Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Internet and in print of CSA farms for different regions. Consumers looking
for a CSA supplier may use such a list to find you.
The details of setting up a CSA marketing strategy are beyond the scope
of this topic. Many government, nonprofit, and commercial sources of inform-
ation on CSAs can be found online.
Wholesaling
A big problem with U-pick, roadside stand, and farmers' market sales is that
you depend upon the customers coming to you. Bad weather can keep them
away in droves. If your goods are perishable, the losses can be substantial. By
selling wholesale directly to local purchasers, you take marketing one step
further by going to the customers yourself. Restaurants, grocery stores, spe-
cialty food stores, and food processors are common outlets for direct local
sales. In most cases, you will be selling at wholesale prices, which is less than
you would normally sell directly to the final consumer at a roadside stand or
farmers' market. What you lose in price, however, you hope to gain in volume
and steady sales.
In many cases, you will find it to your advantage, as well as to the cus-
tomers', to contract grow. In this type of arrangement, you agree with the
customers in advance as to what you will supply, what quantities they will
purchase, what the purchase prices will be, what quality standards you need
to meet, and how and when the produce will be delivered. Your customers
are not going to want to make any spontaneous or impulse purchases. The
last thing that restaurateurs and store owners like is to be surprised by their
suppliers.
When you sell directly to businesses, you are dealing with hard-nosed
professionals who insist on reliability and quality. It can be a difficult market
to break into, and you may face stiff competition from other commercial
fruit growers, and not only those from your immediate area. It is no accident
that states like Florida and California dominate the produce industry. The
growers in these areas have established reputations for quality, reliability,
and professionalism. With today's rapid transportation, peaches picked in
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