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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Selling to grocery stores

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  • From: Pat Meadows <pat AT meadows.pair.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Selling to grocery stores
  • Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 13:26:24 -0400

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 10:39:33 -0400, you wrote:

>I have a LOT of Brandywine and Brandywine cross tomatoes ready to ripen.
>It'll be more than I can sell through my farmstand, and I'm thinking of
>selling the excess to the local grocery stores. Has anyone done this? What
>price can I expect for vine-ripened heirloom varieties, delivered (by me)
>once or twice a week?

It's a shame you can't sell at the local farmers market
(because she has her own farmstand and their rules
idiotically forbid sellers who have their own stands).

Do you know anyone who sells there - maybe they'd sell for
you?

How about the Mennonite store? Or maybe that's the one
you're thinking of?


> According to the USDA market reports, vine ripes from NJ are $18 for 25
>pounds in Philadelphia (closest large market to us). Grocery stores would
>still have to pay to ship from these hubs, right? So the stores pay about
>$.72/pound plus trucking? With gas prices being so high, the trucking
>could add a lot to the grocery stores cost for non-local tomatoes. I'm
>only 5 miles from the store; finally high fuel prices are in my favor!
>
>And these are summer prices....I think winter tomatoes could pay well. If
>I can develop a good relationship with the local stores, I'm considering
>adding heat and lights and running my greenhouse through the winter,
>growing tomatoes (and maybe Asian cucumbers, peppers) to sell to grocery
>stores. I've grown heirloom tomatoes in the greenhouse and they do well,
>but I've never carried them through the winter. It's not a huge investment
>of money, and will payback in a year or two IF IT WORKS, but I'd like to
>consider all the pros and cons before I do it. Any thoughts?
>

The produce in local supermarkets is both bad and
high-priced, as you know: so maybe it would work.

Still, I wonder if you could sell winter tomatoes directly
from your greenhouse? Have a sign-up sheet for your
farmstand customers now, and have them put their email
addresses and/or phone numbers down - then you could notify
them when you have tomatoes to sell, and what days/times you
would be open. I'd buy winter tomatoes from you.

Pat
-- northern Pennsylvania




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