If you own a farm, and you want to sell your wares effectively, it is a good idea to host a farmer’s market in your area. By having a farmer’s market, you will be able to make an event of your harvest. You might also be able to form good relationships with farmers in your community
If things turn out well, you and the other farmers might even be able to make it a weekly event. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First things first, we should first have a plan. Here are 7 key tips for hosting a farmer’s market.
1. Have The Whole Community Involved
If you want your farmer’s market to do well, it is imperative that you have the whole community involved. Remember that a farmer’s market usually consists of a large gathering of farmers. If you’re the only one selling in the farmer’s market, you will most likely not attract as many visitors, as you would if you had your fellow farmers help out. By having the rest of your farming community help you will no longer need to work or market too hard.
2. Organize Your Products
Before you start setting up the booths, and other attractions it is imperative that you have all your products organized. Remember that when the farmer’s market begins, you will no longer have the luxury of time to get your products organized. So before you open the farmer’s market, it is very important that you have a meeting with the other farmers, and declare what products you will be selling.
This might seem like a tedious process, however, you should remember that you will be selling tons and tons of vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat products. If you are not as organized as possible, you’ll be surprised at how chaotic as possible. Some of the products might get mixed up during the farmer’s market. Overall, it is a good idea to meet up with all the farmers taking part in the event, and have a mass inventory of all the products present.
3. Have Booths At The Ready
If you are going to make the farmer’s market as legit as possible, you should make sure that you utilize proper booths. Remember that this is a farmer’s market, and not just a roadside market. As such, it is important that you and the other farmers invest in booths. They are important because they not only make the farmer’s market look more aesthetically pleasing, they are also great platforms to display your products for potential customers.
While you could build your own booths, it might not be a good idea. Remember that not all the people who take part in the event are good at woodworking. So even if your booth looks great, and is as stable as possible, there is still a chance that the other booths are not as aesthetically pleasing as yours. Even worse, they might not even be stable, and could accidentally fall over. There is also the fact that if different farming families create their own version of booths, then there would be no uniformity in your farmer’s market.
Luckily, there are companies such as Aplus that create top-quality booths. They are highly durable, adaptable, and customizable. They offer 20×20 trade show displays that will allow you to show off all your products, click here for more info. As a whole, it is best if all the farmers taking part in the farmer’s market purchase all their booths from the same company for the sake of uniformity and quality.
4. Make Sure All Your Wares Are Up To Standard
Aside from using booths, it is also important that all your wares are up to standard. Remember that your main aim is to make the farmer’s market into a regular event. However, all it takes is a bad order of vegetables or meat that has gone bad to ruin your farmer’s market’s reputation. So make it a habit to double-check all your wares, and dispose of any sub-par products. It is better to throw away a few kilos of produce, than to sell it, and gain a bad reputation in the process.
5. Practice Cleanliness
When you organize a farmer’s market, it is very important that you practice cleanliness. Remember that aside from the produce, you will also be selling livestock. So if you are not careful, there is a chance that the area will get dirty. So it is imperative that you designate someone to clean up fruit or vegetable peelings. If some of the farmers are selling live poultry or livestock, then they should clean up any droppings or gruff that the animals might have left behind. As a whole, it is very important that everyone cleans up after themselves.
6. Market The Event Effectively
Although this is a local event, this does not mean that you should limit your marketing range. In fact, you should spread the news as much as possible. Remember that the more visitors that drop by, the more chances you will have of selling more of your products. You should set up a website for your farmer’s market. It is also a good idea to market it through social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
7. Hold Multiple Events
Aside from selling your products, it is also a good idea to hold multiple events during the farmer’s market. These events could come in the form of contests, raffles or scavenger hunts. You could also hold bake-offs and pie-eating contests. Overall, the more festive your farmer’s market, the better.
Conclusion
If you are a farmer, and you want to sell your crops, you should host a farmer’s market in your area. It is not only an effective way to sell your work, it is also capable of fostering good relations with the farmers in your community. With these tips, you’ll be able to host a truly successful farmer’s market.
