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Post by Alan on Apr 17, 2007 23:42:47 GMT -5
does anyone here grow for a co-op. I will be shortly, our good friends and neighbors to the west of Washington County Indiana (orange county) have put together a great co-op program, I suggest anyone interested in co-ops, exspecially starting one, check out their site and e-mail them if you have any questions: lostrivercoop.comThey had a meeting this past saturday of members and interested folks to tour the new storefront and talk and I was very impressed and met some great folks there. Hopefully some of them will be posting here shortly. -Alan
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Post by ohiorganic on Apr 19, 2007 16:59:16 GMT -5
I have in the past though it was never more than 20% of our sales. I used to sell on consignment to the Clear Creek Co-op in Richmond, IN. I quit supplying food there because of slow sales and a cranky fridge that kept freezing our produce and not getting any reimbursement for their error.
In the future I hope to sell food to the MOON co-op in Oxford, OH whenever they get a sore front together.
Co-ops are great resources
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2007 21:28:03 GMT -5
I have a lot of faith in this new markett, it seems like the folks behind it have really done their homework and I hope that it works out, if not, at least they tried. Even if I don't sell much there I will definetly be buying stuff there.
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Post by ohiorganic on Apr 23, 2007 16:24:56 GMT -5
Thinking about selling to co-ops make a big deal out of your farm. Make up a poster/flier to put either on the fridge or somewhere else prominent that ells the co-op buyers who you are and what you stand for. Also make sure the produce is clkean and well packaged.
I remember the college farm would occassionally bring in produce unwashed and not packaged and it soon looked bad and did not sell well for them. They also tended to price it oo low (low prices often make people wonder what is wrong with the item and believe it or not a higher price will ofen make an item sell better).
Have signs that clearly show your price and the fact it is LOCALLY GROWN by you.
Check on your stuff once a week. Do not depend on the co-op staff to check for you. i used to find our stuff would be pushed to the back of the cooler where it could not be found easily at times so it would not sell well. Simple rearranging would take care of that problem.
Granted a lot of these small problems were because the staff was volunteer and often not very experienced.
Keep good records of what is selling and what is not so you can change planting plans accordingly. I made a sheet that showed what went in and what sold weekly. over the years I sold here it showed trends as to what folks were buying and changing tastes
If you sell seedlings at the co-op check those at least 3 times a week as they may not get watered/cared for properly (co-ops are not nurseries so don't expect them to have anyone working who will know how to care for seedlings well).
Be professional and have things available as much as you can. A big killer is when people do not bring things in regularily. Customers will be expecting/depending on your food and if it is not here each week (in season, of course) they will quit buying it and it is hard to get a customer back if lose them.
I do miss selling at the co-op but it is too far away from our new farm to deal with at this point in time
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 23, 2007 16:24:56 GMT -5
I saw a sign on my way home tonight advertising for Growers for the 2008 season for a Local Harvest outlet.
I don't know the store manager at all. And I've never been to any Local Harvest meetings cuz they conflict with my work schedule.
So please, tell me how should I approach the issue? Do I take samples of what I have grown this year? Like some of the winter squash I have available right now? What about a list of the veggies that I grew in 2007 to show what I have grown? And a list of seed that I have for 2008 I'm assuming as well.
Do I ask who sets the prices? and what percentage they take for marketing it for the grower?
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Post by Alan on Oct 23, 2007 18:46:37 GMT -5
Yes, those are all good ideas, make a list of what you have grown and also take seed magazines to showcase what you can grow, leave open the idea of growing anything and make this clear to them so they know you are versitile and willing to supply anything they need, be very enthusiastic and mention that you have friend in the "weird variety/open pollinated" plant breeding world. All of these things have helped me get in the doors of some new and exciting venues for 2008.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 23, 2007 19:48:44 GMT -5
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Post by Alan on Oct 29, 2007 17:09:48 GMT -5
Any updates blue? Did you get around to talking them and doing a presentation. I've done several the past few days and now have some lucritive business for next year. Spring cannot get here fast enough for me now. -alan
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 29, 2007 19:02:53 GMT -5
Alan, I haven't had a chance. The store is not open when I drive through the village on my way home from work, and it's not open Sundays. Hoping to get there tomorrow. Maybe I'll have good news tomorrow night for the Chatroom?!
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Post by plantsnobin on Oct 30, 2007 15:25:16 GMT -5
Alan-Alison and I went to the co-op store today. I guess you had taken them some chard and maybe mustard greens? They had a 'local product' sign on those two items. Out of all the produce, I only saw those two things that were locally grown. The rest was from California. Somebody is really missing the point. Anyway, there was plenty of staff. More staff than customers. The 'salad bar' was pathetic. $20 dollars for a 4.5# bag of cat food. We walked in, walked out. There is more organic produce at our local JayC store. I give it 6 months, tops.
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Post by Alan on Oct 30, 2007 23:03:46 GMT -5
Yep, that's pretty much it Karen, remember me telling you about them "not having time" for the turnip greens? I took them cheese pumkins, turnips, turnip greens, and mustard kale, oh yeah, I contacted them today about the fact that I now have leaf lettuce, mesclun mix micro greens (and full sized cooking greens), green tomatoes, and turnips and was told that they will contact me when they need something. We will see how it goes, but as of right now I am not terribly impressed, that's ok, im thinking you and I can do some great business there at your place on the highway next summer and I am really looking forward to working with you! Your friend, Alan
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Post by plantsnobin on Nov 6, 2007 20:02:48 GMT -5
Hey Alan, todays paper had an article about the co-op, they had Bishop's Produce listed as a supplier. So, if anyone reads it, at least you got a little bit of publicity.
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Post by Alan on Nov 6, 2007 23:42:41 GMT -5
Right on, they could have at least got the name right though, it's not like they don't have 7,000 of my business cards! If you don't mind, hold on to that article for me because I would like to check it out! Thanks so much karen. -alan
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