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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Advice for meeting with chefs?

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  • From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Advice for meeting with chefs?
  • Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:00:59 -0500

Interesting observations John.  I agree on the restaurant types especially the "owner" mandated ones.

I disagree about the dollar amount per delivery.  I think that is set by each farmer.  We have had deliveries that range from 3K that involve five stops and deliveries that are 80.00 for a single customer but are on the way to a farmers' market.  I think in the end, much like pricing, you'll find what your break even is and yeah, the closer you are to the city the more flexibility you have in terms of sizes of delivery.  Our first season selling to chefs was a mixed bag when it came to deliveries.  There were a couple we lost money in the deal but sometimes its important for that to happen as both a learning experience and to secure more business down the way.  I have one location that is located right next to our farmers' markets and told them that there is no minimum delivery amount for their business.  Like any business dealing with chefs will involve working out kinks in the system and getting a feel for your customers.

I think the tolerance for insects or debris depends on the chef and how they have their staff set up.  If you are selling at a cheaper price they often overlook dirtier produce so long as it is of good quality.  They pay more for cleaner washed produce.  Till now we have never washed our greens, in the literal sense (we dunk and chill and "swish" them).  This next year as we expand into larger dip tanks and drip racks and a large spinner and a nice cool storage packing shed we will offer this at a premium price.  Its either us or their non-English speaking workers and they are going to pay for cleaner greens one way or the other.

I also do not think its unusual to demand the best stuff (we all don't we?).  Good chefs that know how to use local food though are MUCH easier to deal with that say a SYSCO type place that is asking for "local sources of food".  They are less likely to care about packaging since they are the end user.  They are more likely to want and demand less common varieties of stuff.  Tomatoes that do not store and transport well are a non-issue when selling them to a chef.  You do not have to worry about case quantities that a wholesaler might.

Having been at this for two full years now I really do enjoy selling to chefs even I do not have a decade of experience with them.  They make up 2/5 of our business.  Wholesale customers make up another 2/5 and direct retail makes up the final 1/5.  They can be irksome, just like any other customer, and I am sure we can frustrate them as well.  We work with that...its a part of the business.

I look at deliveries as no different than time I would spend at market trying to make sales.  I could spend 5 hours at a market or I can spend an hour driving.  I charge more at market and less to chefs.  The one thing I enjoy about selling to both chefs and wholesale is that I can dump entire crops.  Like potatoes.  This year we did three tons of them.  In three weeks, we sold all of our potatoes.  No storing and hauling them back and forth to market if they did not sell.  All gone.

Its amazing how much time it allows me to expand and do other things on the farm and still maintain a decent level of sales.  Imagine if you replaced three farmers markets with two deliveries.   That is the better part of 4 to 6 hours you get back to use more efficiently.  Same with CSAs I think, which have never been my thing, they are much more efficient use of your time as well...in theory at least.

Just some cold weather thoughts to kick around.

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106




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