by Visit any grocery store or farmers’ market and you’ll see one word blazoned on signage, produce stickers, and the labels of bestselling meats: organic.
Demand for organic goods has skyrocketed in recent years and is expected to keep growing. At the same time, shoppers have become more and more interested in where their food comes from and how it’s produced, reporting that they’re willing to pay more for responsibly farmed groceries.
These trends are great news for your farm shop. By offering farm-fresh, organic goods, you can expand your customer base, build your shoppers’ trust, and grow your sales.
But first, you need to know the best practices for organic farm shop management. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the three key steps to running a profitable organic farm shop, including what it takes to be an organic farmer, best practices for farm shop operations, and how to make a splash with your organic marketing strategies.
1. Understand and Implement Organic Standards
Labeling your products as organic isn’t just a marketing strategy. Instead, it’s a commitment to upholding strict standards to produce fresh, delicious, sustainably sourced food.
Let’s take a quick look at how to include organic standards in your farm shop management plan.
Organic Meat Standards
Let’s start by talking about one of the most in-demand organic products: meat.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created a set of livestock management standards that organic farmers must comply with. Here are a few examples of regulations that apply to all types of animals:
- Farmers must provide livestock with certified organic feed, fresh drinking water, and clean bedding
- Antibiotics and added growth hormones are strictly prohibited
- All animals must have year-round access to ample outdoor space with direct sunlight
The USDA also requires that grazing species like cattle and goats have adequate space for grazing in a certified organic pasture.
Before labeling your farm shop’s meats with the word “organic,” make sure to learn about these standards, create a plan for implementing them, and find a USDA agent to oversee your livestock management.
Organic Produce Standards
Now that we’ve covered organic livestock standards, let’s talk about produce.
If you’re hoping to label your farm shop’s produce as organic, the most important thing to understand is the USDA’s list of allowed and prohibited substances. The USDA has banned most artificial fertilizers and pesticides from use in organic produce, and they recommend that farmers rely on strategies like crop rotation and cover crops to keep soil fertile and pest-free.
Keep in mind that organic crops cannot be grown on soil that has had these substances applied in the past three years — so raising organic crops isn’t a quick and easy project.
And just like organic livestock, you’ll need a USDA agent to oversee your farming practices and grant you permission to use a certified organic label.
2. Tackle Farm Shop Inventory Management
You’ve put in the hard work to raise bountiful, organic crops and livestock — and now you’ve got a shop full of farm-fresh meats and produce. What’s next?
It’s time to take charge of your inventory and turn your harvests into profit.
Inventory control is a critical part of organic farm shop management. It helps you understand your yields, learn about your customers, and grow your sales over time.
The best way to manage your organic farm shop inventory is to invest in a farm point of sale (POS) system. This unique tool lets you track your stock levels, make sales, and monitor your shop’s financial performance. We recommend looking for farm POS software with these essential inventory features:
- Weight-based inventory management, which allows you to track and sell your products by their exact weights
- Real-time inventory tracking, which lets you see your stock levels at any time, from anywhere
- Advanced reporting and analytics, which reveal your bestselling and underperforming products
- Label printing, which helps you stay compliant with food safety regulations and minimize waste
A farm POS system with these features can make managing your organic meats and produce effortless.
3. Grow Your Organic Farm Shop
Once you’ve taken stock of your organic inventory, there’s only one thing left to do: sell it.
While farm-fresh, organic produce is definitely in demand, you still have to put in the work to let potential customers know why they should choose your farm shop. Let’s explore a few different strategies to cultivate a thriving customer base and grow your sales.
Experiment With E-Commerce
If you’re looking for a future-proof organic farm shop management strategy, consider e-commerce.
Selling your farm’s organic goods online has several benefits for you and your customers. It eliminates the need for them to visit your farm shop in-person and makes farm-fresh products more accessible — and it lets you attract new customers and make more sales.
To launch an online farm shop, we recommend choosing farm POS software with a user-friendly website builder and an order management system that allows for pickup, delivery, and nationwide shipping.
Generate Repeat Business
Once you’ve attracted organic aficionados to your farm shop, you need a way to keep them coming back.
That’s where a farm shop loyalty program comes in. This strategy lets you offer special discounts and perks to customers to encourage them to rely on your farm as their number-one provider of organic meats and produce.
Another way to keep the sales flowing is to launch a subscription service, which lets customers sign up for recurring shipments of their favorite organic products.
Your farm POS software should make it easy to use both of these strategies, so make sure to choose a system with a built-in customer loyalty program and subscription manager.
Spruce Up Your Marketing Strategy
Marketing is another crucial part of a successful organic farm shop management strategy.
We recommend using a combination of email, SMS, and social media to educate potential customers about your organic farming practices, show off your bestselling meats and produce, and spread the word about your latest promotions.
Pro Tip: To make marketing a breeze, choose a farm POS system with flexible marketing integrations. This will allow you to use one convenient tool to set up promotions, manage orders, and stay connected with your customers.
Find Organic Farm Shop Success With GrazeCart
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this blog, so let’s wrap up with our top tip for organic farm shop management: invest in a farm e-commerce platform that you can trust.
This tool touches every aspect of your farm’s operations, letting you make sales, monitor your inventory levels, expand your reach, and stay connected with your customers.
If you’re searching for a solution to help you reach all of these goals, look no further than GrazeCart. Designed by and for farmers, our software has everything you need to run an efficient, profitable organic farm shop.
See GrazeCart in action by launching your free trial today.