by Farm to fork: it’s a buzzword you’ve probably come across in farming industry magazines, blogs, and even local restaurants’ menus.
But what is farm to fork? And more importantly, what does it mean for your farm?
In this blog, we’ll share everything you need to know about the growing farm to fork trend, including how it can benefit you and your customers, plus our top three tips for succeeding in the farm to fork landscape.
What Is Farm to Fork?
When the craving for a delicious steak dinner strikes, many customers will head to their local grocery store’s meat department in search of a ribeye or T-bone.
But a growing number of consumers have begun bypassing the grocery store and looking for opportunities to buy fresh steaks straight from the farm.
These thoughtful shoppers are part of the growing farm to fork movement, which celebrates local farms that use regenerative practices to produce nutritious and sustainably sourced meats and produce.
So, what is farm to fork? In short, it’s the direct connection between farmers and families. Instead of selling your meats and produce to a grocery store or other distributor, adopting the farm to fork approach lets you build relationships with loyal customers who care about where their food comes from and how it’s produced.
Now, let’s look at the benefits you and your customers can harvest from the farm to fork movement.
The Benefits of Farm to Fork
The farm to fork business model has exploded in popularity — and for good reason.
Let’s explore some key reasons why customers benefit from buying directly from the farm:
- Transparency: Purchasing from a farmer they trust gives customers peace of mind about where their food comes from and how it’s produced.
- Freshness: Direct farm sales shorten the journey between food and customers’ tables, meaning that farm to fork products are often fresher than those at the grocery store.
- Options: Customers who prefer organic, sustainable, or ethically sourced products can buy from a farm that aligns with their values and needs.
It’s not just customers who benefit from direct sales. Here’s what you have to gain from adopting a farm to fork approach:
- Higher profit margins: Selling directly to customers rather than relying on a food distributor lets you take home a larger portion of your profits.
- Consistent sales: A farm to fork business model lets you build lasting relationships with loyal customers, giving you a steady flow of sales and revenue.
- New opportunities: Connecting directly with customers helps you learn more about them and tailor your offerings to meet their wants and needs.
Launching a farm to fork operation can be a profitable and rewarding adventure, giving you the chance to make more sales and get to know customers who are passionate about what you do.
How To Succeed in the Farm to Fork World
We’ve covered why you should jump on the farm to fork trend. Now it’s time to dive into how it works. Here are our top three tips for attracting customers, increasing sales, and embracing new e-commerce opportunities.
1. Get Serious About Your Online Presence
A well-established online presence is the most important ingredient for farm to fork success.
Since your customers will purchase farm-fresh products directly from you rather than from a grocery store or other food distributor, they need a convenient way to find your farm, learn about your offerings, and place orders.
That’s where your farm to fork website comes in. Keep these best practices in mind as you build your website:
- Choose the right farm website builder: Look for an e-commerce platform with a no-code, drag-and-drop tool to simplify the process of creating and updating your farm website.
- Optimize for local search: Learn all you can about search engine optimization (SEO) and ensure that your farm appears when potential customers search for farm to fork businesses near them.
- Offer flexible options: Since the major appeal of farm to fork e-commerce is that you can expand your reach and sell to customers across the country, make sure your online farm store includes flexible options, including everything from local pickup to nationwide delivery.
Following these three principles will help you build an attractive, user-friendly farm website that customers can easily find.
2. Educate Customers About Your Farm
Once customers land on your farm website, your next step is to educate them about the value of farm to fork meats and produce.
Make sure your website includes thorough, engaging content about your farm and farming practices. Here are some essential topics to cover:
- Your family farm story: Whether you come from a multi-generational farming family or you’re just starting your farm journey, tell potential customers about the history and passion behind your harvests.
- Your farming practices: Make customers who care about their food’s origin feel good about buying from your farm. Use your website to educate them about your commitments to sustainability, organic standards, or humane livestock treatment.
- Photos and videos: Photo and video content can make your farm website seem more professional and trustworthy, giving potential customers a behind-the-scenes look at your farm’s operations. Choose high-quality, clear images and videos, or consider hiring a photographer.
Before they feel comfortable making a purchase, farm to fork shoppers will spend significant time browsing your website to ensure your farming practices match their wants and needs. Make sure that they can find answers to all their questions.
Pro Tip: Choosing an e-commerce platform designed specifically for farms makes updating your website to include new, informative content a breeze.
3. Make Farm to Fork Shopping Convenient
You’ve attracted potential shoppers to your online farm store and earned their trust. Now what?
Your next goal is to cultivate a loyal base of customers who will choose you whenever they need to restock their refrigerators and freezers with farm-fresh products they can trust.
The number-one way to keep customers coming back is to provide a convenient experience every time they shop with you. We recommend investing in an all-in-one order management system, website builder, and point of sale (POS) system to smooth out the customer experience and help you provide fresh, on-time deliveries.
Here are three other ways to boost customer satisfaction and generate repeat business:
- Reward customers for choosing your farm: A loyalty program encourages customers to spend more and save more by letting them earn rewards points and redeem them for exclusive discounts and perks.
- Offer subscription boxes: Subscription boxes allow customers to restock their supplies of farm-fresh goods effortlessly. Plus, you’ll enjoy the steady, consistent flow of revenue from subscriptions.
- Launch an email newsletter: Stay connected with your customers, highlight fresh harvests, and promote sales and discounts through regular email newsletters.
Putting these ideas into action might sound intimidating, but a comprehensive farm e-commerce platform should include a built-in loyalty program, subscription management features, and email marketing integrations to make it easy.
Grow Your Farm to Fork Business With GrazeCart
What is farm to fork? The best answer is that it’s a profitable opportunity for you to meet the needs of customers who care about where their food comes from and how it’s produced.
If you’re ready to take advantage of this promising trend, your next step is to invest in a powerful farm e-commerce platform. Fortunately, you’re in the right place.
GrazeCart is an all-in-one e-commerce solution designed specifically for farm to fork businesses. With our software, you can build your website, accept online orders, manage the fulfillment process, and offer sales-boosting options like subscriptions and a customer loyalty program.
See GrazeCart in action by starting your free, two-week trial today!