakers, and honey producers who deserve a simpler way to reach their community. The plan is to grow outward, one neighborhood at a time, earning trust the same way local food does: by showing up and being real.