Most organic farmers market their products themselves. Which means that the products are sold directly on the farm. At first, this sounds a bit awkward; after all, not everyone has an organic farm around the corner. But for the consumer, shopping at the organic farm has its advantages, for example that the goods are cheaper. Direct marketing also gives the products “a face and a story,” because consumers can see directly where the food comes from.
Advantages of direct marketing by organic farmers
Most organic farmers market their products themselves, meaning they offer them for sale on their farms. This has advantages for the consumer. Not only are the products significantly cheaper because there is no middleman.
Shopping on the farm is also less anonymous: for example, you can find out on the spot about how the animals are kept and how they are grown, and you can also learn a lot about the work on a farm quite incidentally. The farmer himself vouches for the quality of his products and not an anonymous label, which – let’s face it – we no longer trust anyway.
Buying in bulk at the organic farm
To make it really worthwhile, you should travel by car. Because direct marketing from the farm usually involves larger quantities, for example, a bag of potatoes or a pallet of apples. The drive is therefore suitable for filling up the freezer and larder.
If the trip is long, it makes sense to make an appointment by phone. Smaller farm stores, in particular, are usually run by the farm’s owners and employees in addition to their daily work. Therefore, opening hours may be limited.
Farm store and weekly market
An alternative to visiting the organic farm is the farm store. Here, organic farmers sell food produced on their farm, but also much of what is also available in the organic store such as bread, milk, cheese, pasta and – depending on the size of the farm store – other organic foods.
Many towns also have weekly markets where organic farmers also sell their products.
Farm communities
In addition to the aforementioned forms of distribution, there are also the now rare farm communities, associations of farmers and craftsmen who produced food from the raw materials of the farmers: Millers, bakers, butchers, cheesemakers or brewers. They produce, for example, cheese, bread or sausage, but also compote, baking mixes, honey or apple juice.
Such businesses need a certain size in order to operate economically. They sell their products not only through their own farm store, but also to organic stores in the region and other bulk buyers such as daycare centers or canteens.
And finally, it is also possible to spend an excellent vacation on an organic farm. For parents, this has the invaluable advantage that the children are kept busy and the accommodation and catering prices are very reasonable compared to hotels.
