But finding farmers who like to sell retail can be challenging.  You will need to gather information to use when talking to the farmers?  (Here I am talking about farmers who sell what they grow not those who buy and resell).   First you will need to set goals of how many farmers you want to attract in each category.  How many orchard vendors can you really support in the market, how many vendors selling baked goods, jams, salsas, meats, cheese?  I am a conservative builder of markets.  I like to balance the categories so that the shopper finds choice and the vendors individually do well and are loyal to the market.

If you have an ongoing market you should be counting the average number of shoppers who come to your market.  This is helpful when building markets but is also handy during the season.  Since our vendors know that we count every day, they call and ask us the counts when they think there is a downturn or they are not doing as well as the year before.  Looking at the counts can give you a window into how well or not well a market is doing.   It’s sort of the temperature of the market.  However numbers aren’t everything.  If people are spending more per person than in markets with higher numbers this information is good to understand too.  If a market has a small customer count but we hear from the vendors that they are doing OK then we don’t get alarmed.

Here is a simple way to count shoppers.  If your market starts on the half hour say 8:30, count only adults coming into the market for 5 minutes from 8:40-8:45 and multiply this number by 6.  Then continue counting next for 10 minute at 9:25-9:35 and multiply that by 6 as there are 6 -10 minute sections in an hour.  At the end of the market day you will see what number you have reached.  It is important to stand at a point where you can view all entry points and don’t count children.  Count all adults even those in pairs.  A rule of thumb would be to divide that total by 1.7 to get a number of shopping units as not every person is shopping and buying something.

So you need numbers to recruit.  You need to talk about the competition with new recruits.  They will want to know how many vendors are in their category.  If it is a new market and you are starting from scratch, two to three in bakery and produce might be a way to begin and then add in other categories as they find you or you have searched in the farming community.  If you have too few vendors in each category, then shoppers will not find the variety they crave.  Some shoppers will be looking for price, some for quality and some are looking to connect with the farmer.  Having vendors who have different price points is helpful as is having farmers who have a lot of personality and give great customer service.  A smile, tips for cooking, carrying heavy items to the car go along way to build customer loyalty.

So be aware of the amount in each category that you are recruiting.  Overloading in a category will cause friction between the vendors and if they do not make enough money daily they will not stay.  This will be more detrimental than having fewer vendors.  If a customer comes into the market and looking around says “is this all the vendors you have” then you can remark that you think you have a great variety and they should let you know what is missing.  In that way you can empower them to take a closer look and maybe they will find everything they are looking for.  Then you can ask them as they leave and be attentive to their further comments.  You can assure them that you are looking for that same type vendor that they were looking for and that it takes time and customer support to grow the market.  I think it’s important to let them feel some  responsibility to come every week so that the market can thrive.

Recruit further in each category when the numbers increase and you think you could support another vendor.  Also when talking to a vendor interview them and find out what their expectations are coming into the market.  Get them to state a ball park figure of what they would be happy making in a day.  They know the cost of gas to get to the market, the staffing, and the cost of the goods so they will know what is their bottom line.  In my experience if a vendor in a certain category like produce is just starting out in a market I want to gage from the discussion how soon from the starting gate do they expect to make this number.  If they say that they want to make a certain amount on day one I can let them know yes that is possible in this market.   But if not I will be honest and say no you will have to win over the customers because they are used to buying from x and y vendors already there.

After a vendor has decided to join the market and they have come for about a month, I usually touch base with them and see how they are doing.  Sometimes on opening day the new vendor may feel so optimistic because so many shoppers are out and they buy everything.  Then four weeks later when the market gets to its normal level of shoppers, that same vendor will call and say, I am so disappointed, the market started our so good and then dropped off.  It is hard to manage expectations.  I feel we need to talk up the positive sides of a market when recriting but it is easy to forget that our job is to bring in the customers and their job is to make the sale.  This is the hard part of retail, how to stand out in a market, how to use good display, offer specials, always greet shoppers with a smile and a welcome.  When a vendor complains these are the things to talk about and even go to the market and give suggestions.  When shopper numbers are down, and vendors are perplexed you will need to reassure them you are doing the marketing support to bring in customers.  Hand holding and reassuring vendors is also part and parcel of the job.  Because when they are unhappy you will need to reassess and take action.  I suggest you refer to the Federtion blog section where the topic is promoting your market.  I’m sure they will have good suggestions for this.  Or ask specific questions that I might be able to help you with.  Good recruiting!

Miriam Haas

In some markets the rules only allow produce to be sold but this is usually not the norm.  People shopping like to see variety in food categories like bakery, pickled products, jams, shelf stable foods like chutneys, frozen vegetable and meat pies, sausages, cheeses hard and soft to name a few.  The Federation web site can help you with all of the permits that cover each of these different categories.  Being a market organizer you have to familiarize yourself with these rules because food safety is a big concern and it is your job to help protect the safety of the public.   I spoke in an earlier post about having the person come and present their food item to you and your committee.  You can weed out unprepared vendors by pre-screening them.  If they have inquired to be in your market, send them questions that will help you learn more about their business and product.   We have found that this pre-application gives us a good sense of how far along they are in preparing to sell to the public.  Some questions you may ask are:  Have you ever sold your product before? Do you have a business plan? Do you carry insurance or can you get it?  Where do you make your food item?  Where do you source your ingredients?  The answers they give will help you decide if you want to meet them to continue the dialog.

Not every vendor who you add to your markets will make a go of it.  Statistics indicated that many businesses fail within a short period.  The product needs to be unique, have a story that is compelling, taste good to a wide range of people, have a good price point and be attractively presented.   If a vendor has not done their homework, such as taking some business courses on marketing, they may find they don’t have the skills they need to do well.  If you find a vendor who you think has potential but seems timid or tentative, it may be better for them to do more preparation and return to you in one year.  It will be better for both of you since you don’t want them to fail when they are in your market.  Once they become more assured of themselves they will do better in the market.  For example we had a person come to us several years ago with a recipe for a specialty salsa. It was a family recipe but at the time, the person had not figured out the labeling, the permits needed and where she would make it.  She did not get into our markets and we lost sight of her.   Just this year after a delay of several years she returned having solved all the issues and was ready to jump in.

Another source for vendors may be right in your local newspaper.  Check out the food and the lifestyle section.  This is a good place to find out about trends in the food industry and the types of foods people are looking for.  More people with allergies are looking for gluten free baked goods, and then there is a growing group of people who are vegans.  These are two categories that the press is writing about and someone in your area may be following this trend and making foods with these profiles.  While they may attract a smaller segment of the shopping public, if their product is tasty, they may find that people who are not gluten intolerant or vegans will buy their items too and become customers.

Miriam

If you see that a produce vendor is sold out early in the day and this happens in the middle of the season, you may not have enough produce vendors and you will need to have more to fulfill the market demand.  On the other hand if you have too many bakers for example and not enough produce, then your market will be unbalanced and shoppers will start to find the selection limited.  We sometimes lose sight of the fact that it is the produce that is really driving shopper interest.  The public realizes that the farm produce is better at the market and so this is what drives the traffic.  Having breads and baked goods is a nice addition but should not overwhelm the market.  So back to my main point.  Set goals for forming your market.

So you find a new produce vendor who wants to join.  Find out about the products they want to sell.  Plan to make a visit to their farm.  Ask them to send a crop plan before hand and if the items are not varied enough or they grow the exact items of another vendor you already have, then talk to them about your concerns.  Can you get them to consider growing some items that you don’t have in the market?  Do they seem willing to work with you or are they set in their ways and not willing to listen to the knowledge you have learned from talking to your shoppers?  Vendors who are willing to work with you and open to suggestion are very valuable.  Markets change and even what people want change so a vendor who will change with the times is a good vendor.  Also it is important that vendors show respect for each other in the market place.  This includes not denigrating the items that the other farmers are bringing to the market.  Try to nip in the bud comments one farmer may make about another’s items.  Sayings such as “they don’t grow those, they are just buying them, or they are not “real farmers” are not helpful.  Since you have taken the time to visit the farm before the season, you can let the naysayer know you have done your homework.  Having vendors who are professional and don’t talk like this will create a better atmosphere that will make the market nicer for the shoppers.

If someone makes value added items such as jams, pickles, breads, pastry, ask them to come to your “office” and make a presentation.  See how they package their items, how the product is labeled and if they have all the permits and approvals they need to market their product.  The Federation has a valuable list of all the permits each product category needs to have.  Find out the history of why they started making the product and if they have put together a marketing plan.  Have they researched their competition and do they know what they will be selling their items for?  The fun part is to taste the items.  Taste is subjective and so you may want a group of people to be in on the tasting.  You may feel comfortable telling them right there what you think but if you want to confer among your group of tasters, it is OK to get back to them with your comments.  There may be a difference of opinion but your group will come to an agreement whether the general public would find the items worthy.   Giving the nod to a new vendor is just the beginning.  Helping them flourish in the market is another topic to consider for a later time.

When you approve of a vendor it is now the best time to let them know about your rules and regulation so that they understand your expectations of them as vendors.  This will help them be better marketers and have them fit into the kind of market you want to develop.

Initially this may seem frustrating but eventually you may find someone who is willing to give your market a try.  You may also need to look further afield than the farmers closest to you.  Some farmers may be doing only wholesale in your region or may already be going to markets and can’t take on another.    If you find one or two farmers interested, find out what kind of items they will be selling.  It is preferable that they have a different list of crops so that there is not complete overlap.  Hopefully one of them will have fruit and the other mainly vegetables.  Ask for a crop plan if you are lucky enough to have a choice of several farmers.    Then try to fill in other categories such as bakery, flowers or plants, eggs, meats.

When a farmer shows interest and you have an indication of what they want to sell, I would plan to visit the farm if this is practical.  Developing an interest in the farm and their operation and learning something about it will go a long way.  Just letting a farmer into a market without this initial visit can be risky.  You can get a sense from the visit about the farm, the person who will be selling, you may be able to see the quality of the items they plan to sell.  This will all be helpful as you want to have a good rapport with each vendor.

I hope that someone will write and ask a question that I can help answer.

We can talk about what qualities to look for in a vendor.  Vendor to vendor relationships.  Do referrals work for recruiting?  What to do when a good vendor decides to leave.   The type of questions will vary from market to market and whether the market is in a rural setting or a city or suburban community.   I look forward to some dialog on this improtant issue.

Miriam