Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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chateau-carman
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farmers marketsi have visited farmers markets on numerous occasions, i have seen olive oil and olives being sold at some, yet when i apply to the organisers with a view to setting up a stall, the only reply i have got so far is your farm is not within a 100 miles of the farmers market
in fact that is the only answer i have recieved, my other emails have gone unanswered, i try phoning and leaving messages alas no return calls
where do the other farmers market traders get there produce of olives and olive oil from, certainly not from the uk
what am i doing wrong
my olive groves happen to be in Cyprus and Turkey
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gil
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Interesting that some FMs will allow stalls from as far away as 100 miles. To qualify as a FM, all stalls from within 30 miles used to be the usual limit, but I understand that has now been relaxed.
Nevertheless, as you say, many FMs do have stalls selling olives and olive oil (particularly the marinated kind). I find this odd - olives are not grown [commercially] in the UK, so the stallholders cannot be the producers of the fruit. This is supposed to be another condition of having a stall at a FM - you have to produce the food yourself, or substantially process it. Hence the marinading of the olives, and probably the immersion of a sprig of herb / chilli in the oil - this apparently counts as 'processing', so that people in the UK can sell foods grown abroad.
Some of us who organise FMs think that this is not acceptable.
There appears to be some kind of franchise involved in this marinaded olive business : go to a variety of FMs over a wide area, see the olive stalls; notice how they all sell the same product range / flavours, and how the layout/dressing of the stalls looks the same. Someone may have a monopoly on supplying olive products to FMs.
And that leads on to how FMs operate. Once they've got their regular stallholders, they don't really want or need any more (apart from if they have 'guest producer' stalls). If they've already got an olive stall, they won't want another one. FMs are often limited as to how many stalls they can have at the venue, or how many awnings/frames they own or rent.
If you don't get into a FM at the start, you may well have no chance later.
Possible course of action : use your London address as the business address for the 'processing' aspect of your operation. Whether or not you actually process your olives and oils further is up to you. Might be a good idea to marinade a few olives... 
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Jonnyboy
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Wooden buckets for the olives, that type of thing? I've seen that formula in a few FM's.
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chateau-carman
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good idea as i bottle the oil here in london, and i marinade the olives in olive oil here in london
i will try that thanks
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gil
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Yup, and always the same flavours/appearance. There must be a factory churning out gallons of marinade for the business that supplies the stallholders with wooden buckets, and an instruction list of what to do, right down to how to lay out the stall.
To me, that seems like a bit of a swiz. The marinaded olive stalls are not selling anything that requires knowledge on the part of the stallholder/'processor'.
The other thing that annoys me about FMs is when the food producer is not present to sell the goods, and the stall is staffed by people who know nothing and care less about how the food is produced.
Oh, and another thing - when the ingredients and the product are not even made in the UK (when they could be). Have a look at the labels of the preserves - some of them are clearly being made in E.Europe, but sold on FMs.
City FMs are the worst - but do the punters care ?
Edinburgh FM : disappointing. Disappointed.
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chateau-carman
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these same people selling out of wooden buckets are at the borough and they make a guest apearance at whitecross street where i have a monthly stall
i have seen them selling stuffed vine leaves out of these buckets
and being in the business i recognise the stuffed vine leaves come out of a tin containing approx 60 which they obtain for no more than £5
and they sell you approx 6 for £2-50, and people buy these with the impression that they are buying goods apparantly lovingly made in someones kitchen
they are made in a factory in Turkey and greece (i am not saying the product is no good ) just misleading
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Jonnyboy
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Agree, FM's aren't perfect by a long way. Although some are very good
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