Author Topic: selling at Farmers Markets  (Read 3332 times)

Offline steffb503

  • Catskill Mts, NY State, USA
  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Posts: 595
  • Cheeses: 11
    • M & S Farm
selling at Farmers Markets
« on: July 16, 2018, 10:39:07 AM »
I have been selling at a local Farmers Market for a number of years now. Every July/August I go through this dilemma.
How to display when it is so hot.
I normally have a plate with some samples of a variety of the cheeses I offer. I also have a large bowl of ice packs with a plate on top with the cheese itself. I do keep coolers of additional stock and replace the cheese as it sells. I love the way it looks, customers can easily see what they are buying and get to choose just which cheese they want. But ice pack just do not cut it in the heat.
I will have to keep all the cheese in the coolers and only put out the samples. This results in an almost empty table. Any thoughts on placing nice full size glossy photos of the larger plates of cheese? Or would you not bother.

Dorchestercheese

  • Guest
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2018, 11:46:00 AM »
Since it's a farmers market .. why not pictures of the process too. The cows? Goats? Cheese making and the cheese in the cave. People like to see where their food comes from... A thought

Offline mikekchar

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Shizuoka, Japan
  • Posts: 1,012
  • Cheeses: 118
  • Default personal text
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2018, 01:02:54 PM »
Speaking as a consumer, I have no problems with pictures.  My main desire to see the real thing is mostly thinking about how many you have left.  One farmer's market I've been to in Canada had a white board listing the numbers of each cheese they had left to sell.  This gave me a better connection to the thing.  It sounds kind of crazy, but I've often seen market stalls with no apparent product and I feel loathe to go talk to them -- are the pictures *really* what they are selling, do they actually have anything I'm interested in buying today, etc.  You might make a display with a picture for each of the cheese and the number you have left.  Also having a few piece out for samples to try and also just to get that visual confirmation that the real thing matches the picture would be good IMHO.  Anyway, good luck.  I wish I could buy cheese at a farmer's market here in Japan ;-)

Offline Gregore

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Santa Barbara
  • Posts: 993
  • Cheeses: 43
  • Default personal text
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2018, 02:21:04 PM »
You might try a glass front wine fridge and pack the back of it with ice packs and the front will be the cheeses
Should stay cool enough in there

You also might try to find a inverter for your car battery and then just plug it in

Offline steffb503

  • Catskill Mts, NY State, USA
  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Posts: 595
  • Cheeses: 11
    • M & S Farm
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2018, 03:45:33 PM »
You might try a glass front wine fridge and pack the back of it with ice packs and the front will be the cheeses
Should stay cool enough in there

You also might try to find a inverter for your car battery and then just plug it in
no power!

Offline Gregore

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Santa Barbara
  • Posts: 993
  • Cheeses: 43
  • Default personal text
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2018, 04:37:02 AM »
If you have no power at the market then pack the inside back of the glass front cooler with ice with the cheeses in the front for customers to see.  Should stay more than cool enough for a few hrs .

The good thing is you can get a broken one off Craig’s list for almost nothing

ophiuchus_99

  • Guest
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2018, 02:49:15 AM »
Is this cheese home made or commercial?  I am just curious because nobody can sell cheese here in Nevada unless they are a licensed dairy.  Is it different in other states?

Offline steffb503

  • Catskill Mts, NY State, USA
  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Posts: 595
  • Cheeses: 11
    • M & S Farm
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2018, 07:17:44 PM »
I am a licensed dairy!

Sweet Leaves Farm

  • Guest
Re: selling at Farmers Markets
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2018, 08:05:57 PM »
I know this is too late for this season, but I've been looking at cold plate ice cream carts. You plug them in the night before, load them in the morning, sell cold stuff out of them 8-10 hours, no electricity. You can have them made to hold fridge temps. I'm trying to find one with a glass lid and small flip up side table, for self service and room for some samples. The inspector OK'd it over the phone, but I'll have to prove it works before certification. They are pricey, but minimal at-market set-up and could maybe do 2 markets on 1 charge. I'll post a pic, if I find one I like.