On Friday and Saturday, the 15th and 16th of February, the UC Cooperative extension here in Auburn will be hosting a Marketing Academy which will cover topics ranging from increasing sales at farmers’ markets, to learning about wholesale marketing.
The first workshop (Friday, February 15th, 1-4 PM) will focus on using health and nutritional information as marketing tools to help boost product sales. In the past several months, we at UCCE have been producing nutritional cards for various crops, and distributing them when we do tastings at farmers’ markets. We have seen a tremendous response to this type of marketing and education, and want to ensure that farmers learn about this process and how to incorporate it into their sales operations.
We will kick off Saturday, February 16th (8-Noon), with a workshop about increasing sales at farmers markets. So much of this has to do with relationship building, creating a visually appealing stall, and, of course, brining your best product to market. Most farm operations can always do better in one or more of these aspects, and many farms can improve in all three. This workshop will give practical tips and tricks to help boost those sales.
To conclude the Marketing Academy, on Saturday the 16th (1-5PM), we will have a workshop entitled “How to Break into Wholesale.” This workshop will provide information for growers new to wholesale, as well as for those with some experience with wholesale sales. Farmers markets, as we all know, each have a limit in the volume of sales. Wholesale venues give access to larger markets and the potential for a greater volume of sales. For some operations, wholesale marketing is the key to becoming financially viable. At this workshop, farmers will learn the “ins and outs” of selling to several wholesale buyers, who range from a small local grocery store, to a wholesale distributor.
The importance of marketing in a farming operation should not be understated. Any farm depends as much upon production as it does upon marketing. From choosing an appropriate display for a farmers’ market, to deciding whether or not to engage in wholesale marketing, these decisions have profound effects on the viability of a farming operation.
Come and learn more about marketing and ways to improve your strategies for the impending farming year. For more information and to register for these workshops, click here: http://ucanr.org/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/?calitem=180483&g=22527