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  • From: "Mathew Landi" <mlandi AT citymarket.coop>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Imports in our Local stores
  • Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:40:45 -0400

Good Morning,
As Produce Manager at a large single store Cooperative grocery in Burlington, VT, we have been able to build quite a following by doing precisely the opposite of what these larger grocery stores are doing. First off, if it's available locally, we buy it. Second, we don't focus on price. If a grower feels they need to get a certain price for something, we'll do our best to sell it at that price. In addition, since education is one of the reasons for our existence, it's vital that we keep a well trained and educated staff that's passionate about food. While we do our best to source things locally (during the heart of the Vermont growing season a good amount of our department features local products, if we have something non-local there's a good chance it doesn't grow here) if we've gotten it from somewhere else we indicate origin on each sign. I realize we are but one small example, but as we've seen with the explosion of successful farmer's markets and CSAs, at least here in Vermont, this model is part of a growing trend heading in the complete opposite direction of the global economy. I feel that it is important to support the infrastructure of stores and cooperatives such as ours that work hard to promote a sustainable locally based food system.  Thanks for all that you do.
Cheers,
Matt
Burlington, VT
 
 
 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: Home Grown Kansas! [mailto:hgkansas AT sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 9:28 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Imports in our Local stores

That is exactly right.  When we first started Market Farming we realized that folks have lost their food skills.  They had little knowledge of what to do with fresh vegetables or herbs.  We had to become educators to sell our products.  I don't see it as unfortunate though, I see it as part of our marketing responsibilities.  A recipe card, weekly newsletter, chef at market or advice at the point of sale are very important elements in educating the customer.  If you make it interesting and many do not, the customers will find it interesting to visit your market.  Actually, the supermarket scenario may be doing us a favor - as perverse as that may sound - by leaving a void for quality food that can be filled by savvy local producers.  It is our responsibility to bring to market the best tasting food available.  It is the "better mouse trap" theroy. 
 
Elzie
Wichita, Kansas 

Bill Shoemaker <wshoemak AT inil.com> wrote:
Phil, that's my experience too. The people working produce today don't know what quality is and many don't care. It's really changed over the last 30 years. I think consumers share the blame for not being smart shoppers. Unfortunately, I think good growers are left with the challenge of educating the consumer.
Bill
> > > We recently did a little research on what is in our grocery store that we shop and was astounded to the amount of food in general that is shipped in from China.  It will really blow your mind when you start checking to point of origin.  In our local store all the frozen fish was shipped form china, frozen juice private label (store Label) was all shipped in from china, fresh grapes we all from Brazil, and it go's on and on.  We the American farmer are really getting the shaft when the grocer's tell us we as local growers cannot keep their shelves full year around.  It boils down to bottom line and nothing else, if the produce they sell looks like crap it probably is.  I had a produce manager tell me he could get 25 days out of most of his produce, so really fresh stuff doesn't really matter to him, all he wants is a really good price, or maybe I could just give it to him really cheap if I have a lot of surplus, I had one guy actually say that to me. >   > Phil from IowaGet a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > >

William H. Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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