farm shop

[jacksimp939]

Hi everyone, im just wondering about your thoughts, so im a farmer and i want to diversify, sell my own produce, i was thinking of setting up a farm shop, but delivering produce within the hour to my local town residents, using an app. What do you think the hurdles to this would be and do you think this is a good idea? I know produce is perishable we would ideally want to keep meat and fruit and veg for 2 days. Which means we would aim for sell out, im thinking this would keep momentum as id broadcast we have sold out.

 

[fisicx]

It could work. But there is a lot of startup costs involved. Far cheaper to buy a shed and stack up the produce so people can pick and pay.

Or negotiate to supply the local farm shops and garden centres.

 

[DoolallyTap]

Learn about farm shops by watching Clarkson's Farm

 

[IanSuth]

Why do you think an app will be better than a website ?

It is hard now (i think) to get people to download "yet another app"

At the end of the day you are really trying to recreate the 1970's village shop - when i was a toddler my mum used to deliver for the local shop in a little daf van, they sold the basic staples (tea, beans etc) plus meat from a local farm that made it's own sausages etc and veg from local suppliers. She also had to carry the ledger book and take settlement of peoples bills.

Maybe that is an angle to aim at "we aren't trying to compete with supermarkets - we are the local shop you had 50 years ago just running in a modern way"

 

[Mark T Jones]

I do a bit of work with farm shops, including being a member of their professional association.

Overall, I'd say they aren't big innovators but prefer traditional ways.

Here are a few areas for consideration (without personally knowing the answers):

• Cost and practicality of developing and maintaining the app.
• Marketing - that will be your biggie - your average farm shop relies on a mix of becoming a destination & impulse / drive-by visits. You are basically going for a totally different segment. They also rely heavily on impulse & upsell, which is tough with an app.
• Drivers. (No idea where you are, but in my area drivers are getting £18 per hour, & they're still struggling to recruit).
• Stock control & fulfilment.

Like I say, I don't have answers, but that might help you put some thoughts together.

 

[UKSBD]

Do the traditional farm shops that sell their own local produce make money?

All of the ones around here that started off as what I would call a local farm shop are now more like gift shops and day out places.

They used to mainly sell local produce, nowadays it's just expensive jars of everything, expensive gifts, expensive imported fruit and veg, etc.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Learn about farm shops by watching Clarkson's Farm

That's not what happens here
If Basher Bale tweets that his shop is open two people might turn up not 2000 people because his famous mates retweeted it

The OP will tell you that Clarksons Farm is not proper farming

 

[StevensOnln1]

Have you considered giving customers the option to order online for delivery on one or more days/evenings each week, rather than offering delivery within an hour? Offer free delivery subject to a minimum spend and you'll probably start to get regular orders. Have you spoken to any local pubs and restaurants about supplying them direct from your farm?

Clarkson's Farm may not show the reality of running a farm shop, but he is good at highlighting a lot of the issues that farmers face.

 

[HFE Signs]

If you set up a farm shop and do it well, you can make a fortune, I know of one that started small and kept re-investing, now they have coach trips turning up! I don't know much about farming but I know these guys well and they buy loads of Banners & Flags from us - so hopefully we can help you too