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  • From: "David Heininger" <xxchef AT wmonline.com>
  • To: "Market-Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Supplying product to a CSA?
  • Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 22:57:05 -0700

Hi Group

We’ve discussed CSA’s a lot here in the past few months, usually from a
grower/supplier/manager point of view. I have a different situation I’d
like some advice on.

We have almost completed our certification work to become the first legal
goat dairy in Arizona. We’ll be concentrating on artisan cheeses but will
also be making and selling a line of fine confections (goat milk fudge,
chocolate truffles etc) and a wide selection of other homesteading products
(soaps, honey, herbs etc) and are looking at selling to CSAs.

There are some very active CSAs in the state (several hundred members), run
by co-ops or colleges that don’t actually grow very many of their offerings,
but purchase most of them from local farmers and act primarily as a
distribution center. They often run 3 or 4 “sessions” a year, roughly
coinciding with the seasons of the year. This is possible because some of
the supplying farms are in the low desert valleys where they have nearly a
365-day annual growing season.
I’ve been in contact with a couple of them to see if they are interested in
offering their members some our products and the response has been very
positive. Now, before things go too much further, I need to understand a
little better how this type of CSA might operate.
I know that there’s a lot of room for individualization in this area but is
there anybody in the group who has either supplied a CSA or who operates one
that regularly purchases from outside sources? I’ve got a ton of questions
on everything from the typical contracts/commitments for both parties
(annual performance contract, seasonal, month-to-month?) to pricing
(wholesale, retail or somewhere in between?) and payment questions (accounts
receivable, cash at delivery, pay in advance?) as well as queries regarding
normal packaging expectations of CSAs (individually portioned or bulk?) etc.

Of course, I’ll have to settle all of these questions with the CSA managers
on a one-to-one basis, but it’d be nice to have a little something to go on
as a starting place on where their expectations may be.

Thanks,

David
Northern Arizona, USA
www.BlackMesaRanchOnline.com



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  • [Market-farming] Supplying product to a CSA?, David Heininger, 06/10/2003

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