Farm Shop and Veg Box delivery business

Hi All

I'm thinking of starting a wee "farm" shop (it won't be on a farm - but it's near a busy country park and will sell the sort of things you'd expect of a farm shop)

also looking to add a veg box delivery scheme onto it as well.

Would appreciate any of your thoughts/hints/tips/pitfalls around such a venture

the big cost of premises is already covered as we own a suitable building that just needs a wee lick of paint and as i work from home i THINK i can initially run it without packing in my 9-5 job

I was thinking of going for the premium rated organic produce, but it seems very expensive and think it might be better to push the locally grown/seasonal angle and try and win folk over by showing how cheapily local fresh veg can be

still not sure which is the better way to fall

Rob R

What is the supply chain behind it, home-grown, dedicated suppliers or something else?

sellickbhoy

to start with it would be sourced from either local farms or fruit/veg markets

other items (processed food stuffs) would be sourced from manufacturers directly or wholesalers

ideally i'd like it all to be local and in season (organic if competitively priced) but i would want to be able to offer a good range of products at all times - don't want folk turning up and not knowing if there would be any stock on the shelves - so all the staples would have to be there which might mean shopping from outwith the immediate local producers at different times in the year

I haven't gone into the detail of costs from local suppliers yet, that is the detail planning - just looking for a general heads up on what to beware of, what works, what doesn't, what would be needed/expected to make a good fist of it

Pilsbury

I wouldnt touch 'premium organic' at the moment, I dont think much of organic as a principle and perfer good quality local as a selling point, I would suggest keep it fairly simple and as good value as you can in the current economic situation.

Rob R

Have the local planners been approached? I expect that'll be a major factor.

Cathryn

I imagine it makes a difference where you live (who's your market) and what's the competition?

sellickbhoy

i'm in west lothian

there isn't much by the way of farm shops nearby. the nearest one is only open 1 afternoon a week - and the shelves are often bare. But i am aware of the exceptional personal circumstances around that place being a bit of a disaster. However, i would actually consider approaching them as one of my suppliers as they are really farmers and not retailers and the stuff is good. they also have excellent meat/game for sale.

It is sandwiched between a couple of quite affluent areas and a couple of not so affluent areas. But it would be right on the entrance to a large country park which is very busy with dog walkers, cyclists, fishermen, ramblers and in the evening a roaring trade in dogging too!!

there is one premium organic box supplier in operation. IMO it's WAY WAY to expensive and i don't really want to get into that. I've kinda taken the inspiration from a farm shop near the town i grew up in - Nairn, nr Inverness. It sells local fruit, veg, meat and other such stuff, the veg and meat prices are fantastic, and it has generated a huge turnover who then also pay over the odds for some of the more expensive produced stuff - biscuits, jams, chutneys etc.

They don't run a veg box scheme though

I also have sheep and cattle farmers on either side of me, their herds are for meat - they used to do dairy but not anymore. But they would be quite up for the idea of selling it direct themselves and expanding their chicken collection for egg production.
I'm not sure if planning will be an issue as my neighbour has just sold a portion of their land which is to be made into self catering chalets and a restaurant. The area is zoned for leisure, social and commerical development - no more housing though (otherwise i'd just sell the bloody garden to a developer and buy half of Limousin and retire happy!!

gil

Have you been for a look at Whitmuir Organics farm shop / talked to them ?

Also there's a veg-growing smallholding / fruitnveg stall at farmers markets based down near Creetown [can't remember the business name]. They grow their own, so it's pretty full-on, though he does Xmas tree work in the winters when it's slack.

Veg box schemes quite time-consuming / hard work.

Have you visited the organic box scheme near Inverness - again, can't remember the name, but they're east of the city, along the coast, south of the firth. I went there as part of the SAC course I did, and have fieldnotes somewhere, if useful to you.

Pillars of Hercules, in Fife. have a website ISTR.

cab

Talk to these guys:

http://www.justliving.org.uk/guide/view.php?id=354

Cambridge Farmers Outlet, its a great model for doing what you're talking about.

dpack

i recon doggers are hungry Laughing

Rob R

dpack wrote:

i recon doggers are hungry Laughing

Will you sell hotdogs? Laughing

sellickbhoy

I did have a plan to rig up night vision cameras in the park and to video the goings on

this gives rise to a couple of possible income streams

1. Live broadcast on the t'interweb of the naughty goings on on a PPV basis

2. Blackmailing said doggers for my silence on their comings and goings

3. set up my own wee ann summers shop at the entrance

dpack

3 and the produce could be a good combo

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