Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Whatever the country there are two key issues. One is that tourists come
as families and the children will need to be entertained whilst their parents
are sampling the wine. Second, customer service and product knowledge
provided by the server is vitally important. They do not need to have the
knowledge of a sommelier, but they have to gauge the knowledge of the con-
sumer to ensure they do not talk down or up to them.
Most guests come via car and it is the responsibility of the server to
ensure that the driver does not get over-enthusiastic with sampling wine.
Many vineyards have added restaurants providing local food with their
wine. This allows the guest to experience which wine goes with which food,
and the ideal culinary day out has been achieved.
We have also been to concerts and seen Leonard Cohen, Tom Jones and
Lionel Ritchie and other star performers at concerts at vineyards. These vine-
yard events have evolved into major entertainment facilities.
Bakeries
Many farm shops have a bakery as a way of adding value. Bakeries are more
popular on farms in the USA and Canada than in Australia or Europe. The
best bakeries we have seen are located on apple orchards in the Americas.
The apple pie is a much loved bakery product in the USA and hence the
bakery is an essential part of the mix on an apple farm.
One major value of a bakery is the aroma. Very few people can resist the
aroma that comes from the bakery.
There are two styles of bakery to consider:
1.
Scratch bakery. This is where the baking is started literally from scratch. It
means the organization will need a qualified baker and the capital installation
cost will be higher. On the positive side it means more ingredients can be used
from the farm and from local suppliers. Many of our clients believe that it is
less profitable than a 'par' bakery. The truth depends on the skill of the baker.
2.
Par or 'bake off' bakery. As the name suggests, this is where an outside
bakery partially prepares the baking off site. The farm purchases readymade
pies, bread etc., and these are partially cooked or 'baked off' on the farm. Pre-
mixed powders and ingredients come from the food service industry often as
frozen units to the farm. Less skill is required and many farmers prefer this
option as it removes some of the cooking risks. However, some customers
feel less trusting of a bakery that does this.
Butchers
The family butcher used to be a familiar scene in many local towns and vil-
lages, but in many communities the butcher has slowly been replaced by the
supermarket butcher.
