Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

President’s Message Newsletter #336

April—May 2019
As the last of the winter snow melts away and spring finally appears, many of us are Volume 35, Number 3
busy with spring farm tours, maple syrup, getting our stores ready for a new season,
planting crops, training new staff members, among a myriad of others tasks and chores.
It’s a very busy time and can be frustrating if your plans are held up by weather, mud,
delivery delays, etc. It can be hard at times to focus on our goals and keep ourselves
and our team members motivated and looking forward to the season ahead. Inside this issue:

While flipping back through some of my notes from past conferences, meetings and Membership News 2
webinars, I highlighted a few key points I have circled or put a big star beside that I feel
I need to keep in front of me during this very busy time of year. Here are three of them I Ask the Expert 3
thought to share that might be pertinent to many of you as well…
13 Merchandising 4
Tips to Increase
Prioritize my to do list. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I never get through my Sales
to do list every day! There can be way too many interruptions and distractions some
days to get it all done. I have had to take a deep breath and accept that I might not be What is Curb Ap- 6
peal?
able to do it all (a tough thing for many of us to accept ;-) but if I can at least get the
most important things done in the day and maybe delegate a few of the others, the low- Upcoming events 8
er priority items can usually be dealt with tomorrow.

Innovation - executing an idea which addresses a specific challenge and provides

value. This one is on the whiteboard in our office to remind us all that we can find new
ways to get things done better. A simple yet effective example came from one of our
staff members last year… change the way we restock our sales area by creating a new
route for carts moving product from stock areas to sales areas. It didn’t cost a thing but
improved efficiency and was less disruptive to customers as well!

“When walking, walk, When eating, eat.” I’m not sure where this quote came from
but I have to remind myself of this all the time! I’m an ineffective multi-
tasker, which I hear is true of many us. This little quote reminds me to
focus on one thing and get it done before trying to move to the next
item. It’s also a reminder to be present in the moment… having dinner
with family, talking to a friend, playing with the kids… especially when
we are busy.

I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous spring season.

With Best Regards,

Kristin
Kristin Ego MacPhail
OFFMA President
Page 2 Fresh Facts
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Welcome to these NEW Members….
Marjo Niemi
Niemi Family Farm
Mount Albert, ON
289-716-4586 www.niemifamilyfarm.ca
Their philosophy is simple. They grow togeth-
er…in what they learn, how they enjoy being
in each other’s company, and how they grow
their perennials and flowers for their cus-
tomers. Niemi Family Farm specializes in:
trees, perennials, shrubs, fruit trees, berry
plants, firewood, vegetables, and Christmas
trees, plus great fresh baked goods. They
also attend a number of farmers’ markets.
Ross & Bev Brubacher
Garden Pleasures
New Liskeard, ON 705-647-1658
Garden Pleasures is a family run business
that grows produce and meat on their farm.
They not only raise meat birds but also drug-
free pork. Garden Pleasures participates as
a vendor at the Riverside Farmers’ Market in
New Liskeard.
Candice & Chris Currie
Currie’s Farm Market
Collingwood, ON
705-445-2005 www.curriesfarmmarket.ca
Currie's Farm Market opens each spring
since 1957 for asparagus and strawberry
season, and offers seasonal fruits and vege-
tables throughout the summer and fall. For
the Christmas season, the Curries offer a
wonderful variety of Christmas Trees and
greenery as well as all the menu ingredients
for a special Christmas dinner.
Business Associate Members
Mark Edwards
Zenan Glass
North York, ON
416-736-0030 www.zenan.ca
Zenan Glass is a manufacturer with market-
ing skills to assist in brand positioning
through unique glassware ideas. They are
your glassware specialist with fresh innova-
tive ideas and an in-house marketing and
design team focused on glassware. Zenan
can create new glassware from concept to
design to a manufactured product. As a Ca-
nadian manufacturer, they have been
providing branded glassware and ceramics
since 1990.
Shane Van Casteren
Heritage Lane Herbs
Phelpston, ON 705-627-2506
www.heritagelaneherbs.com
They offer wholesale certified organic dried
herbs and dried herb seasonings. Dried
herbs are available in a glass bottle for re-
tail, or in bulk bags for food service. Their
herbs are grown as nature intended - with-
out the use of herbicides, pesticides or
chemical fertilizers. Heritage Lane Herbs
are hand planted, grown with love, hand-
milled and combined to provide maximum
flavour without added salt.
Classifieds
FOR SALE
Walk-in cooler components (coil,
compressor, gas and controls) 3 hp.
$1200
Commercial waffle maker $300
Please call Tom at 905-691-8423
FOR SALE
Delhaven Orchards Ltd.
Frozen pitted sour cherries available
for wholesale & retail
519-676-4475
delhaven@ciaccess.com
FOR SALE
Frozen Strawberries and Frozen
Raspberries-Enjoy Ontario local ber-
ries all year round. Berries have been
frozen on trays and packaged. Great
for smoothies, baking, jam, jellies,
and fruit wines. For more information
call Potters Road Berries 519-842-
2723 or nverbruggen@nor-del.com.
FOR SALE
Fruit Trees from Silver Creek
Nursery—not your ordinary nursery!
Unique fruit varieties for your PYO,
organic orchard and cider blends. Ask
us about retailing our potted trees at
your location. Call 519-804-6060 or
email steph@silvercreeknursery.ca
Am I being productive or
am I just being busy?
 Newsletter #336 Page 3

there is a topic you would like to see

covered or a person you would like to
hear talk, please let the OFFMA office
know and we will do our best to ac-
commodate.

From the OFFMA Website

Introducing the “Ask the Expert” Series Sample Employee Manual

A new learning opportunity, accessible Ashton Consulting prepared this Sam-
to all OFFMA members regardless of ple Employee Manual as a starting
their geographic location. point for you to customize an EMPLOY-
Ask the Expert is a series of one hour EE MANUAL for your company.
presentations done by farm retailers for The topics have been organized and the
farm retailers on Facebook Live. basic policies written. You can easily
The OFFMA Board was so excited to
customize this manual by adding infor-
get started that Colleen McKay did a
mation about your company, such as
pilot offering on April 15th. Her topic
your vacation policy, insurance policy,
was ‘Seasonal Hiring’.
etc. Also included are suggestions and
To find the recorded session, go to
examples to give you additional infor-
OFFMA’s members only Facebook
mation and help you determine your
page and click on the videos tab.
company’s policies.
Ask the Expert series will take place on
Easy to download as a Word document
the third Monday of each month at 8pm.
and ready for you to add your farm in-
The schedule is in the process of being
formation to make it your own.
developed, stay tuned for details. If
Page 4 Fresh Facts

Thirteen Merchandizing Tips to Increase Sales

By Carl Fletcher

At the February 2019 Farmers’ Market husks? What about rows of potted mums
sessions of the Ontario Fruit and Vegeta- for colour contrast in the fall? If people
ble Convention (OFVC), Doug and Gail are selecting individual fruit or vegetables
Hayden of the California Farmers’ Mar- from bins or baskets intentionally adding
kets Association provided tips on low cost green or coloured leaves as need be can
solutions to improving a farmers’ market help create colour contrast.
stall. Many of these ideas could also ap-
ply to on-farm markets. I have expanded 3. Lift up your products.
their ideas with some additional thoughts In grocery stores,
of my own. products that are
placed on the
1. Use of a table cloth versus a bare shelves at eye
table can increase sales! level and at arms
Tables should be covered with table length sell faster
cloths that extend to the floor at the front. than those on the
The table cloth colour should provide a top and bottom
colour that makes the produce “pop”. shelves. You can
Often a grower will use the colour of the create tiers by
primary crop as a marketing theme, for adding a shelf at
example, a tomato grower uses red; a the back of a ta-
blueberry grower uses blue. That is fine ble or counter and
but red tomatoes get “lost” on a red table this can still be
cloth etc. Using a table cloth with a con- covered by the
trasting colour makes the produce catch table cloth.
your eye. Keep your theme colour for Tipped boxes or
staff shirts and branding but create colour crates on the
contrast beside your produce. shelf can create
additional height.
2. Contrasting colours create sales.
Contrasting colours draw your eyes to the 4. People like wood.
produce. Think of the many ways that Wood speaks to craftsmanship, a closer
you can merchan- connection to nature, authenticity and
dize your produce nostalgia among other things. These are
with contrasting col- good subliminal messages that support
ours. Rows of dif- farm fresh food. Consider incorporating
ferent coloured to- wood into your retail space. Wooden
matoes or fruit side crates and boxes could display products.
by side to create Wood can be heavy so take that into con-
colour contrast. sideration in your plans.
Can rows of baked
pies beside rows of 5. Farm artifacts
fresh strawberries People love farm artifacts. They do not
create the colour always have to be historical. Artifacts are
contrast? Or a row educational and you won’t find them in
of preserves with a the grocery store. Make a point to rotate
contrasting colour your artifacts over time so that people
label or lid? Or see new things.
rows or baskets/
boxes of husked 6. Keep products off the ground or
yellow corn beside floor.
baskets or boxes of Turn an empty box or carton upside down
green corn in the and put it on the bottom if you are stack-

ing cartons. It just reinforces that you
have gone the extra step to keep prod-
ucts clean.
7. Customized umbrellas
Doug and Gail Hayden take white patio
umbrellas and then “customize them” by
having the edges painted with fruit and
vegetable motifs that fit the markets
they manage. On your farm it could be
fruit, vegetables, products, brand logo,
farm scenes etc. You could have them
be seasonal which would allow them to
be changed during the seasons. You
may have talented staff or customers
who would love to do this. The umbrel-
las could be used with tables or at ad-
mission gates or shade stations on the
farm.
8. Overflowing abundance
People like the look of
tipped baskets with pro-
duce spilling out in front.
It creates an atmosphere
of abundance. It puts cus-
tomers in a good mood.
9. Incorporate contests.
Doug and Gail showed a
slide of one of the mar-
kets that held a biggest
bunch of grapes contest.
Grape farmer stall owners
entered their largest
bunch of grapes. The
bunches were hung on
display and market shop-
pers voted on which
bunch had the most grapes, (not sure if
they had a guess the number of grapes
contest as well). What could you do?
Perhaps pick your own operations could
have a prize for the largest by weight
berry/apple etc. picked each day and
use a kitchen scale at the counter to
measure.
10. Help your customers try more of
your products.
Create prepackaged bundles that in-
clude standard products with a new
product. A slight discount may entice
the sale. Remember not to over dis-
count and wipeout all profits on the
Newsletter #336 Page 5
package. Regardless keep records to
know if you get your intended result of
increased sales of the new product.
11. Selling samples
Free samples engage customers. Do not
ask “would you like to try our new….” be-
cause getting a NO ends the discussion.
Instead ask ‘Have you ever tried
our……”. A no to this question leaves
room for further opportunities to talk up
the product and continue to engage the
customer to sample.
12. What makes a great promotional
picture?
People want to see pictures of your pro-
duce, your farm and a composite picture
of you (your family). Note if you decide
to work with a professional photogra-
phers keep in mind that pictures wearing
different clothes or
different seasons
are more credible
than a series of pic-
tures taken the
same day wearing
the same clothes.
On a related note a
presentation by the
Peterborough Re-
gional Farmers mar-
ket showed a series
of pictures that
showed just the
hands of their
farmer members
holding their own
produce. It was
very powerful – the fresh produce and
the hands that produced it. It is important
to put a face on your business. Remem-
ber people buy from people.
13. Card payments take longer than
cash
Are you losing sales because your cash-
ier line-up waiting time has increased?
Something to be aware of as card pay-
ments can take longer than cash pay-
ments.
Hopefully one of these tips will help in-
crease sales at your markets this year.
Page 6 Fresh Facts

What is Curb Appeal?

Information taken from a blog created by John Stanley, the complete article can
be found at https://www.theeposbureau.com/blog/curb-appeal

According to the dictionary, it is the at- agreed with them that when I was in
tractiveness of the exterior of a residen- the store, this message was strongly
tial or commercial property, as viewed communicated to the visitor. I could
from the street. understand why they believed in this
statement, but how does the consumer
Retail is detail is an old saying, but a perceive it?
critical one, especially in today’s
market place. Once outside the business, I chal-
lenged them on the peeling paint-work
In the rapidly changing world of retail, on the facia of the building, old fash-
we often forget some of the basic rules ioned neon signs in the window, post-
of retailing, especially the importance of ers plastered on the window and a
curb appeal. This can consist of en- dirty front door that had not been
hancing exterior signage, a fresh coat cleaned that week.
of paint, creating banners, pictures or Their reaction was one of surprise, that
product displays, adding foliage, clean- they had not noticed these blemishes
ing up the parking lot, and keeping eve- to their brand before. Yes, you do
rything clean. need to look at your business through
There is a lot of focus in today’s press outside eyes. The secret, though, is
on online retailing and the decline of putting those eyes on and looking at
“bricks” retailing. I am a strong believer your business as a customer would
in the future of “bricks” retailing, but al- look at it.
so that we need to provide an experi-
ence for the consumer; that starts out- As a farm retailer myself, I realise this
side of the business, on the street. is not easy, time pressure is always
Improving curb appeal is one simple there and we often neglect the im-
low-cost way of improving business. portance of first impressions and how
they impact the customer.
Curb appeal is an ongoing process and
one that needs to be checked daily, How do you improve your curb
even if your farm shop is located on the appeal?
farm. How often do you cross the road
from your business and look at the The key areas are:
business from a consumer’s point of ● Check your first impressions daily
view? Something every customer does and at the same time every day. It
every time they visit your farm retail es- needs to become a habit.
tablishment. ● Have a checklist so you know what
you are looking for. Keep it simple, list
I was recently asked to carry out some the key points and provide a box for
consulting work for a farm retailer and the “tick”.
the first thing I did was take them ● Rotate the inspection between the
across the road to look at their busi- team so nobody becomes store blind.
ness.
Once across the road, I asked them to
describe their brand to me and what An engaging shop front can draw cus-
message they wanted to communicate tomers into your store. Make the most
to their customers. The description they of the window display areas you have
gave was about wanting to be a quality, to showcase your offerings to their
premium brand which was modern in its best potential. I’m often told image
approach to retailing farm products. I observations are “common sense“ but

I am afraid it is more like “rare
sense”. I will guarantee that the
majority of readers of this article
do not have a "First Impression
Checklist" that they implement
every day. Consequently, your
brand will be suffering in some
way due to store "blindness".
The consumer makes a decision
in seconds and those memories
stay with them for a long time.
They are often referred to as the
“retail touch points” in the busi-
ness.
What are the "Touch
Points"?
When a person comes to your
store, they are:
 What they see as they drive
past your store? Would a poten-
tial customer want to stop their
vehicle and drive in?
 If you have a shop window, what
does that shop window look like?
Is it a 'WOW window' display that
makes them linger a few sec-
onds?
 The entrance to the building;
Is it clean and inviting or is it clut-
tered and dirty? Too often we
place messages on the door that
are never read.
 When they meet the first member
of the team; Is this team member
engaging or simply wanting to
process them?
How to Make the Right First Im-
pression on a Farm?
Getting the first impressions correct on
the farm can be more challenging than
it is for retailers on the High Street. You
want to get the message across that
this is a profitable farming business and
that it grows the food that it sells. In or-
der to effectively get that message over
to the public, having the impression of
entering a farm is important. At the
same time, you have to make sure it is
Newsletter #336 Page 7
Cobbs Farm Shop and Kitchen is a terrific example of how you can start a
customer’s journey off well.
safe and that the public does not in-
terfere with any farming practices
taking place during their visit.
Every business is different, but con-
sider a separate entrance for the
public so they are not running into
farm equipment on the same drive-
way. The public want to see crops
being grown or animals in the fields
and this provides the first impression
they are often looking for.
They want to park their car in an ob-
vious parking location and not step
into a muddy field, especially if they
are wearing ‘town shoes”.
The entrance needs to be clearly
visible and they want to walk into a
clean looking entrance and see a
locally grown seasonal product.
This is where the story really starts
and, if done well, sets your custom-
ers up for a good experience in-
store. So, why not take my challenge
today? Grab some of your team and
take a walk around outside; look at
your business critically as a custom-
er would and make the appropriate
changes.... and once you start, keep
it going! Make sure your curb ap-
peal is working for your business.
 Page 8
Ontario Farm Fresh
Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director
PO Box 250 Gormley Post Office
Gormley, ON L0H 1G0
Ph: 905-506-0371 Fax: 647-556-7254
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
2019-20 OFFMA Board of Directors
Kristin Ego MacPhail, President
Ego Nurseries Ltd.
Steve Martin, Past President
Martin’s Family Fruit Farm
Erin McLean, Vice President
McLean Berry Farm
Paul Baxter, Associate Member
Baxter’s Kitchen
Darlene Downey, Downey’s Farm Market
& Estate Winery
Colleen McKay, Your Farm Market
Jordan McKay, Willowtree Farm
Meghan Snyder, Snyder’s Family Farm
Shane Van Casteren, Nicholyn Farms
Karen Whitty, Whitty Farms
Jessica Kelly, OMAFRA Advisor
Fresh Facts
Upcoming Events
May 14 NAFDMA’s Retail Merchandising—The Rules of Success with John
Stanley Webinar, 8pm to 9pm, for more info go to
https://nafdma.wildapricot.org/event-3353611
May 20 Ask the Expert Facebook Webinar—topic to be determined.
July 30 Annual Potluck at Downey’s Farm Market and Estate Winery
Nov. OFFMA’s Bus Tour to Nashville, details will be available in early summer.
Member Updates
Our Frootogo Family has been deeply moved by the outreach and responses from our
loyal customers.
It was very evident in your comments that our soup would be greatly missed. After
careful consideration, we have decided to continue with our soup and bakery offerings
and run this business under the ‘Souptogo’ name.
We anticipate being open for the fall season and offering our Play-Park area. The
bakery store will offer our line of homemade soups and a selection of the bake goods
you have come to love. Stay tuned for more details about this new chapter in our
farm lives. - Willy & Jacqueline, formerly from Frootogo Orchards
Hello OFFMA Family!
Just a quick update I wanted to pass along. I have had the pleasure of owning and op-
erating Your Farm Market, in Woodstock, Ontario for the last 10+ years. It has grown
and blossomed thanks to all the support from this incredible group! Despite its suc-
cess, it has come time for me to move on and try a new adventure! My Dad, Don
McKay, who has been involved in the business from the beginning, is excited to take
over the reins and steer it through its next phase in business. I have signed up as a
retired OFFMA member, to stay involved with this incredible organization, as it has giv-
en me so much! It has been incredible getting to know many of you, and I look forward
to keeping in touch during my next adventurous chapter in life!
Colleen McKay, colleenmckay2020@gmail.com