Our first attempt at a local farmers market. Hosting at a friends farm. We are expediting close to 1000 people 🫶🏻. (Don’t worry, lots of other vendors)
I had eggs (duck and chicken). Garlic, pesto, zucchini, kale, blueberries, blackberries, beans, tromboncino, toy tractors, and some other things 😊
I am trying to find local farmers in my area. For fresh vegetables, eggs and honey. No luck till now. If anyone has any recommendations or knows farmers selling in Western WA. Please let me know.
Eaudebeau
This is terrific!
I would like to THROW money at you for some duck eggs, zucchini and berries, please!
obsessedchickens21
This is how my son and I started our small egg operation. It paid off. We now supply eggs to a group of restaurants. We haven’t done a farmers market since 2017. Hopefully, like us, you’ll meet local chefs.
skark_burmer
You better have a lot more bananas for 1000 people! 🙂 Edit, yes I know they are not bananas.
jaylotw
I’m an organic produce farmer, and all of our income is derived from markets and a small CSA.
One thing I recommend right off the bat seeing your setup is to go vertical. Don’t just lay it on a table, stack crates, make stacking shelves, create a display that is not just a table with produce on it. This will differentiate you from the others.
The other thing…and this is the downfall of almost every new farmer we see…CHARGE REAL PRICES FOR YOUR STUFF!!! For God’s sake, you worked to grow it, bring it to market…don’t just give it away in an effort to attract customers or feel good that you sold something…and then they find themselves broke and quitting the farm business because they don’t make money.
Granted, we’re certified organic so we can charge more, but the amount of people we see charging a dollar or two for items that can easily fetch twice that is pretty sad.
$5 for *two pounds of blueberries?* No. $12. A pound goes for $5 *in the fucking grocery store.* People aren’t coming to a Farmer’s Market to save money, they’re coming to support their local farmers. Why are you giving your hard work away for half the price of the grocery store? Why go through the trouble?
Garlic should be rock bottom $2 a bulb. Hopefully you’re getting at least that.
mihaisdlc
That table is way too nice to be outdoors. Good luck, hope you sell everything.
Vindaloo6363
How do you deal with blueberry maggots or do you just not have them? I have about 6 acres of blueberries no longer farmed and they are very maggoty. I’m in a big blueberry area. I’ve been told the no spray organic growers around here just sell them with the maggot. I just pick the early varieties before the flies come.
tapefactoryslave
8 dollars a dozen for eggs?
Femveratu
I’d back the truck up for those blue berries!
city_druid
I don’t understand the use of the word expediting here, what does that mean?
actualsysadmin
Do people really pay $8/dozen for eggs?
I just get a 24 pack from Sam’s for like $8
False3quivalency
Good luck, I hope it goes well
SeasonedIdiot
Nice! Those tractors look awesome! How much are you selling them for?
epilp123
This is fun for the family!
We do animal swaps now and the shops are very similar. Make a brand for yourself. As said charge real prices and don’t undersell yourself. Find your niche and focus helps with producing. Think of your tent/vendor space like a storefront.
Our situation here is we sold turkeys and people bought them faster than we could make them. Chickens and other common animals around here people were not buying as much. So we focused on turkeys. We are a few years in now and most farm decisions center around we sell turkeys… we also sell ourselves that we are attempting a sustainable lifestyle so we offer som other stuff too but we don’t bank on that. This year we might do some farmers markets too.
Either way this is real fun and you are a business when you do it. You are a bring which is both you and your product (your setup too). Have fun with it and help spread the love of self sustainable living.
15 Comments
Good luck.
Off topic.
I am trying to find local farmers in my area. For fresh vegetables, eggs and honey. No luck till now. If anyone has any recommendations or knows farmers selling in Western WA. Please let me know.
This is terrific!
I would like to THROW money at you for some duck eggs, zucchini and berries, please!
This is how my son and I started our small egg operation. It paid off. We now supply eggs to a group of restaurants. We haven’t done a farmers market since 2017. Hopefully, like us, you’ll meet local chefs.
You better have a lot more bananas for 1000 people! 🙂
Edit, yes I know they are not bananas.
I’m an organic produce farmer, and all of our income is derived from markets and a small CSA.
One thing I recommend right off the bat seeing your setup is to go vertical. Don’t just lay it on a table, stack crates, make stacking shelves, create a display that is not just a table with produce on it. This will differentiate you from the others.
The other thing…and this is the downfall of almost every new farmer we see…CHARGE REAL PRICES FOR YOUR STUFF!!! For God’s sake, you worked to grow it, bring it to market…don’t just give it away in an effort to attract customers or feel good that you sold something…and then they find themselves broke and quitting the farm business because they don’t make money.
Granted, we’re certified organic so we can charge more, but the amount of people we see charging a dollar or two for items that can easily fetch twice that is pretty sad.
$5 for *two pounds of blueberries?* No. $12. A pound goes for $5 *in the fucking grocery store.* People aren’t coming to a Farmer’s Market to save money, they’re coming to support their local farmers. Why are you giving your hard work away for half the price of the grocery store? Why go through the trouble?
Garlic should be rock bottom $2 a bulb. Hopefully you’re getting at least that.
That table is way too nice to be outdoors.
Good luck, hope you sell everything.
How do you deal with blueberry maggots or do you just not have them? I have about 6 acres of blueberries no longer farmed and they are very maggoty. I’m in a big blueberry area. I’ve been told the no spray organic growers around here just sell them with the maggot. I just pick the early varieties before the flies come.
8 dollars a dozen for eggs?
I’d back the truck up for those blue berries!
I don’t understand the use of the word expediting here, what does that mean?
Do people really pay $8/dozen for eggs?
I just get a 24 pack from Sam’s for like $8
Good luck, I hope it goes well
Nice! Those tractors look awesome! How much are you selling them for?
This is fun for the family!
We do animal swaps now and the shops are very similar. Make a brand for yourself. As said charge real prices and don’t undersell yourself. Find your niche and focus helps with producing. Think of your tent/vendor space like a storefront.
Our situation here is we sold turkeys and people bought them faster than we could make them. Chickens and other common animals around here people were not buying as much. So we focused on turkeys. We are a few years in now and most farm decisions center around we sell turkeys… we also sell ourselves that we are attempting a sustainable lifestyle so we offer som other stuff too but we don’t bank on that. This year we might do some farmers markets too.
Either way this is real fun and you are a business when you do it. You are a bring which is both you and your product (your setup too). Have fun with it and help spread the love of self sustainable living.
So…how’s it going