Session 5

Striking a balance between farmers and value-added

Background - Snell Family Farm - Ramona Snell presenting

• 1976 started attending Farmers and Artist Market due to gentle suggestions about the need for vegetable vendor
• At one time they went to eight markets, but noticed they were splitting up their product
• Neighbors wanted to buy their products as well and going to eight markets did not allow for them to sell to their neighbors
• Left some markets and were able to open their farm store for their neighbors

Recently they added value-added products with the addition of a certified kitchen -Benefits for their farm

• Value-added could use some of the surplus as well as irregular produce they would not sell
• Take a time specific crop (i.e. raspberries) and freeze them to use later
• Sells to a wider audience, they reach customers who they might not have sold to

Important considerations

• Who are your customers? WIC, summer/tourists, professionals, young families, multi-generational, CSA pick-up
• What are they spending
• What do customers want to see at market?
• Can people get a complete meal at your market?

What are the factors that are bring customers to market?

• Target audience: anyone who eats food
• Captured audience: people who stop at market
• From those who stop are they looking of ethical practices, a good deal, specific products, safe food, connection to their past, supporting local businesses.

It is important to look at the market from the customer’s point of view.

Specifically for value-added customers are they shopping because 

• Time constraints?
• Money to spend?
• Needing immediate consumption

Customers who are traveling you need to consider

• Can't do a lot of cooking
• Need a memory of their vacation/travels
• Gifts
• Cruise ship customers are well-fed. Look for honey, syrup, wooden spoons

Problems to watch for with value-added products

• Need to charge enough for the product. Think about what it took to produce it (your time, additional supplies)
• Private label: labeling mass produced goods with your specific label
• **Needs to be authentic: Keep Maine markets from Maine!

• chocolate chip cookies or whoopie pies don't necessarily have a place at market, but a pumpkin whoopie pie using local pumpkin might

How much of the market should be various products?

• Need balance of farm products and value-added
• According to the Snapshot Week, 53% of customers are looking for fresh food

Ramona Snell's My Plate/My Palette consists of

-1/2 fresh fruits and veggies

-1/4 grains and starches

flowers might erode part of this

-1/4 proteins and meat

butters and oils could take up part of this

Interesting way to look at your market to see what you provide customers

• Consider these in a twenty vendor market

How do customers perceive your market?

• Always keep the Maine brand authentic!

Caitlin Hunter (Appleton Creamery) presenting

Background

• 1980's started island market; customers wanted fresh food
• Markets were mostly vegetables, cheeses were just starting to come and there was some protein
• At one time doing eight markets
• Doing five markets now

Winter markets started but customers wanted to see veggies

• Season extension has improved the indoor market season

Diversified veggies anchor the market

• Markets have limited vegetable vendors
• Farmer's markets are in the business of starting new farms

Food trucks bring people to the market and keep them around at the market.

Questions

• How do you get food trucks?
• They tend to come to the market members asking to join.
• Strongly suggest food trucks source from the market or encourage members to talk with the food truck about using a product they grow and the food truck uses

What kind of other products are there room for at a market?

• One market has rules that craft items have to be a portion of a farm already in the market.
• Had to be produced from the farm

How do value-added vegetable products have to be tested? What is the process?

• Has to be tested at the university.
• Turn around for getting results is up to a year
• Possibly another option in Scarborough

In smaller markets how can you get members to stay?

• Find your gaps
• Vendor to vendor support and promoting of products: "Have you tried _______ berry pies?"
• Four week window to test the market as a temporary vendor so they know if it is viabl