Market Farming

[Marcie Rosenzweig <fullcircle AT jps.net>]

>One of the farmer's markets I sell at has the "It's a FM so everything must
>be cheap" I explain to people that complain that we don't really have
>anything comparable to a grocery store.
>

>The other farmer's market is full of customers that are there to buy local
>and organic, they could care less what we charge and have actually said we
>charge too little for some things. they look at FM's as the place to get
>better food than what the grocery has to offer. This FM is also in a small
>college town.
>



>We also sell to a resturant and at first the chef did not like our high
>prices and would complain that we charged twice what the food distibutors
>were charging. At the same time he did notice that our salad mix tasted and
>looked far better than anything else he could get and lasted up to 3 weeks
>versus under 5 days for the commercial crap. When I pointed this out he
>willingly paid our price.
>





>I guess it is all a process of education one's customers and realising that
>our food is not for everyone. There will always be the old timers that
>charge 1060's prices and the dumpers who either have no idea what to charge
>or are from a big wholesale operation. Defense against those folks is to
>more unique and have better tasting/quality food and service
>


>I have been suprised at how effective the bulletin board has been. People do
>stop to read it and look at the pictures and often than buy something. It
>gets people talking and asking us questions about organics and our farm and
>thus we embark on a relationship with these people that usually ends in
>repeat customers.

Marcie A. Rosenzweig
Full Circle Organic Farm
Auburn, CA