Specialty, Collaborative Concept
Since its inception in June 2010, Lettuce Eat Well Farmers’ Market (LEWFM) has been a bit different than most farmers’ markets. From the beginning, I have insisted that all produce sold at our market be grown organically. I don’t want poison on the produce I eat and neither do our customers. A few years into our market’s history, I decided to develop a collaborative model by having fewer vendors who supply many different items. In this way, the customers have many choices but the vendors do not compete with one another. Farmers work so hard and make hardly a pittance from all their efforts and I wanted a way to help them be as successful as possible by reducing competition at our market.
Pre Order Model
Most recently, I instituted our biggest change; LEWFM is now a pre order market. The pre order model is a more efficient way for the producers to provide the customers what the customers want while also reducing waste: wasted efforts, wasted time, wasted products, etc . Although pre ordering requires more planning on the customers’ part, we have found that after a bit of getting used to the new way, customers are now embracing the concept. They like it because it ensures that the items they want will be waiting for them even if they can’t get to our market until the very end of the market day. How many times have you gone to a farmers’ market with your heart set on strawberries (or watermelon, or …) only to find out that the farmer just sold out of that item? With a pre order market that never happens.
A Win-Win For All
The pre order model also has huge benefits for all vendors, especially farmers who provide perishable items. Historically, farmers have carried multiple risks. Why should farmers continue to shoulder all the risks: the risk of the weather, the risk of insect damage, the risk of varmints, the risk of “Will I sell what I’m growing?” I can’t help farmers with the weather, the insects, or the varmints, but I can help them with “Will I sell what I’m growing?” We can do that by having a pre order program. Chefs tell farmers what they want them to grow; our customers can do the same, thus providing the producers more assurance of being able to sell what they grow and grow what will sell. I encourage our customers to establish a relationship with our vendors and let the vendors know what they would like to see at our market. What a wonderful win-win the pre order program is for both customers and producers.
How the Pre Order Market Works
We currently use the simple method of email. Customers sign up for the pre order program by emailing me, lewfmlocal@gmail.com, requesting to be added to the pre order list. There are no fees associated with being part of the pre order program. About six days before each market day, the vendors email the customers a list of items; the customer replies to the vendor with their pre order. Customers are not required to pay for the items until they pick them up at market. This plan has worked quite well with only a couple instances when a customer forgot to come to market. We now call the customer if they have not arrived by 30 minutes prior to end of market.
I am passionate about our farmers’ market model and would be happy to answer any of your questions; feel free to email me.
article written by Mary A. Hutten
Having been raised on a farm, from the beginning I had the privilege of eating well. This, coupled with knowing how hard farmers work to provide us with good food, encouraged me to follow my passion to connect local consumers with local producers. I do this via my position as manager of Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market, which allows me to continue to be able to eat well thanks to the exceptional vendors at our market.