Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
immediately, placed into refrigerated rooms for sales within a few weeks, or
placed into controlled-atmosphere rooms for sales months after the harvest.
In some cases, the packing house buys the fruit. In other cases, the grower
can rent storage space and take the fruit out later for marketing himself or
herself. Before choosing a packing house, ensure that it is set up to handle
certified organic fruit. Organic fruit must generally be processed, packed, and
stored separately from noncertified fruit.
Fruit brokers buy from packing houses and individual growers and co-
operatives. They serve as intermediaries between the growers and con-
sumers. Because brokers usually represent many packing houses and grow-
ers, they provide the volume sales needed to meet the needs of large super-
market and restaurant chains. Cooperatives are local or regional in nature
and are made up of growers who pool their fruit and other produce. In a
sense, they act much like brokers, but the grower retains more control over
prices and how the fruit is sold. An individual orchardist may use only one
or all of these outlets.
These outlets provide excellent and relatively stable markets for your
fruit, you will not have promotional expenses, and marketing is very easy.
On the downside, you are now selling your produce as a commodity and the
prices you receive for your fruit will be quite inflexible. Wholesale market-
ing can be very demanding. Quality standards are high and unforgiving, pro-
duction and shipping schedules are often tight, and you may have to modify
your production practices to meet buyers' demands.
Wholesale markets generally mean big business. It is unlikely that these
will be your primary outlets when you first get into sales, unless you start on
a fairly large scale. An exception might be if you become part of a cooperat-
ive marketing group in which anywhere from a few to hundreds of farmers
pool their produce in order to meet wholesale quantity requirements.
Blending Your Marketing Approach
Your marketing plan doesn't need to be all or nothing; you can combine
different marketing strategies to meet your needs. For example, you might
