Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • 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:

Hope some of you can share your wisdom and tricks of the trade with me.
 
I have a wonderful five acre garden and my 40' cooler is overflowing with fresh produce.
 
My problem is sales, or should I say lack of sales.  Oh sure, there's the Farmers' Market and a few people who want some things delivered, but I need real sales!
 
I've contacted every restaurant, cafe, grocery store, and health food store in my county as well as surrounding counties with no luck.
 
The problem with selling to restaurants and cafes seems to be the large food distributers - they deal in huge quantities, have a large selection, deliver in refrigerated trucks, and are very cheap.  None of the eateries around here gives a flip about being local or fresh or anything else.  They just want it cheap, delivered, and already cut up and bagged. 
 
Grocery stores want me to have huge amounts of insurance and be preapproved by their corporate headquarters.  This is also the case with chain restaurants. 
 
Obviously, I'm doing something very wrong here.  I just can't sell what I grow.
 
Sure could use a little help.
 
Thanks,
 
Mark
The Coldiron Farm (West Texas)
_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming

Market Farming List Archives may be found here:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/
Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email
address and password):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page