Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
•
11% of farm shops sold
25-
49% of farm-grown produce;
•
7% of farm shops sold
1-
24% of farm-grown produce.
We would suggest that the last group are general food retailers who
happen to be on a farm and are not true farm shops.
The golden rule is
keep it local
.
Do your SWOT analysis
Prior to developing a farm shop it is important to do an honest SWOT ana-
lysis of the business and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats. These will differ for every business and every location.
Experience Renewal Solutions Inc.
2
asked the consumers to participate
in a SWOT analysis of farm markets and what they were looking for in a
farm market. The following results may help the development of the farm
retail sector.
Strengths:
1.
31% Freshness and quality.
2.
20% Great place for the children.
3.
15% The staff employed.
4.
14% The extra activities on the farm.
5.
13% Well organized.
Opportunities:
1.
10% Increase produce selection.
2.
6% Increase in activities.
3.
5% Signage improvement.
4.
Parking improvement.
5.
Better marketing.
Of the respondents, 62% said they would change nothing, but this is to be
expected when doing a survey such as this.
Part of the threat is that nobody comes to a new venture. In the
Experience Renewal Solutions Inc. report,
2
non-users were asked why they
were non-users of farm shops, the response was:
•
55% Not located near me.
•
23% Not aware the farm retail venture exists.
•
19% I prefer a one-stop shop experience.
•
17% I do not have access to a vehicle.
•
17% I do not have the time.
We suggest the biggest threat is complacency. With farmers believing
that 'word of mouth' is so high that they do not need to invest in marketing
to a high degree and 23% of survey respondents saying they have not heard
of the farm, there is marketing inertia that needs to be addressed.
