Farmers’ Market: Marketing at the Market
Few members of the Presque Isle Farmers Market rely solely on the Market to sell their wares. Several operate farm stands, have at least some crops available as a pick-your-own, or wholesale through other retail facilities. Some use USPS, Fedex, or UPS to ship nonperishable, value-added products all over the United States. At least one member has a weekly local delivery route. Almost all greet customers in their dooryard as well, since farmers seem to live what they love and their work is right out the back door of their home. Most commonly, they have a dog or two in charge of “meet and greet” with times of day and days of the week when arriving customers can count on human assistance (the dogs mean well, but struggle with bagging the groceries and counting change).
The biggest difference between Stokdijk Farm & Greenhouse in New Sweden compared to other Market members is the way their customers pay for the vegetables, planters, transplants, and hanging baskets that they buy. Kim and Tim Stokdijk have been offering the opportunity to buy into their CSA since 2008. The premise is very simple and is appreciated by a steadily increasing number of regular customers.
It is a draw-down program sort of like a combined gift certificate and discount card. A shareholder makes purchases at a discounted price and the value of the fresh farm offerings is subtracted from the value of the CSA card. A full share purchased in the spring and early summer for $275 entitles the purchaser to a 10 percent discount. So the shareholder can get $275 worth of goods for less than $250, a really good deal! Or a half-share purchased any time during the season (May through October) brings a 5 percent discount.
More to the point, however, a walk through the greenhouse or a visit to their website (www.stokdijkfarm.com) makes it clear that Tim Stokdijk is enthused by both quality and selection — they currently list 16 varieties of tomato transplants and those are only a small portion of plants and produce available! Thus, a savy buyer can ensure a steady supply of an almost ridiculous number of good things to eat, plant, or admire in bloom simply by making a phone call to give the farm owners a 24-hour warning that s/he is coming to pick up selections made by the customer (no 55 gallon drum of shedded cabbages for sauerkraut unless that is what is desired!).
The most enjoyable method of investigating this concept as well as to admire and purchase wares from the farm might be to stop by the Presque Isle Farmers Market on Saturday morning in the Aroostook Centre Mall and allow Kim to explain their marketing plan.
Editor’s note: This weekly column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information or to join, contact their secretary/treasurer Steve Miller of Westmanland at 896-5860 or via e-mail at beetree@xpressamerica.net
