Are you a small farmer or grower looking to begin selling your produce? Farmer's Markets can be an excellent way to make sales, build a network and gain some exposure! In this webinar, Dr. Nate Storey of Bright Agrotech discusses what it takes to sell at Farmer's Markets and some tricks for making a splash. https://brightagrotech.leadpages.net/farmers-markets-webinar/

1. Finding Your Markets Webinar Series
“Selling at Farmer’s Markets”
Sponsored by Bright Agrotech
www.brightagrotech.com

2. Webinar Overview
1. Farmer’s Markets Pros and Cons
2. Selling at Farmer’s Markets
3. At The Market
4. Making Sales
5. Taking Payment
6. Get growing now!

3. Dr. Nate Storey

4. Bright Agrotech

5. The Pros and Cons of Selling at Farmer’s Markets1
Pros Cons

6. The Pros
Can be high margin, high volume opportunities
Very targeted market/consumer
Proximity is a competitive advantage
Lots of exposure
Can be convenient and even fun
Selling to Farmer’s Markets…

7. The Cons
Often high margin, low volume opportunities
Can be expensive to enter/sell at
Some are being co-opted by regional distributors
Selling to Farmer’s Markets…

8. Can be labor and cost-intensive
Not always consistent, subject to the whims of the
manager or committee
Sometimes difficult to get into

9. 2 Selling at Farmer’s Markets

10. Farmer’s Markets are typically governed
by a Manager or Committee That…
Approve Vendors
Collect Fees and Commissions
Manage Vendors, Arrangement, Layout, etc.
Ensure Compliance
Organize Season and Markets
!
!

11. Typically Farmer’s Markets require that you sign up many
months in advance

12. !
Farmers Markets are becoming more and more popular
and more vendors are applying to participate.
!
If you’re thinking about the summer season, you might
already be too late
!
If you miss signing up, speak with the manager about
filling empty slots on a market to market basis
!
Remember, if you get the manager excited about what
you’re doing, they will advocate for you!

13. Typically you are charged a fee with your reservations
Once you’re signed up, you may or may not be assigned an area
(depending on how organized the market is)

14. Some markets have special rules
regarding selling, appearance,
marketing materials, etc.
!
So educate yourself.
!
As the season winds down, engage the manager…
Tell them what you’re doing, explain how live
sales work, and try to get them on your side.

15. 3 At The Market
What will you need on market day?

16. At The Market
!
!
To Bring…
!
!
Tent
Table
Spring basins
*
*
* Don’t bring chairs- chairs encourage you
to sit, which makes you less approachable
!
Actively Engage Your Customers!
Transportation equipment
for towers (truck)
Market Tips
*

17. 4 Making Sales
“This is the best opportunity you have to pitch your product”
!
! Take every opportunity to engage your customers

18. All markets to follow
CSAs and other programs
Customer Feedback
Interns and free help
Community Outreach
*** Don’t underestimate the value of Community Outreach!
Treat this as an opportunity not just for this market, but for:
You may pay a percentage to the Manager on all sales at the farmers
market- Not sales outside of the farmers market.
!
Treat the Farmer’s market as a gateway to outside sales.
Remember…

19. Price it higher than you would at the grocery store
Ask your customers to pay more for quality and context
Ask them to taste and smell the produce
Sell them on Value
Don’t devalue your product
Value your product appropriately

20. Tell your customers what you’re doing
Make it look nice, rustic or old-fashioned
Hand out business cards, fliers, etc.
Develop Marketing Material

21. Know the health codes and use common sense
At the end of the market, trade with other vendors
!
Get to know the other vendors
!
They’ll give you intelligence on other Farmer’s markets
!
They’ll cue you in to other market opportunities
!
Show other vendors that you value their products as much as yours
!
Get to Know the Manager

22. Most Farmer’s Markets charge a percentage or a flat fee if a certain revenue number isn’t hit.
!
Even if you break even, Farmer’s Markets can be a successful venue
Our entire CSA subscription initially came from our CSA customers
!
Some markets can be very expensive.
This gives the advantage to larger producers/distributors
Know which markets you can afford to do, and which ones you can’t
4 Taking Payment
Farmer’s
Markets
CSA

23. 5 Get Growing Today
Start applying now!
!
Farmers Markets are the epitome of customer-focused sales, one-on-one sales, and personable sales
techniques- this is the training ground for larger sales, larger accounts and scaling
!
They can be too expensive, so have a budget and know what is reasonable and what is not.
!
Make Friends of Everyone.
Start growing now!

24. ZipGrow Tower 4-pack
Start growing with the

25. The Bright Agrotech Team
Chris
Paul
Noah
Questions?