Display tips
Attractive displays are a great aid in selling produce. Look over other growers' displays and borrow from the best ideas. Produce should be kept in the shade to help maintain quality and provide a pleasant shopping environment. The display should be off the ground so that customers do not have to bend over to inspect the produce. Elbow to eye level is a good rule of thumb to use for proper display height. Tables, platforms or truck tailgates may be used to display produce. Prop boxes at a slant toward the customers.7
Quantity. Abundant displays attract attention. At a New York City Greenmarket, one grower displayed green beans in a small bowl, which she refilled from a basket in her truck. The effect was that few people saw her green beans. In contrast, another grower made a mountain of radishes and the splash of color drew people from across the street.8
Color contrast helps attract customers' attention. Choose the color of your awning carefully. A blue covering can make peaches look green, while a yellow shade can make them look good. Darker colors attract heat.
Use creative display ideas. A "waterfall" of potatoes created by an inclined board covered with spuds of all shapes and colors; wicker flower-gathering baskets used to display a colorful collection of peppers, eggplants and squash; or buckets of flowers lined up according to the colors of the spectrum, creating a rainbow effect from a distance, are a few examples of crowd-capturing, profit-making creative display ideas.9
Other excellent display ideas are simpler, such as interspersing product displays with leaves, herbs or flowers, or stringing balloons or chili peppers around the canopy or entryway.
Develop a focus. If your focus is herbs, for example, fill up your space with herb plants, potpourri and sachets. Get out in front of your display and look at it critically, from a customer's point of view.
Everything should be clearly visible, alive and enticing. If it doesn't command attention, change it. Signs. An attractive wooden sign with your farm name and logo painted on it helps your customers come back to you week after week, and makes it easier for them to refer friends to you. For the same reason, insist on setting up in the same location throughout the year. Make sure your farm sign is well above your display so customers can see it above a crowded booth, and put your farm name also on your apron or cap.
Picture of your farm. Talk with customers, and hand out brochures about your farm and farming practices. Make customers feel part of your operation! Whenever Tom and Denesse Willey, of T & D Willey Farms in Fresno, California, go to a farmers market, they bring along their big full-color farm photo. Beneath the portraits of Tom and Denesse against the gorgeous layout of their farm is a description of their farm and sustainable farming methods. While customers wait in line at the Willeys' booth, they read the sign.
NOTE: See also the "Display" section in "Merchandising," Chapter 17.
Pricing
Quality and uniqueness. Use market competitors' or local grocery store prices as a starting point, but remember that customers come to farmers markets for quality, freshness, flavor and uniqueness, more than for price. If you have something that is unique, such as organic produce or specialty products, or highly perishable items such as sweet corn, don't be afraid to ask a price (a premium of 10 percent or more) which will reward you for your effort and initiative in providing it.
Post prices. Many shoppers are in too much of a hurry, or are hesitant to ask about prices, and they may bypass you if you do not have prices posted. Have cards and markers on hand for price changes, or use a green chalkboard. Signs should state item price and unit, e.g., Santa Rosa Plums, 35¢ per pound. Use easy-move pricing: round numbers like 75¢, not 79¢; $1, not 99¢.
Methods of pricing. There's an art to selling-should you sell by the pound, by the bag, or by the unit? By the pound means more time and hassle at the market; it also takes time and expense to bag each product beforehand. In general, give prices by the unit whenever possible. This makes the checkout move a lot quicker, since you don't have to weigh products.
Study your market. Some ethnic groups may be accustomed to open-air markets where they can pick out their own produce. Other markets may attract customers used to supermarket convenience who prefer packaged produce.
Adjust prices according to the market. It's easier to lower prices than to raise them, so don't start too low. If you're selling too slowly, however, and a lot of customers are complaining about the prices (a few folks are chronic complainers; don't worry about them), it may be time to reduce your prices. If you're selling out too quickly, on the other hand, increase the price next time. The goal is profits, not how fast you can sell out. Unless your goal is to get rid of excess produce, do not lower prices toward the end of the day just to sell out; customers will learn to wait for end-of-the-day basement prices. Develop other outlets or uses for unsold produce.
Selling tips
The friendly interchange between farmer and customer is the heart and soul of a farmers market. People go to farmers markets seeking a more personal shopping experience than grocery stores offer, part of which is getting to know the farmer who grew the food. It is that relationship that will make them come back again and again.
When I visited the farmers market in Santa Monica, California, one grower was explaining to customers why one variety of persimmon needs to be very soft when eaten, while another variety should be hard; another grower was telling customers the difference between apple cider and apple juice; while yet another grower was talking about the fine points of cooking with exotic mushrooms. At the Redondo Beach market, "Cactus Jeff" Notias, an ex-bartender from New York City who got hooked on growing exotic cactus, was giving customers lessons on how to care for their cactus plants!
Selling your produce yourself is ideal-no one sells it like the farmer who grew it! But if you'd rather grow than sell, hire enthusiastic employees.
Selling styles. Should you "hawk"? Ever since folks first called out, "Come and get it!" a couple of million years ago, there have been hawkers and hawks. Modern farmers are not deficient in this aspect, as farmers fill the air with shouts of: "Delicious and nutritious!," "Give peas a chance!," or (in the case of a farmer selling honey) "Pure and sweet, just like the ladies!" At its worst, hawking creates a low-vibe, carnival atmosphere. At its best, it lends a festive, joyous mood to the market. Use your discretion; don't drive your neighbors crazy and customers away!
The most popular growers are those who provide entertaining conversation, a bit of education about their produce, and some indication that they are interested in their customers, without getting too familiar. "You have to like selling to people," explains New York City Greenmarket Director Barry Benepe. "You have to like to chat. You can't be a wallflower." According to Vallejo, California, Market Manager Brooks Kleim, "Two growers can have markedly different styles, yet be equally effective. The desire to serve the public seems most important."
Exhibit hustle and enthusiasm-show your eagerness to serve the customer. Customers will forgive having to wait for a good product if they feel you're doing your best to serve them. If a long line does build up, talk to the people and have samples for them to try as well as pamphlets to read about your farm and products while they are waiting. Thank customers for waiting (acknowledge their wait). If long lines are chronic, hire more help during peak hours and consider other ways to speed up the checkout process.
When things slow down, use the time to restock the display, bag more produce, clean up around the table, and move the excess cash from your apron or cashbox.
Educate your customers. Prepare to answer questions about your products, such as when peak supplies are available, or what quantities to buy for canning and freezing. Make sure your helpers are also well-informed! Providing information about varieties, growing methods, storage, cooking, serving and nutrition helps build customer trust and loyalty.
If you are certified organic, display your certification sign prominently; don't just assume that passers-by know you are organic! Hand out educational brochures about sustainable growing practices, and encourage the market manager to have a booth in the market with information about organic farming to help educate consumers.
Samples. If your produce is suitable, offer samples. A taste is worth a thousand words, and many of those who try will buy! Lots of growers hesitate to give away free products, but if giving away $50 in samples makes the difference between a $300 day and a $900 day, it's worth it! Provide sliced vegetables, melons, or fresh berries in clean, covered dishes. Have a napkin holder and a toothpick holder handy and encourage customers to try something. Provide a trash can for dirty napkins and toothpicks. At the Santa Monica market, Lori Nichols has a large sign over the sugar snap peas which reads: "Free sample-taste one. Edible pods: crisp, sweet. Eat the whole pea!" "We've gotten excellent response," Lori says. "People expect them to be tough, because they're big like green beans. But they're surprised to find they're tender and stringless."
NOTE: Check with market regulations to see if sampling is allowed.
Self-promotion. Wear a name tag and have your farm name where the customers can see it. Put up banners and a colorful canopy to attract customers to your booth. Make some flyers describing your farm and produce to put on windshields and in store windows a day or so before the market opens. This will spread your name around and encourage customers to come to your booth. Hand out business cards at your booth. Develop weekly flyers to put in each bag of groceries with recipes and news about your upcoming crops.
Does it pay? Check the bottom line
Some farmers like to go to farmers markets for the pleasure of talking to customers and for getting feedback on their products, and fail to keep tabs on costs. Yet they may be losing money without knowing it. Keep track of how much you take to the farmers market and your costs of producing, transporting and selling your products. Be sure to include labor costs (your own as well as hired labor), and your personal expenses for lodging and food. Subtract the value of unsold food at the end of the day.
Compare your costs with revenues to determine your net income at the farmers market. Compare this with what you might have made selling the food through other marketing outlets. Are the farmers markets profitable for you? Don't forget to consider the nonimmediate returns, like the benefits of using the farmers market as a test market for new crops, or making contacts with customers who may come to your roadside market, etc.
But the bottom line is: watch your bottom line!
Farmers Market Start-Up Tips
REACH OUT TO all elements of the population. Include farmers who cater to a mix of ethnic groups, income levels and lifestyles. Each of these groups has different buying habits. At many farmers markets, customers may purchase the most unusual vegetables, as well as "seconds" at substantial savings.
Develop a policy to discourage dumping of large quantities of produce at low prices. You might require vendors, for example, to stay within 10 percent of local retail prices and to keep the quality and uniqueness of their products in mind when determining prices. Such guidelines prevent price wars within the market and prevent undercutting by hobbyists who are not concerned with making a profit.
Require that all products sold at the market be grown locally by members. Disallowing "imports" promotes local agriculture and aids the regional economy. Assure safety and high standards by requiring members to obtain any applicable state licenses. Food processors should have a certified kitchen, and growers who claim to be organic must be registered by state law.11
Make opening day a smash. The Marin Certified Farmers Market opened in July, 1983 with 30 growers. Within two months, over 60 farmers were selling their produce there. The reason, feels Executive Director Lynn Bagley, was the work that went into the market prior to opening day. "If you start out successful, it builds," she says. Bagley did everything possible to let the public know about the event, such as holding a series of public meetings, and organizing volunteers to call every other household in the zip code area. Volunteers put signs over all the major highways, and two TV stations did features on the event. The local paper ran features and front-page stories, as well as continuing stories throughout the season. This set the tone for the market's importance, and on opening day all the sellers were sold out within two hours.
Work with your local community to build a farmers market which will meet their needs. Involve representatives from city government, local business merchants, nonprofit organizations, farmers and the community in the planning of your farmers market. Let everyone understand how a farmers market will benefit the community. Point out that farmers markets help promote community spirit and involvement. You might allow different nonprofit groups, such as a hunger group, a local chapter of the American Heart Association, or a 4-H club, to set up information tables at your market. Invite a local community food bank to collect unsold produce from farmers at the end of the day for distribution to low-income citizens.
Point out to townsfolk that farmers markets benefit communities by making nutritious and relatively low-priced fresh fruits and vegetables more readily available to people. This is especially important in low-income areas, where families often skimp on purchases of life-sustaining fresh fruits and vegetables. Set up a booth to give free samples of various products, along with nutrient information for those products, and information about healthy eating habits. For information about the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program, a federal program which provides low-income, nutritionally-at-risk mothers, women and children with coupons redeemable only at farmers markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, see Chapter 1, "Sharing The Bounty-Helping The Hungry."
The Seeds of Hope Farmers Market Project unites church groups and farmers to create and sustain local farmers markets. For information write to Dr. John O'Sullivan, Farm Management and Marketing Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Program, N C A & T State University, P.O. Box 21928, Greensboro, NC 27420-1928; (919) 334-7957.
Farmers Market Promotion
Asked why the markets she has directed have succeeded so well, Ms. (Lynn) Bagley responded without hesitation: "Relentless marketing, attention to detail, hard work, an obsessive personality and learning how to beg, constantly, in a ladylike way."
-New York Times, June 20, 1990
HOLD SPECIAL EVENTS. Invite restaurants to stage a cooking demonstration at the market, home economists to give demonstrations on home food preservation, or master gardeners to give gardening tips. Sponsor baking, gardening or music contests. Other ideas for special events include Ethnic Days, Farm Days for school children, or an April Flower Festival. The possibilities are endless!
Work with the media. As a festive, community-oriented group, your farmers market has a real "in" with the media! Use any excuse to send out a news release: the manager being hired, the site being chosen, or farmers getting together to organize. Make contacts with the food editor, the community events editor, and the calendar and metro sections of your paper. Radio and television are also effective. If your farmers market is registered as a nonprofit group, public service announcements are sure publicity-getters.
Contribute a recipe each week for the local newspaper's food pages, focusing on food that is in season and plentiful at the market. These might be contributed by members on a voluntary basis, and the member's farm gets mentioned in the article. You might also write a gardening column, with tips submitted by farmers market grower members.
Develop a group ad. The Medford Growers and Crafters Association takes out display ads stating the locations and hours of operation, and growers tack on individual ads, which cost $20 each. The small grower ads are charged at the organization's contract rate, which is 25-percent less than the individual rates.12
Publish a cookbook. These are also great fund-raisers. Stretch the farmers market concept. A number of new and different ideas are being added to the traditional farmers market model in an attempt to expand sales and better serve the consumer and farmer. At the Knox County Regional Farmers Market in Knoxville, Tennessee, a 27,000 square foot barnlike structure accommodates some 70 permanent stalls for farmers, plus additional places for craft and food purveyors. Plans call for including facilities for produce wholesalers, a garden center, an agri-business park, and an ag educational center.
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