market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales
- Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:33:12 -0400
We are trying to maintain a three tier approach to sales. 1) Restaurant Sales (at or just below direct to consumer prices) 2) Wholesale to resellers (bulk sales) 3) Direct retail Last one first...We have cut out all but one farmer's market. I love the market, its about the area I used to hang out when I was in college. Its fun and sales there give me cash for my part-time laborer. I know them and they know me and its a place were people are trying to buy from those of us growing and producing rather than a big box or national chain. I also use it as word of mouth promotion to the restaurants I sell to. It is the only direct retail I do anymore save a couple honey sales from the farm. Second...Wholesale. Its a good deal if they know how to work local. I deal, mainly, with a door o door organic/local food delivery service. Pricing is between national wholesale prices and my direct to consumer prices. They pay quality for quality. I sell honey to them mainly and two or three crops. This year its onions, potatoes, and corn meal. This also means I have a lot tied up in a large crop of a few items rather than spreading myself thin on a couple items. I am still small scale in this regard but I am now filling orders for hundreds and thousands of pounds of potatoes for a single customer(s) instead of worrying about storage and 1 pound sales. I make half as much per pound but I sell so, so much more. First one last... Restaurants are nice if they are locally owned and want local food. I have one exception to this rule and that is the Hilton. They have several signature chefs and high end dinning and we happen to have one here who is not only interested in purchasing from us but doing so at a fair price. The rest of places are all locally owned. One in particular goes WAY above and beyond the normal "we source" local. It cans, freezes, looks for heritage breeds, works with venison, and changes the menu up six to eight times a year AND includes a sort of "trust your chef" menu pick where chef surprises you and is 100% seasonal and 100% sourced within 100 miles of the establishment...including wine or beer. So far its worked. A lot of that also includes sitting down in January and planning a growing season with the chefs, cross promotions, chef and farmer dinners where you do a Q&A with patrons, local food events, non-profit food distribution discussions with the city and helping out with the local urban plots, trying to get as much press as possible whether its simply a photo-op on catching a swarm or an article on artisan non-GMO corn growing in the local newspaper and so on... We honestly believe in breaking the homogenized "American" diet and helping develop a regional food culture...and try to get that printed as many times as possible. Promotion is key...and exhausting. It seems to work so far. That is all fine and good for us with a regional population of 2.5 million. That may not be what others have access to in other parts of the country AND unlike some locations the local food concept if "relatively" new here. You also need to change how you grow. Richard Stewart Carriage House Farm North Bend, Ohio An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 (513) 967-1106 On Aug 19, 2010, at 9:45 AM, TxBeeFarmer wrote:
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[Market-farming] Need Help with Sales,
TxBeeFarmer, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, William H Shoemaker, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, E C GRANATA, 08/19/2010
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Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales,
Brigette Leach, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Laurie Allen, 08/19/2010
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Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales,
Jay Sleichter, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Sweet Valley Organics, 08/19/2010
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Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales,
Richard Robinson, 08/20/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Road's End Farm, 08/20/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Pamela Crowe, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Richard Stewart, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Marcy, 08/20/2010
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, SaladG, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, clearviewfarm, 08/19/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, SaladG, 08/20/2010
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Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales,
clearviewfarm, 08/20/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, Laurie Allen, 08/20/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales, idyllwild farm, 08/20/2010
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Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales,
KAKerby, 08/21/2010
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[Market-farming] Inventory Systems for Produce,
Dalew Farms, 08/22/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Inventory Systems for Produce, John and Katy Ehrlich, 08/22/2010
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[Market-farming] Inventory Systems for Produce,
Dalew Farms, 08/22/2010
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