Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
'Pop up' when consumers least expect it
Traditional thinkers may find it difficult to grow their business whilst entrepre-
neurs who think outside of the box are developing new style business models.
Food tourism operators can be at the forefront of 'pop up' business ideas
To establish a 'pop up' facility you need transport for you and your product
and the ability to build and dismantle a small shop or booth quickly.
Many pop up retailers will rely on their vehicle to also be their store. It
is then a simple process of driving to where the consumer wants you to be,
setting up your stall and start trading. Make sure you check with the local
council before you set up shop as you must still abide by the local business
regulations.
Box Schemes
The popularity of 'box' schemes varies from country to country. A box scheme
is where consumers receive a box, or other suitable handling unit of produce
at their door or an agreed collection point from a farmer or group of farmers.
It is a home delivery scheme for fresh food.
In days gone by, the milkman, the baker and other fresh produce sup-
pliers provided home delivery. Then as transport and labour costs increased
it became too expensive to provide such a personal service.
Today, home delivery is back in vogue with leading supermarkets de-
livering groceries to the consumers' door, often within
24
h of them ordering
the produce.
The main advantage of a farm box scheme is that the supplier controls
the whole supply chain and therefore their own destiny. The disadvantage is
that the produce mix is seasonal and many consumers are still not aware of
the seasonal variations and cannot understand why a box does not provide a
consistent mix of produce.
The farm box scheme has become particularly popular with organic
growers, but any farmer could develop such a scheme. Whereas around the
world organic growers have generally seen a decline in overall sales, organic
box schemes have seen enormous growth. But, one word of warning for con-
sumers: they should check that the box scheme is from a farmer or group of
producers. Supermarkets have started branded box schemes in certain parts
of the world that look like they have come from the farmer when in fact they
are coming from a large corporate business.
A successful farm box scheme is based on a weekly delivery of in-season
produce using returnable boxes. The consumer is provided with a limited
choice, based on what is available at the farm or in the region.
In our view the main challenge is marketing. The message must get
across to individual home owners. One of the most cost effective ways of get-
ting the message across is to use the local farmers' markets or farm markets
as they are called in the USA, as a marketing platform. Put up a stall and sell
