Fresh Idea: Lush Logos

Logos are everywhere these days. You can't help but see at least one brand throughout your day. They come in different shapes and sizes and with diverse personalities just like people. So what makes one stand out to you over the others? What gives it appeal especially when it is broadcasting something as generic as a Farmer's Market? The logo needs to be lush. 

What do I mean when I say a lush logo? "Lush" as I want to define it is an adjective that means "appealing to the senses" - ie. I enjoyed the lush sounds of the orchestra. When used in this context it is a brand that attracts the customer without overwhelming them. 

This definition stems from an article again written by my favorite periodical, Fast Company, named "How to Build an Unforgettable, 'Smashable' Brand Identity (Hint: It's Not the Logo)." While the title emphasizes that your logo is not your brand, it is still an important part of attracting the customer. This article discusses that your brand has to be cross-sensory and so does your logo. 

Think of the car manufacturer Audi. However you may feel about cars they have done an excellent job making their brand concept consistent throughout their products. If you saw an Audi A4 and then saw an Audi A8 you may not know what the cars are or anything about them, but I'm sure you could guess they were from the same company because they look similar, sound similar, and drive similarly. The same holds true on the inside with similar layouts of stereo, seating, and lighting. The cars look very similar even though they are of completely different sizes, have different engines and features. 

So how does this carryover to the Farmer's Market. concept? How can you make a market brand show throughout the market experience while still maintaining heterogeneity?

1. Have a Visually Appealing Image and Color Scheme

My favorite example of this is the Minneapolis Mill City Market. Their website is brimming with vivid colors, great pictures, and a curiously attracting logo. It is a green silhouette of a rooster on top of a fire hydrant. Excellent because it says country farm meets city location. 

2. Proliferate the Image and Colors

Where the Mill City Market could improve is in their proliferation of that great image. I have yet to be to the market yet but their e-mails lack the same vividness. A good example of someone they can look to is Seattle's Pike Place Market. I started subscribing a few months ago to this e-mail feed just to see the newsletter and it is amazing packed with professionally done images, messages, and coupons. It looks like something I would get from Whole Foods. 

3. Have Consistent Vendors 

While I love diversity, there is a certain comfort to seeing a small number of consistent vendors to tell you that you are at a satellite of a larger market. The best example of this is the St. Paul's Farmer's Market which has different locations throughout the week but a consistent logo, color scheme, and some similar vendors that anchor their markets. 

4. Invoke the Other Senses When Talking About the Brand

The Minneapolis Farmer's Market has a radio show, a twitter feed, flyers, spokespeople, a market talk, and a cooking hour all revolving around their logo. They are creating a persona to their market more than anything else. I am expecting that when I visit their market my senses will be on alert. 

So a logo is much like the cover of a book. It can help someone open you up and see what you're about, but once they are in you have to keep them attracted to that logo. You need to continue to pervade your buyer's interest and senses. 

 

Fresh Idea: A Market on a Mission

“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be

part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.”


—Howard Schultz, Starbucks




You, a member of your local Farmer's Market, probably think, "Mission statements may be great for someone like Starbucks or Apple, but what does it matter for a local Farmer's Market? People know what we're doing. We sell local food in our area and that should be self-evidently important on its face." 


We at Driving For Freshness think in response: "You sell food locally. So what? I can as easily drive to my super market or another fresh market to get similar goods. Why should I even bother to shop here?"


Your mission statement can go a long way in defining you for people outside and inside your market. Let's 
take a look at a couple of statements to see what I mean:

Central Minnesota Vegetable Growers Association 

"The CMVGA manages, educates and assists in improving production methods and direct-marketing strategies for its members through related partnerships with the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Grown Promotional Board."

Dane County Farmer's Market 


The DCFM pursues the following goals:

•  To give growers and producers of Wisconsin agricultural commodities and other farm-related products alternative marketing opportunities. •  To promote the sale of Wisconsin-grown farm products. •  To improve the variety, freshness, taste and nutritional value of produce available in the Madison area. •  To provide an opportunity for farmers and people from urban communities to deal directly with each other rather than through third parties, and to thereby get to know and learn from one another. •  To provide an educational forum for consumers to learn the uses and benefits of quality, locally grown or prepared food products. •  To provide educational opportunities for producers to test and refine their products and marketing skills. •  To enhance the quality of life in the greater Madison area by providing a community activity which fosters social gathering and interaction. •  To preserve Wisconsin’s unique agricultural heritage and the historical role which farmers' markets have played in it.

The first statement, found on the website for the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, is good but a touch broad. When I read it I think that my purpose in going to the market is to educate myself about local produce like it is a class and to acknowledge the organizations that put it together. On a Saturday morning I'm honestly not in the mood to go educate myself per say, I want to have an experience of interacting with farmer's. This seems like a very introverted statement that is meant for people within the organization. What about its customers?


The second statement from the market in Madison really lays out some concrete goals that can relate to all different parties. These are all great goals but it would be nice if it was prefaced with an overarching statement and each of the goals were more quantifiable. How do I know if we are getting close to our goals?


How did I come to these conclusions? I analyzed them along three measurements that I want to share with you: concreteness, direction, and support. When you get done reading these pointers, think about the mission statements that I pulled from these sites and see if you could come up with something better.  


Point 1: Make it Concrete


Dan Heath, columnist for Fast Company magazine and writer of the book Made To Stick, warns that the first thing an organization has to be weary of is making the statement so broad that it is almost meaningless. 


In the article "How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn't Suck" he shows a statement by Sonicbids that uses concrete language:


"We want to help musicians get gigs, and promoters book the right bands...We're a bunch of people who think that music can truly change the world and make it smaller and better."


That statement is something tangible that you can really put your hands around depending on where you are in the organization. If you do not use concrete language then you can have your associates and customers sterilize the statement to where it loses all of its passion. This is why Dan contrasts Sonicbids with the mission statement from Exxon Mobil:


"Exxon Mobil is committed to being the world's premier petroleum and petrochemical company." 


This statement talks much about what the organization drives to do but not much of what they plan to do for its customers and stakeholders. Try to rework this statement yourself and see if you can come up with something more akin to Sonicbid's statement. It might help you rework your own. 


Point 2: Designate the Finish Line


Nancy Lubin at Fast Company in her article "How to Write A Mission Statement That Isn't Dumb" really stresses finding that long term goal for your organization that people can gather around. She writes, "Mission statements don't have to be dumb. In fact, they can be very valuable, if they articulate real targets." She gives the example of the Amazon Kindle, "Every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds." That is something exciting, broad, but can also be measured. In other words make your mission count. 


Point 3: Gather the Input of Your Audience 


Once you know where your going and what you want people to think of when they hear it then you add in the input of your audience. The difficulty can often be: Who is your audience? Is this something that you just want employees to know or be proud enough to showcase it at your market for your customers to see? Bounce it off of the people it matters to the most. 


So now that you've got these pointers? What do you think about the mission statements above? What do you follow as the mission statement for your market? Do you even have one? Does anyone know about it? I would love hear comments about your experiences with mission statements. Please share. 


If you want to read more about this subject please look at this article:


http://goarticles.com/article/How-to-Brand-A-Farmers-Market-for-Success/4689441/

Fresh Idea: Build It and They Will Come

Something I have already touched on and something I will allude to in future Fresh Idea posts is building the Farmer's Market brand. For this post I will rely on the book New Directions in Marketing for Farmer's Markets. 

"Build it and they will come" is what Ray Liotta said to Kevin Cosner in the movie Field of Dreams when referring to the baseball stadium Ray wanted Kevin to create. If only it was that easy with a farmer's market that wherever you had vendors, shoppers would follow. Instead, a Farmer's Market needs to build a brand that people will follow. So this begs the question: How do you create such a brand?

According to New Directions there are several components to creating a brand:

• Developing a mission statement
• Developing a logo
• Creating a characteristic summary (sometimes called "talking points")
• Choosing colors to be used for logo and all messages
• Choosing a typeface for all messages
• Developing verbal cues (sometimes called "tag lines")

Each day this week we will tackle a different point of the brand according to the text starting tomorrow with the mission statement. 

If you have seen or created a Farmer's Market brand that you will really like feel free to share it this week. I look forward to seeing your comments. 

Fresh Idea: Classes and Clubs Increase Diversity

Yesterday on the blog I said that it might help out the Richfield market or really any market if they had some cooking going on using the products at the market. I unfortunately made it seem like there was nothing going on the Richfield market in terms of cooking. That would be incorrect because there was some hot prep for some brunch items like crepes and omelettes. This is a real asset to a market to have some local cooking going on.

I wanted to elaborate with some brief examples to explain what I was trying to talk about yesterday. While I like the idea of a hot prep station, what can often get lost is the presentation of the process and when you are talking about fresh ingredients it would be great to really educate your consumers about what is going on with the food and why these ingredients are better than what can be found at supermarkets, convenience stores, and even some restaurants. Educating your consumers can help increase the sales of your current patrons and reach out to those who may not normally frequent the market.

The first example that I would like to share is the Dallas Farmer's Market. On their site it says that for 16 years they have been doing "great cooking classes...with renowned local chefs demonstrating their favorite dishes inspired by fresh produce from the market." The classes were around $30 which seems reasonable given that here in the Cities the average date for a night with the Cooks on Crocus Hill is $60. I think this is a real opportunity to highlight items in your market for people and teach them how to use it. While the average consumer at a Farmer's Market probably likes preparing food and is versed in cooking who is not to say that having some cooking classes would not attract a younger less experience audience and maybe even turn more sales with existing customers.

Speaking of attracting younger consumers, I would like to feature Fondy Food Center from Milwaukee. Fondy has tried to fight against the grain that fresh food markets cannot be successful in urban core areas. Part of their success is tied to their cooking classes for young people. Even I wish I would have had something like this close to my house to teach me some things about cooking.

Last, I want to feature the Crescent City Farmer's Market in New Orleans. Crescent City not only has a club for kids called the Marketeers where they can learn about what goes on at the market, but also a Farmer's Market club for senior members called Farmer's Market Bingo, which serves to "inform first time seniors how to make the most of the Market: from health considerations to the rhythm of seasonal eating."

With these examples I hope you can see markets that are trying to reach out to populations that may not necessarily be interested in a Farmer's Market. Every market has the potential to tap into the population it is connected to - it just takes some creativity and curiosity.

Hidden Surprises In Richfield

I've been wanting to go to the Richfield's Farmer's Market since I saw their website that advertised that they were "third largest in the Twin Cities." They also had been rated Best of Burbs by Minneapolis-St. Paul magazine. Needless to say I had some high expectations for this place.

I knew the address by visiting the Richfield website, but otherwise I may have missed this location. I probably was not the first to miss the fact that it is in Veterans Memorial Park because there were a plethora of signs by the road signaling that the farmer's market was in the park. Nice job on the signage attracting me to the market!

When I made my way into the park there was quite a bit of traffic for such a small location. I just had to follow the trail of people with reusable bags to figure out where I was going. 

When I made my way to the market I was impressed that the market was under a picnic shelter. This location really gives some versatility to the market if there should be issues of rain or excessive heat. It also really helps that the canopy is right next to a children's playground. Much like we raved about Apple Valley's friendly atmosphere, this was can match it well. 

When I got under the canopy though it was dark, real dark, too dark for me to realistically take pictures with my camera. Underneath the shelter though was some music, some buzzing commerce, and the smell of fresh coffee. I took my usual two laps of the market and settled first upon a vegetable stand. The stand was nondescript like the rest of the markets I had seen selling produce. Some basic signs labeling what food they were selling and prices. I was attracted solely by one item that the seller had, cabbage. I had been pondering items that Ryan and I could start cooking using what he and I would find at the market and today I decided I would be on the hunt to cook cabbage. Later in the week I will include a synopsis of how well cooking it went for me. 

Second, I stopped at Deena's Gourmet Hummus. I had not remembered seeing Deena's at other markets I had visited and with good reason, it looks like from the website, you have made it as a fresh food market if you are hosting Deena. Kudos to Richfield for attracting her stand.

Deena's stand was well set to sell. She had four different types of hummus and they were all ready to be tasted with a sales associate that was more than knowledgeable about the product at a fairly reasonable price, $4. This week I plan to make or buy some flat bread to go along with the hummus.   

Other things that I noticed were the usual suspects of Great Harvest, Eichten's and Caribou Coffee. It was wonderful that the market was able to pull down some familiar names to attract shoppers. As I was stumbling out of the market I noticed a picnic table in the center of the market with some flyers and magnets. I asked the woman attending them whether they were for the taking and she told me they were. It was great literature about the market, the Minnesota Grown Directory, and a magnet with tips on how to shop. I really would've liked this to be a stand with some good signage at the very beginning of the market. Instead, it was just nonchalantly there. 

This brings me my point about this market, it has much potential. Going to this market was like seeing a band that with some more polish and some more publicity could really hit it big. This market already has good attendance, good variety, and good ambiance. To make this a great place to be in the Twin Cities I think they need to make the atmosphere around the market more vibrant.

As I said before I would really put a stand first and foremost that attracts people to eat healthy, eat local, and buy at the Richfield market. Next, I would work with sellers to make sure that they are in it for the active sell and not the passive buy.

This is a problem that seems to plague every market to a certain degree but realizing it could really help Richfield who has limited space which is becoming crowded and cluttered. I would use that beautiful space wisely with signs and proper placement of sellers. Some additional lighting would be a good help also. Last, it may help to have events that accompany the selling of food like cooking. 

I have yet to see live cooking at any of the markets and I feel like this would really give this market a real edge. It would be even better if it was the center piece of this market that clears out an anonymous picnic table or two in the middle. 

Guest Blogger: Joe Kuo Talks About Madison's Capital Square Market

When I first arrived in Madison, WI I was disappointed by the littleness of this dinky town with most stores being closed at ten pm.  That was soon to change.  After being here for seven years and still counting, I am always mesmerized by numerous outdoor activities found across the isthmus.  My very favorite was actually a walk around Dane County’s Farmer’s Market On the Square every summery Saturday—rain or shine.  Reported as the largest producer-only farmer’s market with around three hundred vendors in the United States and located around Madison’s landmark—the state capitol, Dane County’s jewel has become a place for Madisonians to introduce to out-of-towners with a potential travel speed of one small Japanese step per thirty seconds...However, there is always something exciting every Saturday: tasting a new vegetable or fruit in season, hearing an interesting conversation from passersby, and bumping into a familiar face over the counter or while walking.

June and July are two wondrous months for strawberry lovers.  Numerous vendors would display pints and quarts of freshly harvested strawberries.  A quart usually costs $3-4 and buckets would be sold in selected booths.  These strawberries, although are smaller than the ones found at Trader Joe’s or Costco, are brilliantly red and sweet that joy could be found in each red gem.  One tip: make sure to wash every strawberry before ingestion in case of E. coli outbreaks

The summer time is also a season of flowers.  Two of my favorite stands to shop for flowers are (1) Snug Haven Farms (and this place has the best spinach in town that are even used in the acclaimed L’Etoile Restaurant) since the lady with glasses and ginger hair used to fix my tie during the good ol’ days at Choral Union and tossed me an apple when she first spotted me around the farmer’s market a few years ago…and (2) Lewiston Perennial Farm with a wide variety of beautiful and high-quality flowers that sell like hotcake within the past twenty-five years and more.  My friend Michael brought a stem of lilies from the Lewiston Perennial Farm stand for his girlfriend, and the stem lasted for two weeks and a half!  You would also spot brides-to-be and bridesmaid shopping for wedding flowers! 

            Due to Wisconsin’s fame as being America’s Dairyland, cheese products can be found across Capitol Square.  While entering capitol square from State Street, folks would hear bakers promoting “hot-n-spicy cheesebread” and smelled pastries fresh out from the oven.  The stand, occupied by Stella’s Bakery, has been a favorite for many market goers.  The bread is mostly dense with flower and pepper, and cheese could be found at around a quarter of the bread.  The price of the cheesebread has also noticeably increased from time to time, but it is still a popular breakfast item to share.  The pastries, such as the strawberry rhubarb Danish and muffins, and other savory treats from the stand are amazing and worth trying. 

            Another stand with great baked goods is the Pilgrim’s Pantry.  This stand is easily noticeable with the friendly Amish family standing behind their baked bread and pies.  The booth does not have an elaborate sign, but their Dutch apple bread ($5) is a must-try.  After bringing the Dutch apple bread to parties and cook-outs, many folks would tell me that the bread is their favorite dessert since it is moist in the inside—contrary to most apple breads that are crumbly on the outside and dry in the inside. 

And who would forget about cheese curds?  Wisconsin is definitely known for cheese, and many artisan cheeses can be found throughout capitol square.  The best cheese curds, in me and my friend Dean’s opinion, are produced by Forgotten Valley Cheese.  These white curds are a bit healthier than the average cheese for health conscious like me and are nice items to share with friends.  These curds are sold in 3/4 pound bags for $4.

For meat lovers, D&G Custom Meat Processing is the place to go.  With over thirty years of service, this place maintains high quality in its products.  I brought summer sausages (around $5 for a large one) from the stand to picnics in the past, and the sausages have always been a highlight of the picnic due to the wonderful flavors and the gorgeous meat quality.  Beef sticks are also sold as snacks at a decent price. 

My tour ended with an exploration of maple syrup.  Not known to many, Wisconsin as a state produces tons or gallons of maple syrup per year.  The products shown, produced by Krause Farms, looked similar to other stands that sell maple syrup.  Not being a connoisseur of maple syrup and not loving it enough to drown my pancakes into a pool of brown, I purchased a bag of maple syrup candies for $1.75 and shared it with my German friend later during the evening.  The candies were rich in maple flavors, which are more intense and enjoyable than the maple suckers I tried before.  These candies actually have the texture of mini-cookies or cakes, for everything was densely packed.

            The Dane County Farmer’s Market has lots to share with the community.  During the winter, the market would be indoors in a senior center or at Monona Terrace.  Many stands also allow visitors to stop and taste the product, including one cherry from Door County or goat cheese.  In here, I have introduced some of the best items I had during my residence in Madison…and I know that there are more for me to discover! 

This post was written by Joseph Kuo on July 7 pertaining to a visit on July 2. 

Feeling Holy and Hot at Roseville Farmer's Market

This past Monday I attended the Roseville Farmer's Market at the Corpus Christi parking lot. It was a nice location for a small market. I was impressed by the diversity present for such a limited gathering.

I walked the short strip of sellers twice taking a look at signage and representatives at the booths to see which I found most appealing. Much like the Apple Valley Farmer's Market, Roseville was also anchored by Great Harvest bread company. It is good for farmer's markets like Roseville and Apple Valley to have a well known company that can attract customers to the market.

My first stop was at Eichten's which attracted me with their unique products and excellent branding. Each of the products I saw had their brand and some information about the product on it. I thought that the Port Wine cheese spread was unique and so I grabbed one for purchase. When I brought it to the counter the representative gave me a colder one from a refrigerator. It was nice that he retrieved the freshest product possible. While I enjoyed my experience at this booth I felt neglected by the seller. He was just turning product when I got there. I thought he really had some special products but you would not know that because he did not play them up as important. When I stopped at the Snappy Dog I got a completely different presentation.

At the Snappy Dog booth the creator and seller of these salsas was soliciting people to try some of his salsas. He allowed me to try them all and as I did he discussed them with me. I usually hate spicy food but I couldn't help but try his extra spicy which had X's on the top. It was like trying something forbidden. He also had a rhubarb which had a unique flavor that felt mild on the front end but spicy on the back. In the end I decided on buying the hot salsa which had the richest flavor. He had pointed that fact out to me when I was trying the different salsas. I really appreciated the time that the salesman spent with me and would be happy to revisit Snappy Dog at a later time.

As I headed back to the car I felt like I had gotten so much out of a market so small. I was not alone in my patronage of the market as it seemed that there were a good number of people there that morning - while most of them were older they seemed rather loyal. I could easily see myself wandering back to this market especially since it it close in proximity to where I live.

Fresh Idea: Ping Your Customers

When I bought soap for my girlfriend at the St. Paul's Farmer's Market the seller gave me a loyalty card that would entitle me to $7 worth of merchandise for every $40 I purchased. On the back was her information so that I could contact her with any questions that I had about the product. The card reminded me that it is not enough these days just to concentrate on the current transaction, but a seller must be thinking about ways to bring their customers back for more of their product as soon as possible.

Building a long term relationship with the customer can be as easy as having an easily identifiable brand that customers can associate with and feel comfortable with. Within that brand it can be important to have variations that are consistently changing and making the customer aware of it. This is one of the attraction points of a market - products change with the season.

At the market level, it can be really important to have some type of consistent communication with your customers. In the book I am reading right now, Never Eat Alone, the author calls the concept "pinging." He says that you can build relationships with customers by constantly staying in communication with them. I have seen a mix of different ways of doing this including newsletters, news feeds, and twitter feeds. The best I have seen have been those that alert you or even entice you with potential deals. I like those markets that keep in touch with me and tell me what I can expect at the market. Relationship alone is not sufficient for me to return to a market - I want to know that I will be seeing fresh things there.

I would love to hear what your area market does to stay in touch with customers like you. What are other things you would like to see them do?

Apple Valley: A Family Friendly Farmer's Market

Source: Minnesota Zoo

Home of the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley was my primary destination in my hunt for a farmer’s market.  Overall, the Apple Valley farmer’s market was relatively easy to find.  It was near the major shopping centers of the city and in the parking lot of the municipal center.  As an outsider, it appeared to be located in the center of the action.  It was not difficult to locate with the nearby signage.

What initially drew me to the Apple Valley farmer’s market was the fact that the vendors were there until 1:00 PM.  As someone who likes to sleep in on a Saturday, it was easier for me to get to this farmer’s market without being rushed or deprived of my valuable sleep.  However, for those that might be going to the Minnesota Zoo, this could be an added stop if you like your fresh vegetables and the other things I discuss below.  If you are hesitant to bring your children along, they may enjoy one of the many balloon animals sold at one of the booths.

I was initially disappointed upon my arrival because of the apparent lack of vendors.  After looking around, however, I was pleased by the uniqueness of the few vendors that were there.  As someone who loves breakfast food such as pancakes and French toast, I was first drawn to a booth that sold maple syrup.  The business operating this booth was Three River’s Farm —they specialize in producing 100% pure maple syrup (please visit their website for additional information).  The woman at the booth was very kind and friendly.  She knew the product well and offered me an abundance of samples to try.  I tried the cinnamon maple syrup, vanilla, and the traditional flavor.  All of them were absolutely delightful—I decided to buy a bottle of the traditional maple syrup for myself.  She also explained to me the many things that their syrup could be used with (fresh fruits, oatmeal, yogurt, snow, milk shakes, sweet potatoes, maple butter, ham, etc.).  This booth was marked well and probably had the most impressive display of all the booths there.  On top of that, they also had fliers available with suggestions of what to use your syrup on, which also had their contact information.

The next booth I visited was for the Great Harvest Bread Company.  I thought it was strange that such a large business would have a booth at a farmer’s market, but having a fairly large anchor at a farmer’s market may attract more people and serve as a benefit to the farmer’s market as a whole.  Overall, the salesperson again did a great job discussing the various breads she had for sale.  Like Three Rivers Farm, this booth also had some samples.  I tried some apple crisp bread and it was again amazing.  There was a very large variety of breads at this booth.  You could get anything from sour dough bread to a hamburger bun.  Given my love for pepperoni pizza, I ultimately decided on the pepperoni roll—and it made for a great lunch upon my return home.

I then continued through the rest of the farmer’s market to see what was out there.  At this time, the local farmers did not have much more than snap peas, fresh onions, potatoes, pea pods, and lettuce.  However, these will likely change as fall approaches.  Nonetheless, there were an abundance of these fresh vegetables.  Generally, the booths for the local farmers had good signage for their prices.  My only disappointment with these booths was the fact that some of them were packing up near noon rather than one o’clock.

Something else I noticed at this farmer’s market was a booth or two that sold fresh strawberries.  I really enjoy fresh berries, but they tend to be a bit on the expensive side in the grocery stores.  Although they were still a little pricey at the farmer’s market, I would rather spend the money at a farmer’s market with assurances that my fruit is fresh.  As a plus, the strawberries I purchased came in a wood-like box rather than the cheap plastic ones you find in the store.  Additionally, if you are feeling adventurous, most of the booths selling berries had opportunities for customers to go pick the berries themselves.  If you had the extra time, berry picking could prove to be a good morning or afternoon activity for the family.

Overall, my visit to the farmer’s market in Apple Valley was a pleasant experience.  Given the proximity to the Minnesota Zoo, this is a great place to stop with the family.  As fall approaches, I imagine more vendors will arrive with a greater variety of fruits and vegetables.  If you have any questions or comments regarding this post or any future posts, please leave some feedback or email us .

~Ryan

Looking for Gifts in St. Paul

Hello Readers,

       With Ryan out of town I explored alone the St. Paul Lowertown Market. While it was cloudy and dreary outside the market this morning, it was vibrant inside with people brimming about inspecting vegetables, striking up conversations, and being drawn to different attraction points in the market. In this first post about the St. Paul Lowertown Market I wanted to share what attracted me to look, stop, and eventually buy.

      I walked the market at least three times. On the first round I just wanted to see what was hot. Where people were congregating. The place that labeled itself as the "world's coldest spring water" was also the place to get coffee. I heard several people as I ushered in say "I have to get some coffee before we walk around." I think other points that made this location especially good was its location, quick service, and fun atmosphere. It was generally a place that seem fun to be around.

    Another point that attracted me was good signage. Some people put their signage on the sides of their trucks which was good but the most effective for me were those that put the sign right behind their stand. The two products I ended up buying came from retailers that had signs for their business right behind them. In addition, I wanted good labeling on the items because this week I was not going to be consuming the goods myself but handing them off as gifts. I wanted to whomever I gave them to form a relationship with the craftsperson.

I first stopped at the stand for the White Bear Soap Company because of the sign behind the stand, the general helpfulness of the associate, and the unique nature of the soap. I have to be honest the first thing that really attracted to the stand was the bar shampoo because you so rarely see different scents for bar shampoo. When I approached the woman I took a look at her products as she was helping another customer. I found a uniquely purple bar for my girlfriend and then asked her if she could recommend another one for me. We settled on a lavendar bar. When we were done with the transaction she handed me a loyalty card so that I may stop by at a later time. The card had the craftswoman's number and e-mail on the back. Great way to build a relationship with her customers. The whole experience was quality from beginning to end and only cost me $5. Later in the week I will do a blog posting just on building loyalty at farmers markets.

Second, I stopped at the original Tarte Tatin because it had the full package of marketing with a sign behind the stand, flyers, and well labeled products. It was especially nice that you could buy boxes that had three tartes bundled for $10. I bought a box. The packaging even led me to a website so that I could learn more about the company. - http://www.theoriginaltartetatin.com/. Again I was pleased with my experience all the way through. I hope when I give the box to Ryan when he returns I hope he enjoys a Tarte.

   I gave myself a budget of $15 otherwise I would have gone after some asparagas, a donut, or some flowers. On my budget I could not go far, but it was enough to have a great morning at the market. Look forward to some more posts this week about my experience at the market and other odds and ends to get you acquainted with us.

   We would love to hear comments from you about our postings and please offer any suggestions of where we should go or what should look for when we get there. Be sure to share this blog with your friends and family.

~Joe

P.S. We have already had one request for a guest posting. If you would like to guest post about what you are seeing at your local farmer's market please e-mail us at drivingforfreshness@gmail.com.

  

    

   

Here Little Birdy....

Driving For Freshness will be tweeting to provide you our audience additional content and follow the tweets of farmers markets we attend or become enticed to attend from seeing their tweets.

Resources That Will Be Used During the Blog

We will be referencing a couple of books throughout the blog that I wanted to make mention of.

First, New Directions in Marketing for Farmers' Markets by Kristin Krokowski and Terry Gaouette - this book will give us a framework for understanding what things to look out for at farmers markets and what are techniques that we have seen that book may have touched on but did not go into greater detail.

Second, Clean Food by Terry Walters - the book is a good starting point for learning how to eat closer to the source.

Third, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman - as my roommate and I are just starting out we will be a novice at knowing how to cook but luckily Mr. Bittman can be more than capable at helping us out

~Joe

Welcome to Our Blog!

My roommate Ryan and I are in school in the Twin Cities. We had the great idea that we wanted to get on the band wagon of going to farmer's markets in the area and blogging about it. The blog will feature:

(1) Marketing Techniques - We will talk about the ways that we heard about the market, what made us go to the market, what attracted us to the different booths, and other devices that helped get us to the food.

(2) Cooking - My roommate and I are novices at cooking. We will not only be figuring out to shop at farmers markets but how to cook it. We will have a supplementary youtube video series to complement this blog.

(3) Interviews - My roommate and I potentially want to reach out and talk to people about their vibes on certain farmers markets.

We really want to make this blog a discussion and welcome your comments about our content.