The path from your fields to a customer’s table is far from a straight line.
A successful farm-to-fork operation requires you to use the best tools and strategies to ensure fresh, prompt, and profitable deliveries.
In this blog, we’ll explore the basics of farm-to-fork delivery and share four key steps to efficient, profitable deliveries.
E-commerce has completely transformed the way farmers connect with their communities.
Rather than waiting for in-person visits to your farm store or farmers market booth, you can now sell your harvests online — which creates a more convenient experience for your shoppers and gives you the chance to make more sales.
Selling your farm-fresh products online might seem complicated, but there’s just one crucial tool you need: a farm e-commerce platform.
Your farm e-commerce platform allows you to create a custom website for your farm, list your products for sale, accept online orders, and manage the farm-to-fork delivery processing from start to finish.
While choosing the right e-commerce tool will make the biggest difference when it comes to creating an efficient farm-to-fork delivery strategy, there are a few other best practices you should keep in mind. Let’s take a look at our top four tips.
A smooth farm-to-fork experience starts from the moment your customer lands on your farm’s website.
Your website should clearly explain what products you sell, what delivery methods you offer, and how much they should expect to pay when they order from your farm.
To help you outline your farm’s offerings, here are some common farm-to-fork delivery models:
Regardless of what options you offer, your customers should know exactly what they’re paying for. Use your farm e-commerce platform to provide delivery estimates based on what’s in their carts to ensure they feel confident placing an order.
An effective inventory management approach is essential for farm-to-fork success. After all, how can you list your harvests for sale if you don’t know what you have in stock?
Since products like meat and produce don’t come in uniform quantities, you’ll want to manage and sell them by weight.
Offering weight-based sales has two main benefits: Your customers can order exactly how much they want, and you can make the most of your inventory down to the last ounce.
To implement a weight-based inventory management strategy, you’ll need a reliable scale, farm management software with stock tracking features, and a label printer. With these tools, you can easily package, label, and track your weight-based products to streamline the farm-to-fork delivery process.
Your customer has explored your website, they’ve placed an order, and you’ve prepared and labeled their products. Your next step is to get their order ready for shipping.
The shipping process can be tough on a box of perishable products like meat and produce. It will encounter bumpy roads, dramatic temperature changes, and being tightly squeezed into a full delivery truck.
That’s why you should be proactive and follow best practices for shipping farm-fresh goods. Spend some time learning about the different packaging materials and techniques, and determine which methods will work best for your needs.
Crafting your farm-to-fork delivery process isn’t a one-and-done task. Instead, you should learn from your wins and failures to continue improving your strategies.
Set aside time to review your farm e-commerce platform’s reports and identify your customers’ preferences and shopping habits. Which products are selling best online? What delivery methods do shoppers usually opt for? How much time generally passes between when a customer places an order and when it arrives on their doorstep?
Regularly answering these questions and adjusting your farm-to-fork delivery methods will ensure you always meet your customers’ needs.
Ready to dive into the profitable world of farm-to-fork delivery? We’re here to help!
GrazeCart is an e-commerce platform designed for farms just like yours. With a user-friendly website builder, flexible fulfillment options, and robust order management, GrazeCart has everything you need to build a thriving farm-to-fork operation.
Experience GrazeCart for yourself by taking advantage of a free, two-week trial.