Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND .......................................................
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wayland
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Dairy pruducts at Farmers markets.While at the hay making fair in Co Carlow I found a stall with crowds of people around it. The main attraction of this stall was a lady making butter. The process is not rocket science of course but she could not make the butter quick enough. It was great to watch and she did play to the crowd a bit with her embossed butter paddles but, she sold all that she could make along with the soft cheeses etc. I want to get into farmers markets and such a demonstration would go well for the stall etc. Can anyone point me to the regs on hygine etc for such an enterprise please.
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blowin
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I don't know about the regs I'm afraid but butter making certainly does look like a cracking little business . I think there were 3 ladies behind the stall at our local fair and they were flat out until they sold out well ahead of time . I thought the butter was expensive and too salty but the crowd couldn't get enough of it .
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wayland
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Yes pricing is the key me thinks. So how would you price your produce? We could look at the other stalls and charge a little less which is probably not a good idea. The costing in business is usually as much as the market place can stand regardless of production cost. We could go the the enth degree and work out an hourly rate plus costs and divide this figure into a unite price plus a % of profit! Too much ag me thinks and a bit like Tescos. These three woman making butter must have got it about right as they sold out before time, perhaps they were too cheap!! How would you price up your products. Anyone?
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blowin
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Purely a gut feeling but if preparing the product in front of the crowd , so you could generate a bit of a buzz / auction fever , I'd pitch at about 1/3rd above the shop price for whatever the premium brand is . If it was prepacked and without any demo I would try to go just below the high street price for the premium brand .
I don't arrive at this scientifically so could be way out but perhaps it will kick off a discussion .
Hmm , just imagine a demo of the delights of hand-churned butter spread with your home-produced honey  . That should shift some volume . Don't forget to double the prices just before tea-time  .
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keithrawlins
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while on honeymoon there was a guy hand rolling cuban cigars , so i had to get some. i wasnt going to wait til he roled all five in front of me so i took 4 he had made earlyer and the one i watced him make. you could try that some prepaked plus the demo for the buzz. if those lady had ppre paked and i was ther i wood have bought 2.
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brianbread
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Hey Folks,
Iv worked at markets for a while and as far as I can see their seems to be three pricing methods employed by stallholders, some more credible than others...here my spin on it!
1. Short Term strategy stallholders
Most markets in Ireland are to a large extent still novelty markets, with a small % of attendees actually there to do their shopping. The Majority are there for the entertainment, to buy a few organic tomatoes and something interesting to bring to the in-laws. (and nothing wrong with it!) Unfortunately though, because of this trend some unscrupulous stall-holders charge shocking prices for average stuff, but get away with it because as mentioned earlier, the market will take it...but not forever! Unfortunately the people who do buy overpriced stuff are likely to impress there in-laws, quietly think "that was bleedin' dear for the same jar of pesto I saw in Lidl last week" and never consider these markets as a truly viable Tesco Alternative (or at least supplement!")
I reckon V. Short term mentality and dubious rationale.
2. The Hobbyist...
These guys tend to have really nice home-made stuff, more often than not, cakes and buns. They are usually keenly priced but when you count up their stock at the start of the day, and multiply it by what they are charging (had to do it because it was baffling me.....and I suppose im a wee bit nosy!) its hard to see how they regularly make enough to pay the stall rent, let alone make a few shillin's for the pub! These guys, although far more sincere in there efforts than the afformentioned vikings of trading, dont tend to have any longevity, but all the power to them, I like cakes.
3.Value Traders
These folk tend to offer top quality produce that is good value for money. Its not necesarily cheap, but if you ask them, they can probably explain to you why its good value (although some might be a bit pissed if you do! is it not obvious??  ) Their prices are determined by how much time, effort and money went into having a stall with those products on it, regardless of how much a commercial version of the product would cost to buy in a supermarket. If people arent willing to pay the price that makes your endeavour worthwhile then the products not viable!
What all this basically boils down to is if you try and trick, or rip people off, then your efforts will have a short (but potentially profitable) shelf-life.Chances are you will also be eating away the credibility of these markets.
It is easy to confuse cheap and value for money, if you can warrant a price, dont be afraid to charge it! A stall is, at the end of the day, a business. I reckon the secret to market success is to treat it as one.
Nothin like a good rant every now and again is there!
Anyway, there's my 55p's worth and I wish anyone thinking of starting a stall the best of luck!
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wayland
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Hi Brian. Thanks for your 55p`s worth  We will be selling at market next year with a view to getting a bit of a return of the production costs. I would like to charge for my time but I think that this would put our prices out of sink with those of Tesco`s etc. As I am retired and dont really need to make much of a living, I will not charge for my time and so sell good wholsome stuff at a keen price. What I dont sell will go back through the pigs so no waist
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brianbread
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Hey Wayland,
Your right, as long as you can make it work for you then thats all that really matters. The one further thing id say and I swear il never open my mouth again  is to differentiate through product not price and I hope the pigs dont do TOO well out of it! Which reminds me, have you heard the new legislation about not feeding food leftovers to pigs?? It only concerns you if your selling the pigs for meat as far as I know but still crazyhorse stuff as far as im concerned, the logic is quote from an EHO " Theres so much foreign food coming in tha we cant be sure whats in all of it, so its too dangerous to feed it to pigs in case it gets in the food chain"??? What about us humans!
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wayland
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Yes indeed. The legislation is necessary of course but it is aimed at the commercial producer me thinks. It may well be illegal to feed my pigs left overs from my veg plot to help stop the risk of spreading F&M I did not know that F&M can be spread by eating sprout stalks etc. I may well have surplus Pork to sell at some stage so my processes will be absolutely legal of course Thanks for the comments.
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blowin
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They were making and selling butter at the local fair again this year . MOH bought some and it was very nice . Unfortunately she couldn't remember exactly what it cost and we ate some of it before checking the weight so I am afraid we failed miserably as market researchers 
But we think it was 4 Euro for a "pat" , which was about 6 ounces . That is expensive when you consider it seriously but it seemed ok at the time . In that environment you aren't buying it as a commodity , more as an indulgence . Much better than that bright pink fudge anyway ! 
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