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market-farming - Re: Value added

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  • From: "Hook Family" <guldann AT ix.netcom.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Value added
  • Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 08:08:46 -0400


Marcie wrote snipped most:

Raising your prices may add value - not only to you, but in the eyes of
your customers. A friend of mine grows Silver Logan peaches. These are
elegant white peaches found only at roadsides stands and farmers' markets
because if you look at them sideways, they bruise. At a local farmers'
market, she was selling them for $1.50 per pound and not doing well.
Toward the end of market, someone asked her what was wrong with the peaches
and explained she wasn't used to seeing white peaches with such a low
price. The next week, my friend doubled the price of her Silver Logans and
sold out in two hours. Sometimes we're too self-effacing for our own good.
I write:
This higher price for products is something that intrigues me and on the one
hand I feel is what's right for us small farmers (with high class products),
but the on the other hand we've sort of been trained in the "on sale"
mentality and get afraid oh no no one will buy my stuff. However I saw some
of this in action (sorry for cross posting CSA list friends) in my sugar
house this winter. I had about 5 or 6 units to choose from. Smallest and
cheapest a nip $1.50 (seen it at other locales for $1.25 my friend talked me
into marking it to $1.50, she basically said the people won't mind), 3 units
of about 8oz(some 250ml) one a glass house $8.00 (other price I'd seen $7 or
7.50), plastic jug $6, a small about 2 1/2 oz glass maple leaf $3 and a
glass bottle in the shape of a Maple Leaf (250ml) $10.
Yup the most popular the $10 leaf. It is a beautiful "package" the leaf
with the warm tone brown syrup. Some people bought 2! The small leaf was
popular or I guess priced ok, people just wanted more syrup so bought bigger
one.
Glass sugar house bottle fairly popular its just that the leaf was so
pretty. I at first ordered only 12 leaves, sold out had to order more :).
Oh the glass bottles costs $2, small leaf $1. So that figures into the
price.
I also made maple candy priced it $1.00oz. Bought a mold in leaf shapes. I
only made about $20 pieces, its quite time consuming on my reg. stove. It
flew off the selves.
This was a very interesting intro to the world of retail. I do realize that
Sugaring is successful for us because it is so unique in our area. We are
in eastern/central Mass very built up area. We are the eastern most sugar
house. Our sugar house was up and running and we charged $1.00 admission for
those above 6. There are quite a few in Western Mass but we "save" people
and hour or two of driving.
When I remembered to put it in their bag I enclosed a brochure mostly with
Maple info, but with a little info about CSA. Included phone email.
Check this page for fun
www.massmaple.org




  • Re: Value added, Hook Family, 04/13/2001

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