Canada: Test marketing through farmers markets
“The opportunity to get feedback directly from your customers is invaluable for Ag-entrepreneurs starting a new venture,” says Kathy Leskow of Confetti Sweets. “You just can’t replace that face to face interaction when you are starting out.” Over the past six years, Kathy has successfully grown her gourmet cookie business from one farmers market to seven and recently opened a retail location in Sherwood Park.
Johwanna Alleyne also recently made the leap into the retail market with her Mojo Jojo pickles, which are now available through Save-On Foods. For her, the experience she gained through farmers markets helped with the transition to retail sales “I already knew people liked my product. Testing your product at a farmers market makes you very sure of your market.”
Alleyne says that you can spend a lot of money and time attending a food show or doing market research, or you can spend one day in a farmers market seeing first-hand how people respond to your product. “The market is an amazing experiment where 2000 times on a Saturday you get face-to-face interaction with people trying your product,” she says. “That immediate feedback has been a key component to my success with Mojo Jojo pickles. Hearing from customers first hand has allowed me to capitalize on food trends like ‘heat seeking’ and ‘extreme food tasting’ with spicy new pickle flavours.”
“In addition to providing a great test marketing opportunity, farmers markets provide additional benefits to Ag-entrepreneurs,” says Christine Anderson, new venture specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Stony Plain. “These include insights into who your competition is, the ability to build a loyal customer base, and the networking and mentorship opportunities that come with being part of the vendor community.”
“Farmers markets are also a wonderful way for producers to test new recipes, determine successful pricing points, and to find out what consumers really want. With 135 farmers’ markets to choose from across the province, Ag-entrepreneurs have a valuable resource right at their doorstep. The demand for local food is growing rapidly, with approximately 72 per cent of Alberta households spending an average of $671 annually at farmers markets. In fact, since 2004, sales at farmers markets have more than tripled to $724 million in annual sales.”
For more information, call the Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276) and ask to speak to a new venture specialist.
Contact:
Christine Anderson
T: 780-968-3510780-968-3510
Source: agric.gov.ab.ca