Wal-mart experiments

I do know that the absolute defense to a slander lawsuit is the truth. I'm not saying anything that is not written directly on a wal-mart label! Go look! I didn't think of the name recognition angle though....

There are only two grocery stores in town. Wal-mart ran the IGA out of business, but we have Kroger still. Easy enough to do a three way comparison with "A", "B" and ME!

I am trying to target the family market...moms. It's hard enough because they don't cook anymore! The benefits they are looking for are health, value (that's where I'm trying to show that price does not equal value), convenience. They might be looking for more, but those are the ones I'm selling. Probably not in that order either....

I'm going to start a flyer campaign...post my stuff all over town, anywhere that moms go. Gonna go business to business to offer flyers for break rooms, etc emphasizing the convenience. I will do just about anything to sell some meat...free delivery to home or office, pick up here, come by when I'm open. The wal-mart stuff is another angle to use as well....once I get them to believe that buying from me is not a pain in the neck!

I'm also going to take the wal-mart results to a couple restaurants. They buy all of their burger from wal-mart because every cent counts to them. I want to show them that they are wasting their cents and if they buy mine they can advertise supporting local farmers, the all natural aspect, etc.

I do agree that wal-mart could whomp me one, but gosh what GREAT publicity! Wal-mart attacks small business woman!!! My sales would probably sky-rocket, but I don't think I'll chance it.

Jena

Just a comment. As a mom, cook and VERY picky eater

One of the reasons we started raising our own poultry was after cooking a fresh chicken from XYZ store. It was labeled that it contained up to a certain percent of broth (salt water) which I can't remember if it were 12 percent or 17 percent. But that made me mad to be paying good money for WATER. Elsewhere I learned that it was OK for chickens to contain up to a certain amount of chill water. Well, we all know what's in the chill water at big packers (gag ...)

The next problem was that I didn't cook it right away, it was in the fridge for a day or two. Then when we did cook it, it just smelled rotten.

As food poisoning survivors -- from a commercially prepared chicken, mis-handled by me -- we pitched the whole thing. Not taking a chance.

I just think commercially processed chicken can be a risky buy. I know it's cheap but who wants to take that chance with their family!

On the other hand ... I've had a lot of moms tell me, seriously, that they wouldn't know what to do with a whole chicken! And that's a draw back of selling whole roasters.

You can quote me on the whole ordeal! But also, many many cases of food poisoning could be avoided by washign hands, using clean utensils and keeping cold foods cold, and hot foods hot. After our food poisoning incident we got a meat thermometer and use it every time, even on our home-grown meats.

Good luck!
Ann

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That's pathetic, they should go slap themselves.

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I would use the leading store product line in you facts. Naming names can get you sued to easy.
On a similiar 'what you pay for - waste' is vegetables. I have always wondering how much water is really in my vegetables in the produce section. Most grocery stores use misters to keep tempratures down. You wind up paying weight for water! I always shake out water before bagging. I found brocolli holds allot of water in the flowerette's. I had a produce manager give me dirty looks for doing that.
.........Just a thought.

Kathy

How about an opinion from a consumer who isn't farming yet...

I can get a lb of split bone-in chicken breasts for 99 cents/lb. I can get a lb of ground beef (85% lean) for 2.50/lb. I can get eggs for $1.50 per dozen.


I can understand paying a bit more for local products or 'organically' grown and whatnot. But I cannot see paying the local prices for it... I mean, come on... $5/lb for a whole chicken? I can get a whole chicken - 4 lbs, for .79 cents per pound! And Eggs for over $3/doz!!

I only have so much budgeted for groceries...I have to feed my husband, myself and two fussy children in diapers (and the cat) for $80 per week.

Like I said...a dollar or so per pound more is affordable...but $3 or more per pound is rediculous! I can understand, this is your livelihood, but I just cannot afford it.

I so totally appreciate your comments! I am the mom of five and many years was a single mom and BROKE! I can pinch a penney until it screams!

There are many producers out there who only target the high end consumers. They can get $5/pound or more and more power to them! I don't target that end and don't have prices like that. My customers are regular people who just aren't willing to spend that much.

My chickens are $1.75/pound. That's high, but as low as I can go and still make enough money for the operation to be viable vs the time I expend on it. My burger is $1.99/pound and it is LEAN, it's not tested, but probably 95%. You have to add a bit of oil to fry the stuff. That's at a slight loss, but I find that everyone who comes for my burger, buys something else as well! In the end, I get enough for each animal to justify the loss on the burger.

I feel very strongly about this. I don't think being a local producer should be all about making the maximum dollars by by-passing your friends and neighbors. I think it should be about making a fair return and offering a fair value. That is what I strive to do. Yeah, my prices are higher, but not a whole lot. I could haul all my stuff to Chicago or somewhere and make the big bucks, but it's just so much more satisfying to sell to my town's people and make a decent profit on it.

Sorry, but I can get worked up on this one. I've been told the most amazing things by other producers in regards to my pricing. I've been told I must be losing money, I will put myself out of business, I will put them out of business, I'm stupid for not going after the higher-end, etc etc etc.

My niche is middle class folks who ARE willing to pay a BIT more for quality and to support ME! They like me!!! They like what I am doing and they support that. That is the best feeling in the world....and that mutual trust and respect is making a very successful business.

I'm thinking of throwing a seminar called "You don't have to be organic and you don't have to go to Chicago!"

Ok...I'll get off my soap box now.

Jena

All the sales seminars I went to (many) talked about selling benefits. I would emphasize the hormone, antibiotic, additive free, pasture raised qualities of your meat. (use "Hormone-free", etc. rather than "NO Hormones", etc.) Also, the cleanliness of your butchering process--no chicken soaked in fecal soup (how could you say that in a positive way?). I would have as many recipe cards as possible, all with your logo. I would schedule demonstrations of things like "how to fricasee a chicken" Maybe the words "cut up" would be better. Perhaps samples with frilly toothpicks. Having some chicken and pork sizzling in an elec frypan sends wafting odors with the same effect as a bakery.

Your stuff doesn't even compare with the WM's of the world. Also, the person watching every penny isn't your customer, the serious health watcher is. If you want to compare, how bout getting some pictures of the factory raised animals in their "normal" setting, along with some larger pix of your pasture raised beauties happily chomping away at the clover blossoms. Flyers are OK, but try to make a double fold brochure offering all these benefits with perhaps additional educational words. Include some benefits of buying local. (See THis Organic Life, by Joan Dye Gussow. Do not include prices, you want them to phone or stop by. Yours is a superior product.

Having said that, I do think the comparisons, along with samples and a few freebies for the chefs, would be helpful. Phone first to get the best time to drop in, or for an appt. If you can get a chef (let him know that he would get your permission) to print your logo in their menus, it would be beneficial to both of you. "[logo] Our meat is EXCLUSIVELY from our local farmer, Jena Martin." I have seen similar notices in some of the nicer restaurants. Emphasize "local".

Hope these comments (and others) are helpful. If not, please PM me and I'll desist.

Sandi

If I had someone like you nearby (and if there's anyone here who knows someone in Eastern VT who is...) I'd likely buy from them every week. Unfortunately, even the co-ops are too highly priced for me.

That's why I've felt led to sell what extra meat and milk and eggs I'll produce to my family & friends for a low price - as low as I can to just cover feed costs.

But it seems to me the only farms around here I can find jack up their prices in the name of "Organic" - a term that isn't regulated by the government, so it can mean almost anything.

There is much excellent advice above. However, one should use caution when attacking a sleeping giant. Bear in mind that even if Wallmart is wrong, they can most likely outlast you because they have virtually unlimited legal and political resources.

You could face legal challenges, libel among many other claims that you would have to defend against. They can easily complicate the case to such a degree you would have to hire lawyers or capitulate.

Political problems: State health inspectors, meat inspectors, sale tax reviews, income tax reviews, zoning claims and so on.

Presenting the facts about your product without comparisons should easily sell your wares to there intended market.

I know someone said not to mention prices, but I know I am much more likely to stop in or buy if I have an idea of what the prices are. I don't want to waste my time, money, and gas going somewhere just to find out their prices are too high. I'd like to know I'm getting a good deal.

IMHO "organic" and "local" farms are a dime a dozen these days (at least here they are)...what makes you different is your desire to provide good, home-grown products to ordinary people and a decent price. You mentioned you are targeting regular Blue-collar Moms and Dads, not the Higher End...I would definately mention that, and mention that you are open to suggestions.

The recipe card thing is a fantastic idea...especially if it includes family friendly recipes...casseroles, Crock-pot recipes, "Speedy" or "Easy" or "Fast" or "Kid Friendly". Anything breaded works too.
JMO

I have to disagree with the comments about ony the well to do being able to afford better meat. I live in a rural area considered to be "poor". We are mostly lower middle class, lower class, with a few middle to upper middle class folk. In town, until recently, was a butcher who sold the high end stuff. Once I started shopping there for meat, it became my only meat source until we started buying 1/2 steer and whole pig two years ago. This business was not kept going by the upper crust people, but by a cross section. Many of the customers were definitely in the "poor" category, even using food stamps. The prices were usually higher than at the chain groceries, but not outragously so.

I think if you are worried that people can't afford your prices, inspire somebody to offer classes in, what would you call this?... consumer smarts, food budgeting. Many people could afford to spend more on healthy food if they stopped buying junk food. There are people out there who think that chips and donuts are part of a well balanced diet. Once they replace junk food with fresh vegetables they discover that they can afford better quality meat. And don't forget that many people will pick up anything that is "lower in fat", even if it isn't good for them.

Jena, if you find yourself in a position where you are producing more than you can sell locally, you can always go to the Chicago market. You can freeze meat and mail it overnight (yes, there are companies that do this) to a few customers on a regular basis. You ask them what they want in their package, and mail them a package every month, or two weeks, or whatever.

Anyway, I am just so proud of you for taking the steer by the horns and moving your business forward :haha: :yeeha:

[QUOTE=Maura]The prices were usually higher than at the chain groceries, but not outragously so.
QUOTE]

The key words to me here were "Not outragously so".

Like I said... Chicken in the store where I live costs as little as 79 cents/lb whole, and ground beef about $2/lb or so. Eggs are at about $1.50.

The "organic" farmers and local products here are asking $5/lb for a whole chicken or ground beef! Over $3/doz for eggs!
I can understand paying prices a bit higher than the grocery store...$2/lb for chicken or something like that. But paying $3 or more over the store price is just too much.

And, for the record, I don't buy junk food. I don't even buy Apple juice (it's all sugar anyway). I try to buy healthy and I try to pinch my pennies as much as I can. The reason I've been able to get our grocery bill down to $80 per week is by not spending too much on meat and the like.

Well ...:haha: ... I can understand that but, a lot of people use boneless skinless chicken breast for everything that our moms used hamburger for. For almost every meal!

And then, the idea f cutting up a whole chicken puts some people off. My one neighbor lady (age 85) just can't do it anymore because it's physically difficult, but some folks don't want to get that personal with a dead bird I guess. My mom for instance will not do ANYTHING with her hands -- won't mix meatloaf, or make pie crust or knead bread dough -- just a "thing" she has.

I think there are lots of folks liek that out there.

But also a lot that think chickens hatch as nuggets, probably

__________________
"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity."

I had a lot of people tell me that they either couldn't cut a chicken anymore or didn't know how. So I got 125 chickens cut up. Guess what's still in my freezer? They didn't want to pay the extra charge for a cut-up bird. I have to pay the extra charge.....

I can't actually cook anything. My health inspection does not cover that. I'm going to check if I can demonstrate chicken cutting, but I'm out of whole birds, so that will have to wait for next year. I bet they'll make me throw the demonstration bird away....(I'd take it home and cook it).

Jena

Legally speaking, what does it take to sell meat? When I looked into it the regulations were prohibitive. Your butchering area has to be inspected, the storage etc. A lot of USDA regs there. For me I found it was only cost effective to only sell live animals and then let them butcher them themselves or have it done. I'm sure Walmart and Kroger are going to be looking into that, "on your behalf" if they start seeing a trend

I almost think there's two kinds of consumers out there ...

One group wants cheap and-or convenient ...

Others want healthier foods. DH and his cousin deal with a lot of those folk with the freezer beef.

And sometimes I think they switch back and forth dependign on what food is being considered.

At any rate, hope it all goes well ...
Ann

__________________
"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity."

jean , did you know i went to the grocery store today well , i did , and you know what i saw in the grocery store that made me want to cry?

there on the shelf, next ther "meal in a box kits"
was ... believe it or not "crock pot sensations" you just add the meat....
how pathetic is this ??????
i agree, crok pot recipes are AWESOME when i know im not gonna have time for dinner, its the crock pot, even today for supper it was ham in the crock pot , only thing , is in my hurry , i forgot to soak the ham to leach out the excess salt, the ham is fine, the salt cooked out in the juice, husband used drippingso n his potato , didnt eat it , too salty ..


getting back to food ,

Jeabn , you have a great idea, the restraunts and chefs will be your BEST market,
make sure you can supply them, are you ready to supply 500 lbs a meat a week ? to a single restraunt? ( BTW , thats for a VERY small restraunt)
when i had my coffeee shop we had organicly grown coffee custom roasted, they goth thier logo on mymmenu , and i got AWESOMe fresh coffees.

seriously, when my aunt had her tavern, we served dinner 4 nights a week ,
we did chicken on sunday, about 50-60 birds
friday was fish , about 100 lbs , and 40-50 steaks
saturday was prime rib, about 75 lbs
thursday was rpork ribs about 70 lbs
that was in a small tow , with no advertising,
can you supply that ?

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I am totally legal and it's not that hard.

Forget doing your own processing or it IS that hard!

I take mine to a USDA processor. I pick up the packaged meat and sell it. I am licensed by IL dept of Ag and also have a permit from my local health department.

Inspections are easy. They check labels (which the processor does), my sales records (I have to have every sales listed with a name/address of the buyer), food temps (zero degrees) and a few other things. No big deal.

Basically I sell frozen, pre-packaged, USDA inspected meat. The health requirements are minimal because the risk is minimal. It would be different if I sold fresh, or did any part of the cutting. It would be waaay different if I did my own slaughter.

Jena

I have checked on what these tiny restaurants use. The one I have in mind buys 20 lbs of burger a week. I can do that, easy. There are others that are equally small.

I was out posting flyers and a lady said she wants my chicken when she starts doing chicken salad again for her deli. Her equipment is broken and she has to get it fixed. I can't do the chickens until spring, but she only wants 40 pounds a week. I can do that, easy. BTW, she's been paying $2.90 a pound for whole birds! I got that price beat by a mile!

Jena

I'm still living in a small town and growing my own meat is pretty much out of the question. My late grandfather was a meatcutter and taught me at a young age what good meat really was. I lucked out last year, I ran into this old man that looked strangely familiar to me, so i started talking to him. It turns out he worked with grandpa years ago. He's in his 70's, but, he and his son run a small butcher store in a bad nieghborhood in the nearby city. I make a trip every few weeks and get meat just like I remember it as a kid. His son isn't alot older than me, so I know I'll have a place to buy decent meat for a while at least.

Hopefully the hispanic ethnic market and his willingness to accomodate will keep him in business for many years.