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  • From: Roots Farm & Karen Sutherland <rootsfarm AT cwdom.dm>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Pricing tomatoes
  • Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 09:34:22 -0400

Jay,

Is there a way that you could make a display that glorifies the color difference and awakens people's aesthetic possibilties?  

One of my  favorite marketing stories is about the way the salmon market changed.  Originally, folks were used to pink salmon and when red salmon became available, it couldn't sell UNTIL the red salmon sellers started advertising " So & So's Red salmon....Guaranteed Not to Turn Pink."    Story goes the market shifted almost overnight.  Now we don't want to downgrade any color tomato, but we can find ways to shift perception to make positive what is truly positive, but perceived as negative.

Are there any articles by chefs that talk specifically about using the Purples that you could have on display?  

Are you allowed to have a serve yourself sample plate on your table?  Can you experiment with the cost effectiveness of having a helper (paid $ or in produce) for a few hours on market days where you have new product to introduce?  

All best wishes,

Karen


On Jul 1, 2010, at 9:15 AM, Jay Sleichter wrote:

Thanks for the advice. I can't hand out samples. I have tried, but when you work a booth by yourself, it is really hard to manage that. Maybe I could try again.  I know the price is on the high side.  I do have my hometown market that is local only/producer only, but I can't move the volume that I will have here in another 2 weeks.

I do work on selling the point that they are locally grown, have better flavor etc, some people at this Wednesday market are just out to get cheap food.  The two largest vendors at this market are more than willing to supply it. It stinks.  Last year they were selling 15 and 25 pound tomato boxes for 30-40 cents a pound. I won't pick my produce at that price.

I have alot more red tomatoes, but the Cherokee Purples were the first ready. I don't understand it. Outside they take forever to ripen, in the tunnel they are first ones ripe!  This has been the third year like this. 

Keep my head up and things will turn around, I know!

Jay

Jay's Jellies, Produce and More
Clay Center, Kansas
www.jaysjellies.com
http://highfarming.blogspot.com/

--- On Thu, 7/1/10, Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net> wrote:

From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Pricing tomatoes
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 7:32 AM


On Jul 1, 2010, at 12:48 AM, Jay Sleichter wrote:

Today was the first day I had big tomatoes for sale at market. I have about 30 pounds of Cherokee Purples and 10 pounds of Big Beef and some yellow ones.  I put $3.00 a pound on them and I brought home about 18 pounds of tomatoes. Lots of dissatisfied customers.   So, I guess I will drop to $2.50 a pound next week and see what happens.  Next week I will have over a hundred pounds to sell for sure.  As far as I know I am the only person with homegrown tomatoes at my market. Lots of ones that are bought and resold out of California and else where.

As far as Cherry Tomatoes, I stuck with $2.50 a pint. I had 75 pint baskets and I brought home 29.  I am the only person with them at my market. I think I will offer a 3 baskets for $6 next week and see what happens.   

Money is tight around here, but I have expenses that I have to cover, also.


I think you need to get across to customers that what you're selling isn't the same product as what the resellers have, and needs to sell at a different price because it's much higher quality.

Can you hand out samples? The difference that you may be most likely to get people to care about is the flavor. If there is any buy-local movement in your area, talk that up, also. Put out big signs saying that you grew them yourself.

It may take some time to build up a customer base that will pay extra for a better product; and there are customers you will never get because all they want is the cheapest. However, you don't need everyone in the county; you actually only need quite a small percentage of the population. It's connecting with these people that's the trick.

If you're dealing with a population not used at all to heirlooms, I don't know that I'd start with the purples. They do often have excellent flavor, but to those unused to them they can look unpleasant. Too late to change that for this year, of course.

I gather there's no local-only market in the area that you could sell at instead?

Having said all that: pricing does need to reflect the area; I know I can't get, where I am, some of the prices I see on this list. But, as you say, pricing also needs to cover your expenses -- your costs should also be cheaper in a cheaper area, but it's going to cost you more per pound to bring Cherokee Purple, or even Big Beef, to market than it's going to cost a reseller buying whatever's cheap that day at auction. 


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale




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Roots Farm
Organic Produce
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