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  • From: "Jim Gage" <jdgage AT hurleycomputers.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] A delicate situation: How to tell a Farmer's Market vendor their quality is off
  • Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 10:43:39 -0500

I have recently began working with the dairy industry, and product quality
and consistency in foods like yogurt, cheese, etc is very difficult.
Changes in animal diet can effect the make up of the milk, as can changes in
the make process (different cultural starters, different equipment, new
aging facilities, etc, etc). Small differences are usually acceptable
(think wine here...), but large differences are not acceptable to either the
consumer or the producer.

Tell him. Characterize what you think is different -- that may help him pin
down what has happened. Folks in this industry understand that a batch or
two doesn't necessarily work out once in awhile.

Jim Gage


----- Original Message -----
From: "Alliums" <garlicgrower AT earthlink.net>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 9:00 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] A delicate situation: How to tell a Farmer's
Market vendor their quality is off


> Hi, Folks!
>
> I have a situation I'd love to get some input on from the group.
>
> Last year, a consortium of dairy farmers got together and produced some of
> the best yogurt I've ever had. My cousin and I bought copious amounts
> every Saturday our Farmer's Market was in business.
>
> I don't know what has happened this year, but the quality is completely
> gone this year. Even though the yogurt has a "sell by" date that is far
in
> the future either 1) when we open the lid of the yogurt, the inner seal is
> bulging from gas (I have returned several containers that looked like
this,
> since, of course, I hadn't opened the yogurt) or 2) either the fruit in
the
> yogurt or the yogurt itself tastes spoiled.
>
> I know the farmer is wondering why my cousin and I aren't the steady
> customers we were last year, but can't bring himself to ask. As I know
> *nothing* about dairy from the cow itself to how to make or hold dairy
> products in a commercial setting, I just don't know how to tell him that
> the product has gone from fantastic to so "hit or miss" (and mostly
"miss")
> that I just don't feel like taking the chance that, yes, this batch of
> yogurt has "gone south", too.
>
> Any suggestions? I don't want to berate the man, but gosh, he had a
> fantastic product last year and this year, it just ain't there.
>
> Thanks for your help -- I'm sure this is an issue we all face at one time
> or another. . .
>
> Dorene
> Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
> St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden
>
> A mission of
> St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA
19460
>
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>
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