Fresh Facts September 2013

7/29/2019 Fresh Facts September 2013

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Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Newsletter #290September 2013

Volume 28, Number 7

Fresh Facts

Inside this issue:

Membership News 2

Using Twitter on the

Farm3

No Room for the

Tractor4

Tips for Building a

Local Brand6

New OMAF Re-

source7

Upcoming

Events8

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

The Cost of Innovative Ideasby Cathy Bartolic

This August marks the beginning of my tenth year at Ontario Farm Fresh. Where has the timegone? Ill chalk it up to the saying, time flies when you are having fun and it has been a fun filleddecade. I have met some of the most positive, enthusiastic people in the agricultural industry notonly in Ontario but from around the world.One of the best parts of my job is the opportunity to go visit on-farm markets and direct marketingbusinesses. I cant tell you how many times, I have stopped somewhere and thought (sometimesout loud), that is really cool! I try to take a picture because I know it is a great idea that needs tobe shared. I feel I have fallen down a little on the execution of this final phase of actually sharing

these cool ideas and have committed to changing that during this year; starting with this newslet-ter and these pictures. If you have anything you would like tothrow into the mix, feel free. It only takes a little spark to getthe bon fire going.

Peach PrincessKar-Dean Farms wants people to remember where theybought their peaches when they go home from the NathanPhillips Square Farmers Market. Who can forget buyingthem from a peach princess? Cost of this idea..$2.99 fora toy tiara.

Free-range tomatoes

Ryan and Shantel Bosgoed own Bosgoed Farm near TurkeyPoint. Last year they dubbed one of their tomatoes as free-range tomatoes. Customers lined up at the roadside standwaiting for the next delivery from the field. Clearly you wouldhave to have a list of the tomato characteristics that led to

that particular variety being free-range but that is doable. Cost ..3 bottles of wine and somefriends to throw around interesting name ideas.

Thatcher Welcome SignHave you got an old door that you are just notsure what to do with. How about turning it into awelcome sign for the farm? With blackboardpaint, you can turn just about anything into achalkboard these days. Chalkboards are handybecause you can easily change the message asoften as you want or need to. Cost ofsign..$6.99 for a can of blackboard paint fromyour local hardware store.

Posters on the bathroom doorBarrie Hill Farms knows how to get your atten-tion. They have a captive audience when they put posters on the inside of the bathroom doors.So much so that some of the posters have disappeared when their customers liked what theysaw. Cost..plastic protector sheets for the pages printed on your computer.


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MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Page 2 Fresh Facts

ClassifiedsFOR SALE: Delhaven Orchards Ltd.,

Blenheim, ON

frozen, pitted sour cherriesavailable for wholesale and retail

Call 519-676-4475 or

e-mail [email protected]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WANTED:apeoplemover,ifyouhave

oneforsale,contactJamesat

RichardsonsFarm&Market,email:

[email protected]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOR SALE: Jakemans Maple Farm

have maple syrup products for you.Choose from an array of fast mov-

ing, proven sellers. Choose from our

famous maple cream cookies, ma-

ple icewine syrup, maple popcorn,

tea coffee and 75 other products

presented with retailers in mind.

Build your maple display around

strong visible branded products.

Call 1-800-382-9795, fax 519-421-

2469 or e-mail

[email protected]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FORSALE:ministrawbales

(12"x10"x24")$1.75each,pickedupat

ourShantzFamilyFarm,contactKevin

Shantz5196345252or

[email protected],these

balesusuallyretailfor$4.00$5.00.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FOR SALE: Frozen RaspberriesFrozen in 20lb pails, Nova and Polka

varieties, prices FOB Simcoe, ON.Price is $1.50/lbContact John Cooper, Berry TymeFruit Inc., Simcoe, ON 519-426-3099, e-mail: [email protected]

The Classifieds are for members who are sellinga product or are looking for something specific.There is no charge for a member to list a classi-

fied ad. Just send your ad to the OFFMA office.

Welcome to our new members. Looking for-ward to meeting you in person at an eventsoon.

New MembersMcCamus Farms

Brad McCamusCavan, ON705-944-7009Brad knows his maple syrup. They havebeen tapping trees for years but only recentlydecided to get into direct marketing their syr-up. Besides maple syrup, McCamus Farmssells maple candies, maple butter and maplesugar.

Kent Creek OrchardFrank & Natalie HahnSimcoe, ON519-426-6148Kent Creek Orchard is an apple farm that isexpanding and adding crops and products.Presently, they offer apples, glads, soaps,honey, herbs and lavender.

Business MemberCC CreationsCathy CaufinWoodbridge, ON905-850-2010CCs Creations was created from scratch,using all the ingredients necessary to estab-lish a unique pastry shop. Cathy uses local

fruits for her flans and pies to present mouthwatering pastries for her customers.

Attention CSA Farmers

Do you operate a CSA on your farm?

Are you listed on the OFFMA website as

a CSA? The office gets calls on a regularbasis from people looking to support a

CSA, make sure we know about your

business.Small Farm Central will be doing a Free

Webinar on CSA Member retention andeducation in October.Go to SmallFarmCentral.com/webinar

for more information.

OFFMA will be at the Royal Agricultural

Winter Fair in November. If you have any

farm brochures you would like distributed

at the Royal, send them to the OFFMA

office before October 31st.


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Page 3Newsletter #290

Assmallbusinessesintheagriculturalindus

tryitgoeswithoutsayingthatwedontoen

havealotofextra me.Werebusy sobusy

thatsomemeswehavetoletwhatwethinkarelilethingsslipbecausewejustdont

havethe meortheenergyforanythingelse.

WhenIfirstheardabouttwierIthoughtit

wasawasteofmy meandenergy.Itwas

justanotherthingthatIdidntneedtotry

tofitintojampackeddaysthathadnoextra

room.Then,Ijoinedtwierandmylife

changed.Ourfarmslifechanged.

Ourphilosophyhas

beentotreattwier

asifitsavirtualparty

whereeveryoneisinvitedandyoucan

comeandgoasyou

please spendingas

muchoraslile me

aswehaveatthemo

menttodedicatetoit

andnotjusttalking

aboutthebusiness.

Whenacustomerwho

wasfollowingus

tweetedabouthow

excitedshewastobepackingherbagstogotoRome IrespondedIloveRome..itsbeau

ful!Haveanamazing me! whichiscom

pletelytrueandexactlywhatIwouldhave

saidifIhadrunintoherataparty.Ithad

nothingtodowiththefarm,andwassaid

purelybecauseIreallyhonestlywishedhera

good me.Herresponse?Thanks!Soexcit

ed!Icantwaittogetsomeofyourstrawber

rieswhenImback!!Byengaginginaconver

saoninsteadofsimplyspeakingtoanaudi

enceweareabletocreateabuzzaroundour

business

that

is

genuine

and

infec

ous.

Social

mediahastheabilitytobringfarmsintothe

forefrontofthemindsofthepublicwhichis

byfarthemostpowerfulandeffecveadver

singwecanaskfor.

BeforeIstartedreallyembracingsocialmedia

Ididntseethepoint.Ittookuptoomuch

me(buttrustme itreallydoesntHAVEto!)

andseemedpointless whywouldpeople

carewhatIhadtosay?

Turnsout?Itsnotjustaboutwhatyouresay

ing.Yes thatsimportant.Youcanuseso

cialmediatogetyourpointacross.Totella

story.Totellfactualinformaon butthe

mostpowerfulwayitcanbeusedisbyengagingpeople.Talkingtopeople.Havinga

conversaon.Starngthatconversaon

evenifitfeelsuncomfortableorsillyatfirst.

Peoplearetalkedatalldaylong...withads

onthetv,theradio,andamillionother

places theydontwanttobetalkedat

theywanttobelistenedto,acknowledged

andheard;theywanttobepartofthecon

versaonandthey

wanttobepartof

yourfarmbecause

itsimportanttothemandtheirfam

ily.Thatswhythey

keepcomingback

andthatswhythey

followyouonsocial

mediaandwhyyou

shouldfollowthem.

Peoplearemuch

morelikelytotake

avestedinterestin

youifyoutakeone

inthem likejustaboutanythinginlife...itsatwowaystreet.

Usingsocialmediaaspartofyourbusiness

canhelptotellyoumoreaboutwhatcus

tomerslike,whattheydont,whatthey

wantoutofthefarmexperience,whatthey

wantoutoflife whichcanhelpustomake

ourbusinessesbeerandourfarmsbeer

forus,forthem,foreveryone.

Basically,socialmediawillletyoulookinto

thewindowsofyourcustomerslivessothat

youcangettoknowthemwithoutACTUAL

LY

having

to

go

door

to

door

looking

in

win

dows whichtobequitefrank wouldbea

lilebitcreepy.NottomenonthatI dont

thinkANYofushavethe meforthat.So

cialmediasoundsaheckofaloteasier!

EringrewuponMcLeanBerryFarminLake

field.ShelethefarmtogotoUniversityand

themtoTeachersCollege.Erinisnowback

andlovestouseonlinetoolslikeTwierto

shareherfamilysprogressonthefarm.

Using Twier on the FarmByErinMcLean,McLeanBerryFarm


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Page 4 Fresh Facts

No Room for the TractorBy Cathy Bartolic

Mark and Cindy Gerber started theirsuccessful business, Oakridge AcresCountry Meat Store, 9 years ago witha freezer in their garage. Today theyhave a 3,000 square foot building thatincludes a certified kitchen.

In 1996, Mark and Cindy moved to thefamily farm after Cindys dad passedaway. They didnt have a detailedplan but knew they wanted to raiseBlack Angus breeding stock. Theyboth had off-farm jobs and initiallythought it would be a good idea tokeep those jobs until they worked out exact-ly what they were going to grow on the farm

and how they were going to market it.

In 2003, with a plan in place, they both quittheir jobs to focus their attentions on thefarm. A month later, mad cow disease hitand the breeding stock that they were plan-ning to sell for $3,000 was worth $300. Itwas a devastating time. They eventually de-cided to sell their herd as freezer beef. Theyhad always grown their own crops and didnot use sprays so they were confident aboutwhat the cattle had been eating.

In 2008, they needed more room and madethe leap to build a building. They tried tobuild as big as possible and had joked aboutusing the space to display an antique tractorin the middle of the shop. There is no roomfor the tractor now. They soon learned thatpeople were interested in buying more thanjust angus beef. The shop is full of not onlytheir own products but also products fromapproximately 40 other farmers. Ninety per-

cent of whichare within 50kilometers of

the store.

Not only isthere no roomfor the tractorbut there areother thingsthey wouldchange if theyhad to do itover again.The employee

lunchroom is lacking mainly because theydidnt think they would have 10 employeesat this point. They would have also donetheir kitchen differently. (See Jessica Ger-bers article on the next page.)

When asked what they attribute their suc-cess to, Cindy has very specific answers.

1. Invest in your website/social media

The Gerbers have invested heavily in theirwebsite. It is done professionally. It is easyto navigate and very informative with lots ofpictures that depict the farm. Their daughterJessica is the social media person. She pro-motes the farm on Twitter and Facebook.

2. Listen to your customerAlmost 80 percent of the Gerbers customersare local but others travel from as far awayas Toronto. They know this because they tryto ask everyone verbally where they camefrom and how they heard about their store.They offer vegan entrees because their cus-tomers asked for them, even though theystarted out as a meat store.

3. Differentiate your product

Mark remembers getting meat wrapped inbutcher paper when he was a child. He wastold he could not sell meat in butcher paperbut he does and he can show that you get abetter product than meat that has beensealed in plastic.

4. Work with your neighbours

The Gerbers recognized from the start thatthey could not and did not want to groweverything that their customers were lookingto buy at the store. They found neighbour-

Oakridge Acres Farm Marketfront entrance

Frozen soups available from the upright freezer


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Page 5Newsletter #290

ing farmers who wanted to supply themwith products. These farmers are featuredin their store and once a year at their Sat-urday Open House where suppliers areinvited to set up a table at the farm andmeet the people who have been buying

their products.

Jessica is now running a garden centrefrom the farm as well as working in thestore. Son, Ben, is eager to get more in-volved as well, once he finishes his studiesat Waterloo University. The fact that bothkids want to be involved in the business isall the more encouraging for their parents,who just shake their heads when they

think of where they started less than adecade ago.

They still have the antique tractor but itis in the shed. The Gerbers may need toconsider another building to be able todisplay it.

Doing it different the second time

aroundBy Jessica Gerber - Oakridge Acres Coun-

try Meat Store

Here at Oakridge Acres we run a

certified kitchen Monday through Friday

making a line of signature dinner entrees, gourmet soups, meat pies, quiches, fruit

pies and a line of butter tarts. We built our current store (40 x 80), which includes

the kitchen, 4 years ago. When our kitchen first opened, we had 1 employee. Our

kitchen is 16 x 16. A full countertop covers one wall and another wall has a counter-

top with a dual sink in it and both of these walls have cupboards above and below. A

third wall is taken up by our propane 6 burner stovetop/oven and a convection oven.

The final wall is reserved for a hand washing station (one smaller sink). The floor is

painted concrete. We have 4 heavy rubber mats on the work area to help cushion our

employees feet.

We were excited and pleased with our kitchen when it was first completed.

Now 4 years later, we have out grown it. Of all the components in the kitchen, only

our arborite countertops need to be replaced soon. With constant washing and disin-

fecting the countertop is starting to warp in areas. Our cupboards are holding up but

there is not nearly enough room for storing our pots (which actually dont fit in these

cupboards), pans, cooking ingredients and other items.

If we were starting over again we would build a larger, more industrial kitch-

en. We would install all stainless steel countertops. It is much easier to keep clean

and it just lasts so much longer. A countertop with shelving underneath would work

well. Cupboards dont work. Our big pots and pans dont fit in them. Open shelves

without doors or dividers would be much more workable. A moveable countertop

would be a must as well. Another musta dishwasher! Currently we pay our sous chef

to do this job. Hands down it has got to be the most disliked job in the kitchen (even

over chopping onions!).

Weve learned a great deal since building our store. We would gladly share our

experiences with anyone who is at the research stage of a project such as this.

Mark, Jessica and Cindy Gerber


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Fresh FactsPage 6

Theres a trend in the United States of going

local, encouraging consumers to purchase

from and support locally owned businesses.

This movement has made its way into business

models across the country.

This trend has the largest impact on the agri-

cultural industry, causing booming growth in

the number of farmers markets, u-pick farms

and community-supported agriculture opera-

tions.

Fortunately, effective branding is not reserved

for large-scale producers. The PIE Center has

been researching consumers preferences and

perceptions of the local food industry in Flori-

da. The surveys and focus groups give us the

opportunity to speak to consumers and ask

what they look for when purchasing local food

in all settings, including at grocery stores and

farmers markets.

One of the most important points that came

out of our research is the relationship consum-

ers want to have with producers. No matter the

size of your business or organization, putting

your customers first, answering their questions

and connecting with them in person or online

are all essential to building your business and

your brand.

Fancy packaging isnt necessary.Consumers dont look for detailed packaging

when choosing locally produced food theyre

more concerned with the quality of the product.

A simple, clean, clear and consistent design is

best.

Dont define localConsumers have different definitions of local,

and their definition can change based upon a

number of factors including availability and

seasonality. Rather than putting locally pro-

duced on your goods, list the county or city in

which the item was produced.

No budget? No problem.Small investments online or in person can

translate into big results. Social media and

community involvement can be critical in

building a brand.

Consumers arent willing to accept eve-rything as local.

The local message doesnt resonate with con-

sumers when it comes to meat, boxed goods

and other products with long shelf lives.

The difference is in the details.The most important thing is to be consistent.Using the same colors, fonts and style will re-

ally make a difference when establishing your

brand. Consistency allows consumers to easily

Tips for Building a Local BrandBy Caroline Roper, centerpie.com

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair islooking for a poster design that

reflects what they are all about. If youhave any artistic talents you may want

to consider designing something.~~~

The winning design will be awarded$2000 and 4 passes to the Fair.

Deadline is September 29that midnight.

Go towww.royalpostercompetition.org

for additional informationand entry forms.


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Newsletter #290 Page 7

New resource connects Ontario growers to the informaon they need

TheOntarioMinistryofAgricultureandFoodandMinistryof

RuralAffairs(OMAFandMRA)havedevelopedanewonlinetool

thathelpsproducegrowersunderstandtheregulaonsandre

quirementstobringtheirfoodsofplantorigintomarket.

Whethertheyaresellingatthefarmgate,tolocalfarmersmar

ketsorretailers,thistool,MarkengFoodsofPlantOrigininOn

tario:AGuidetoLegislaveRequirements,connectsproducers

tothefoodsafety,labellingandpackagingrequirementsfor

theirregion.

ProducersintheNorthernOntarioregionwerefacingachal

lengetounderstandinghowtheycouldoffertheirlocallygrown

fruits,vegetablesandotherfoodsofplantoriginthroughavarietyofchannelsintheircommunity.Regulaonsthatinfluence

thesaleoftheseproductscanbefromthefederalorprovincial

governmentaswellasthelocalhealthunit.Knowingwhereto

gotogettherightinformaonwasdaunng.

Thenewtoolallowsgrowerstogoonlineandansweraseriesofquesons,thean

swerstowhichallowthemtooffertheirproductswhilecomply

ingwithappropriaterulesandregulaons. Quesonsinclude

whatisbeingsold,ifanyminimalprocessingisrequiredbefore

goingtomarket,wheretheitemsarebeingsoldandsoon.

Linkstothecorrectinformaonfromvarioussourcesarethen

provided(asapplicable).Theselinksindicatetheregulaonthat

isinplace,andcanrelatetopackaging,foodlabellingorpro

cessing.

WhileiniatedduetoaneedidenfiedbygrowersinNorthern

Ontario,thistoolisavailableonlinetoallOntarioproducersof

foodsofplantorigin.Tousethetoolonlinevisitontario.ca/

producesafety

GrowerswhodonothaveaccesstothewebversionmaycontacttheAgriculturalIn

formaonContactCentreat18774241300foralternateversions.

FormoreinformaonaboutMarkengFoodsofPlantOrigininOntario:AGuideto

LegislaveRequirements,pleasevisitontario.ca/producesafety.


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Upcoming Events for 2013Sept. 18 Twilight Tour at Whittamores Farm, contact OFFMA office to

register 905-841-9278

Oct. 9-10 Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Convention Centre,Niagara Falls, ON Visit www.greenhouseconference.com for additionalinformation

Nov. 1-10 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Details can befound at www.royalfair.org

Nov. 11-15 OFFMAs Bus tour to California, additional info included in this newsletter.Dec. 10-12 Great Lakes Expo, Grand Rapids, Michigan, visit www.glexpo.com for

further information.

Page 8 Fresh Facts

Ontario Farm Fresh

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director

2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9

Phone: 905-841-9278

Fax: 905-726-3369

E-mail: [email protected]

www.ontariofarmfresh.com

2013-14 OFFMA Board of DirectorsBrian Hugli, President

Huglis Blueberry Ranch

Leslie Forsythe, Vice President

Forsythe Family Farms

Jesse Lauzon, Past President

Springridge Farm

Hollis English, Murphys FarmsteadCara Epp, Associate Member

Edana Integrated Marketing

Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery

Steve Martin, Martins Family Fruit Farm

Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market

Steve Smith, Smiths Apples

Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms

Carl Fletcher & Andrew Barrie,

OMAF and MRA Advisors to

the Board

Your life is now, seize it and make it amazing.

FIND YOUR VOICE.

Discover your passion and pursue it.be honest, generous and kind.

Surround your self with love, laughter and truth.Let your heart be your guide.MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Be brave and wild at heart.Take chances, ask questions.Be fearless, make a difference.

Californiahere we come!

Spots are filling up fastfor the California tour in November.Information outlining some of the farms we will bevisiting is included in this newsletter. Be sure to take

a minute and look it over. It is the opportunity of a lifetime.It has taken OFFMA 26 years to get to California

so it wont happen again any time soon.Send in your registration form TODAY!

Documents

Fresh Facts September 2013