Opportunities - FreshLocalWNY.org
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Transcript Opportunities - FreshLocalWNY.org
Growing Our Regional Farmers Markets
Assessing Strengths and Opportunities
Our Goal for Today
Look for ways that we can improve:
Our farmers markets
Consumer demand for local food
Farmer revenue
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
SWOT Analysis
An insightful look at our environment and within our own
organizations as a means to assess our business or program
Helps with all sorts of decision-making:
Marketing
New programs and services
Expansion/growth
Mergers
New products
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
We’ll look at:
Internal Strengths and Weaknesses
Financial, physical, human resources and current processes
External Threats and Opportunities
Market and economic trends, funding, demographics
Strengths
Weaknesses
Threats
Opportunities
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Rules of the Game
This is a team process!
All comments are welcome
and valid
Everyone should feel free
to comment without
concern for criticism
Must be brutally honest
with ourselves when
looking at internal factors
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Strengths:
What do you have within your markets that will help you to build a strong market and grow
customer demand for local?
Vendors cooperate with each other/comaradere
Loyal customer base
Vendor diversity
Product quality
Location, location, location (ease of access, parking, visibility)
Community support/ customer word-of-mouth
Value-added attractions (take away food, seating, entertainment)
Appeal for younger demographic
Educational opportunities/lectures/demonstrations/vendor-customer interaction/ product use demonstrations/tastings/Zumba
classes
Good general market advertising
Restrooms nearby/available
Volunteers
EBT program/SNAP
Winter market
Shuttle service for seniors/coupons for products
Seneca Nation posts community market day/time on website
Seneca Nation supports market through health/diabetes initiative
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Weaknesses:
What are the challenges you face as an individual market?
Parking challenges (lacking, proximity)
How to increase customer base?
Health/benefit coupons – too confusing for vendors, customers redeem all at once, not enough vendors participate
Market sponsor lacks funds to promote, grow market
Spotty vendor commitment/pack up early
Market needs a sponsor org./independent manager
Multiple location moves at discretion of sponsor/challenge to building customer base/ lack of permanency
Sponsor not connected to market mission/needs/centralized decision making
Over regulation/top-down management/disengage vendors/management org not available when needed/ no emergency plan
Not enough marketing/advertising/need a marketing plan/ sign “blind”
Vendors are managers - managers are vendors / no independent manager/manager not available
Politics trump market mission
Align market hours to meet customer traffic/challenge to determine best time slots for farmers & customers
Market mgr. does not have impact info: economic, multiplier, vendor sales, customer traffic count, surveys
Not enough vendor/product diversity = low customer traffic
Not enough farmers to populate the market/farmers aging out
Not a “one stop” shopping experience/how to differentiate between big box retail & farmers markets and build value
Competing community activity/could not capitalize on community music night
No networking with other markets/market managers/sponsors/state-wide conference
Market not matched to community demographics
Not enough additional physical space available to grow
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Threats (challenges):
What are the challenges you face within your local community to get support for farmers markets and
local food purchasing?
Beyond your local community that impact your success?
Food Safety Mod. Act – comments by 11/15 (use Federation as resource)
Lack of public/private transportation/accessibility
Customers bring animals/pets to market
Managers need to stay apprised health/safety regs and enforcement – overwhelming; state AgMarkets not available when
needed/ County-level regs not same across region
Socioeconomic challenges in community/ declining population = declining customer base
Changes in municipal administration
Consumer ed on food terms: organic, cert. naturally grown, local, - what does this all mean?
Seasonality education – we are not a supermarket/how to educate and build value
Build community – market – neighbor relations
Proprietary nature among growers and markets
Value priorities – consumers and ag/food producers
Integrity issues – defining “local” and producer grown/made
Sponsor not aligned with mission/purpose of farmers/vendors
WIC/Veg Fruit Check program – difficult to participate/not farmer friendly/ not bank friendly/ not aligned with seasonal
availability
EBT processing cumbersome /IRS reporting big burden
Lack of farmland/sprawl/land use regs/lack of community facilities /washrooms
Parking – lack of, not close proximity to market
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Opportunities:
What exists in the community that can help you to grow your market and build the demand for
local food?
Beyond your local community?
“Grow a Farmer” program
Markets/managers are ambassadors for agriculture
Local food culture/small business supporters
EBT/WIC bring in add’l customers & serves at-risk community /breaks stigma of public benefit
recipient
Health/community health sector looking to partner with farmers markets / higher-ed partnerships –
interns doing studies, surveys, assessments
Grants available: USDA/NYS Dept Ag & Markets, community foundations
Social media creates new opportunities for diversifying customer base
Old school marketing still works (direct mail)/coupons / loyalty card program / customer loyalty
card raffle / loyalty cards provide tracking mechanism
Municipal host makes market easy to operate (very accommodating)
Set up fees generally affordable but vary widely between markets/confusing for vendors
Cross-marketing opportunities among markets/serves customers needs
Opportunities for community building/good will/ example: gleaning program
New payment methods/”smart phone” - Federation has resources to help with this
Online ordering models / mobile market vehicle
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
What would we like to accomplish for
our markets?
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Using our analysis, how can we
accomplish these goals?
What relationships do we need to make
What tools do we need to acquire
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com
Thank you!
We hope you enjoyed our presentation.
Farmers Market Federation
117 Highbridge St, Suite U3
Fayetteville, NY 13066
(315) 637 – 4690
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com