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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Pricing produce

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  • From: "Liz Pike" <liz AT laughingbrookfarm.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Pricing produce
  • Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 08:19:32 -0500

> When I mentioned a few of the "specialty" or "niche" veggies I was
> growing, they'd say, "Huh? What's that? No, our customers don't want any."

That's "their" customers. Not your customers. You will have to pay your
dues to earn your own customers, whether you supply wholesale or retail.
Which brings up another point. Small farmers/growers aren't making it in
wholesale. (Big farms aren't making it either which is why we are seeing
more and more of them switch to direct marketing.) It might be part of
their mix, but it's a rare farm that makes it with just wholesale markets,
and even rarer with just basic stuff. Yes, the occasional story circulates
about 1/3 acre farms in downtown areas that ship specialty crops overnight
across the US but those are extremely rare situations created by experienced
growers.

I seem to recall you were doing about 2900 sq ft this year?? And this is
your first year growing?? That's 1/15th of an acre; not enough room to
supply basics to wholesale markets. Even if you were to get the whole of
your friend's 10 acres into production, it will take a couple of years to
reach ok production, 3-5 years to reach maximum production, more than 3-5 if
you're working sustainably/organically. Then you have to consider the
competition. Can you compete with Walmart?? You might think you are if you
are supplying a different grocer. But they sure are. Recently several
major grocery chains have had 4th quarter losses they attributed directly to
Walmart. If they can't compete on that scale, how can you??

Niche marketing, specialty produce, call it what you will, but Willie is
right. It doesn't need to be strange to be considered specialty or niche
and it doesn't take long to build up a loyal following of customers who will
pay your asking price.

Don't sell your dream short, Matt. Don't be afraid to sell your customers
on the value--real or perceived--of what you produce. It's fresher, it's
healthy, it's local. There will always be someone cheaper than you. Don't
let them break the back of your dream on the illusion of good value through
cheap prices.

Liz Pike
Laughingbrook Farm
Westfield NC
http://www.marketfarming.com new content added daily!!
http://www.laughingbrookfarm.com








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