Farmers Markets

[saucisson]

What did you decide to sell the rolls for WW? Sounds like you were busy

Dave

[welsh wizard]

Selling price seems to be dependant on the competition at the time. I knew exactly what my costs were and where I had to be price wise to make my profit, but apart from that it was looking around to see what other people were selling for.

I decided because I had spent some considerable time making the produce rather than going to the cash & carry, I would put a premium on the sausages and the burgers and sell them hard on the basis that they were home made, no preservatives etc etc. But as I said previously, I did not have time to do the selling bit I just needed to feed the masses.

At one stage my helpers were telling the crowds the wait was going to be 20 mins before they could get to my produce, and still they waited! I had done a lot of advertising re making a specific sausage for the event and I called it "The Shobdon Sausage", and people seemed to be prepared to wait, so from that stage it was very heartening.

Sorry, to get back to your question - I sold the sausages, burgers for c�3 a roll on its own and �3.50 with a small side of rice and peas and tomatoes in olive oil and mint - �2.50 to exhibitiors - Salmon �3.50 - �4 with garnish - ALL children got the salmon for half price because I wanted to encourage them to try it and also I did a discount for the children on the burgers and sausages mainly because I wanted them to try some proper food and not the stuff coming out of the burger van. I did not think these prices were too outlandish (rural community) and I made what I needed to make.

In reality I could have charged more and could have stocked more but as I said to the chap who was doing the paella, I am happier being sold out at 3pm knowing I should have brought more, that not being sold out knowing I should have brought less.

The one thing I am going to do differently at the next show day is not to offer hot food - just do tasters, sell raw food and speak to the public (mostly local people). I need to get my outside catering side of my business up and running locally, and to do this I have to sell me and what I do, which is somthing I cant do when I am flipping burgers no matter how good they are!

cheers WW

[Lance Yeoh]

WW,
Congrats on your success at the 3 day fair. You seem to be really happy and enjoying what you doing. Hope to see some pics of the 3 day fair soon.

As for myself, my sales last week was again not too bad.... considering that fact that it rained again. Sigh... Lets hope it won't rain again this Thursday. The weather here seems really crazy these few months.

I've been cooking samples for the crowd to test the sausages but some people keep wanting to buy and eat them. Hmmmm maybe I should reconsider my decision to sell everything raw and frozen. Maybe I'll sell them in rolls as well since the crowd seems forever hungry and they want their food ready to eat. But then I can't cook and talk about my sausages at the same time, there are times when I could not concentrate and split a couple of sausages from too high heat. I don't think I make enough to cover the hiring of a helper as yet.
Oh well, I just gotta learn to talk faster I think.

[welsh wizard]

Hi Lance

If you are doing a market that you continually go back to I would not worry about doing hot food as well as selling the raw material. The trick is to get the product into their mouths to see how good it is. Every one you sell hot, tell them the salient features in three short bursts, for example - no artificial preservatives, colourants or sweetners, just as they used to be in the old days, or somthing along those lines and add in they are available to purchase to take home, and thats it. You can do this in the time it takes to fill the bun.

Get yourself some marketing material sorted out (I printed mine off the computer to start) and give a small flier (I used A5) out with evry single purchase. If it is good and they liked it they will get back to you if not they wont and you have lost 1/2p. I also designed my own labels on Microsoft Publisher and bought some sticky labels from ebay and every bit of raw produce that goes out is now labeled not only with the necessary info ref ingredients but a label telling them where I am and what I do. marketing is a very important part of my operation and it has paid dividends for me.

Regarding help, that is where the family came in for me. My daughter who is into am dram acted as the hawker and my son who loves cooking helped on the flipping. My wife who is a teacher of the deaf really decided it was not for her but helped none the less, for which I was very grateful and told her so (well its cheaper than wages).

Hope the rain keeps off this Thursday for you and yes I am really trying to get the few photographs posted. IF you like send me your email and I will send them to you in that format (when I have downloaded them).

Cheers WW

[saucisson]

All very interesting stuff, keep it coming.

Dave

[aris]

Yeah ww - interesting - like I said before - why don't you start a blog? It is good for business too.

[welsh wizard]

Hi Aris - i hear whet you are saying about a blog but as I am a total numpty when it comes to the computer thing, tell me do you have to update the blog on a regular basis? I only ask as theis forum allows me to dip in and out when there is somthing to say as it were.

Cheers WW

[silken]

Hi Welsh Wizard

You know all that advice you have been giving me...... well, I am off work at the moment, unlikely I will ever be able to go back... but I am considered somewhat of a computer nerd (among other things!) and, as I am pretty much housebound for the forseeable future, I would be happy to offer my services!!!

I have been teaching myself 'Dreamweaver' (a professional programme for making web pages) - to keep the brain cells ticking over and, if you want me to help you..... it would stop me becoming one of the 'living dead'!!!

Obviously a blog would be easy for you to manage and, if you want to have a web site, why not get in touch??????

Fond Regards

Silvana

PS If you don't want me to help you, I don't mind as long as you still advise me about my sausages!!!!!

[welsh wizard]

Hi Silvana - All help VERY gratefully recieved at this end I can assure you.

I have PM'd you re help - god knows I need it

cheers WW

[welsh wizard]

Just a brief update......

I now attend the Farmers Market in Hereford twice a month and the general market in Ludlow on a Monday and throughout August I do the Craft and produce market on a Tuesday (trying to get the holiday makers)

I sell Smoked Salmon, SS Pate, Crab Pate & Crab & SS Sandwiches on the Farmers Market and I add to the aforementioned Dry Cure Bacon and Sausages on the Monday and Tuesday markets. The Sausages change each week and we have had Pork and Pear, Pork and Peach, Pork and Mango, Pork and Cider and this week it will be Long Horn Beef and Horseraddish.

Sales at the stat were slow but things have very much improved. The paties sem to have built up a following and a lot of my business is repeat which is encouraging. I am asked a lot if I do mail order and that, with the very generous help of another member I hope to be doing soon.

I have been fortunate enough to get a supermarket interested in one of my products so the logistics question will need to be answered next, if of course the project comes to fruition.

All in all, I am happy with the way things are going which is a reflection of some of the super advice and help I have recieved from the members of this forum, so thank you.

Cheers WW

[harterz]

WW - great to hear how well you are doing!

I have been following your trials and tribulations through this thread and I am sure I am not alone in congratulating you on your success to date.

Your persistance and innovation is paying off.

Continued Good Luck to you, and keep us up to date on progress!

harterz

[aris]

Yes WW - good to hear about your success. Where is that website then?

[welsh wizard]

Well the web site is as they say "under construction" but as I said in my previous post, I am very fortunate to have the assistance of another member who is going to help me build the site sometime in the near future.

The domain name (if thats what you call it ) is keycottagecatering but as I said it is early days.

Cheers WW

[Ken Boy]

Hi WW
Best of Luck with The Website hope every thing works out for you keep us posted On how things are going

[Lance Yeoh]

Hi WW,
how are things going lately? Getting really busy?

As for me I am doing pretty well in my sales every Thursday. I usually sell about 15kgs of sausages each time. Having one problem though, I have customers who want me to cook sausages for them to consume there and then. They'll order and walk away before coming back in 10 minutes time and the problem for me is remembering the individual orders when I have more then half a dozen orders in hand.

I really having fun experimenting with some new recipes and seeing people enjoying the sausages is definately an added bonus. I think the some people in the expat community here is glad to finally be able to get their hands on some proper sausages instead of the typical 'junk' available in the market. Maybe it's time I do some sort of advertisement as well and if the orders start to pile up, I'll probably just quite my office job and go into sausage making full time. At least I'm having fun doing it.