Direct marketing farms sell their products in a variety of ways, including directly to consumers on the farm, at farm stands or U-Pick operations, at farmers markets, and through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), culinary and agritourism, online and mail-order sales. Direct marketing farms may also sell through what’s called “intermediated markets” such as food hubs and directly to local restaurants, grocery stores, food co-ops, and institutions like schools. While, direct marketing is well suited for smaller, diversified operations, farms of any size can benefit from direct marketing as a diversification strategy.

Farms interested in selling directly to consumers have many options in Washington. This is a very dynamic and creative marketing arena. To get you started, this fact sheet provides an overview of several of the most common ways of selling directly to individuals who will eat, wear, experience, or otherwise use your farm products.

The internet, information technology, and smart phones are changing the way people shop, including for all types of food and farm products from fresh produce, flowers, and value-added products to ready-made meals and even meat, grains, eggs, and more.

E-commerce is not just about using a website, email list, or social media to promote your farm and products to customers, though those are important marketing tools. E-commerce also includes processing orders and sales transactions online via a farm’s own website or through an e-commerce marketplace.

Family farms have a long tradition of offereing a taste of farm life to travelers.  From cider pressing and seasonal farm stands to harvest festivals and pumpkin patches, farms offer a range of unique experiences.  With the growth in farm-to-table eating, interest in where products come from, and a search for authentic experiences linked to food and culture, the connection between agritourism and culinary tourism is tighter than ever.  There is an abundance of opprtunity for farms to expand or diversify by offering culinary agritourism experiences to guests and customers. 

Washington has over 395 independent grocers, according to the Washington Food Industry Association. And, as of 2019, there were 23 member-owned food co-op grocery stores in Washington, according to the National Co-op Directory. These independently owned stores, including specialty markets, natural food stores, co-op grocers, and some super markets often have more flexibility to buy directly from farms and are good outlets for moving larger volumes of product. Working with local farms is often a core element of the independent grocery business and marketing plan, which makes them a potentially great customer.

Chefs, cooks, and caterers are often looking for high quality, interesting, unusual, and seasonal ingredients they can incorporate into outstanding meals. They are also looking for supplier partnerships that contribute to their brand. Products that are hard to find through mainstream food suppliers, like heirloom or heritage products, unique varieties, or wild foraged foods, tend to be in higher demand. Likewise, products that are available early or late in the season or through the winter tend to be in higher demand.

Nationally, “farm to school” and other strategies for selling directly to institutions have grown and expanded to include cafeterias beyond K-12 schools, especially as public policy has sought to promote healthful diets and as public awareness of “farm to table” has increased. Farms have the opportunity to sell directly to a diverse range of institutions with a range of requirements. The key to success is finding a good match between the institution’s needs and the farm’s products, volumes, and capacity to deliver or arrange deliveries. In general, direct marketing farms sell to institutions in two ways:  by creating a direct relationship with the food service buyer or by selling through a food hub or farmer cooperative that can sell, aggregate, and deliver to institutions more efficiently. In all cases, farms will need to invest time in building relationships and regular communication with food service directors, chefs, kitchen staff, and buyers.
 

In Washington State, as in other parts of the country, food hubs are becoming a more common way for direct marketing farms to sell their products to customers ranging from individual households to restaurants, schools, and corporate or institutional cafeterias. Food hubs are a means for direct marketing farms to access markets that are difficult to sell to on their own. Food hubs can meet customers’ needs with ordering and delivery efficiencies and larger volume sales, by aggregating product from several farms while still maintaining the farms’ individual identities and a personal connection to customers. In some cases, farms can capture a price premium that is not available through more traditional wholesale channels.

There is growing interest in fostering direct connections between local farmers and food banks and the emergency food system. Emergency food providers are seeking out fresh produce and other local foods for their clients, while small and direct marketing farms appreciate being able to donate or sell their products to food banks. Washington’s emergency food network includes over 500 food banks, community food pantries, meal programs, and tribal organizations. Spanning every part of the state, these programs provided essential food and nutritional assistance to 1.15 million Washington residents in 2018.