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Growers can boost sales by offering fruit, veggie recipes
Showing customers how to prepare fruits and vegetables with recipes can increase sales and promote the grower or market.
By Bobbie Whitehead
When trying to increase fruit and vegetable sales, don’t overlook the importance of point-of-sales materials.
Materials such as recipe cards, tags or brochures enable a market or grower to increase sales by showing the consumer how to prepare a new or unfamiliar fruit or vegetable item.
Such materials also give the grower the chance to provide history of the fruit or vegetable.
When trying to increase fruit and vegetable sales, don’t overlook the importance of point-of-sales materials.
Materials such as recipe cards, tags or brochures enable a market or grower to increase sales by showing the consumer how to prepare a new or unfamiliar fruit or vegetable item.
Such materials also give the grower the chance to provide history of the fruit or vegetable.
“Recipes are very popular with many consumers,” according to the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service’s “Direct Marketing Guide for Producers of Fruits, Vegetables and Other Specialty Products.”
In fact, the UT Extension Service said providing “unusual items” placed next to the growers’ fruits and vegetables also attracts customers.
“These might include cut flowers and plants, herbs, ice water, a sign or t-shirt with the farmer’s logo, and recipes or preparation ideas,” according to guide.
Howard Piland of B&H Produce, who sells at the Five Points Community Farm Market in Norfolk, offers some recipes and said he’s found the recipes are another tool that helps sell a product to customers.
“A customer might say, ‘I’ve never cooked that; what do you do with those?’” Piland said. “So I handed them a copy of a recipe. You have to show how to prepare the product.”
Large commercial-grower produce associations provide recipes on their web sites, and many commercial growers provide recipe tags on their products to enhance the customers’ purchase experience as well as encourage the hesitant consumer to buy.
The recipe cards, tags or sheets also provide growers another chance to place their name before the consumer, enabling the customer to remember where the product was purchased and to share the recipe with the market or growers’ name with friends or family.
In fact, the UT Extension Service said providing “unusual items” placed next to the growers’ fruits and vegetables also attracts customers.
“These might include cut flowers and plants, herbs, ice water, a sign or t-shirt with the farmer’s logo, and recipes or preparation ideas,” according to guide.
Howard Piland of B&H Produce, who sells at the Five Points Community Farm Market in Norfolk, offers some recipes and said he’s found the recipes are another tool that helps sell a product to customers.
“A customer might say, ‘I’ve never cooked that; what do you do with those?’” Piland said. “So I handed them a copy of a recipe. You have to show how to prepare the product.”
Large commercial-grower produce associations provide recipes on their web sites, and many commercial growers provide recipe tags on their products to enhance the customers’ purchase experience as well as encourage the hesitant consumer to buy.
The recipe cards, tags or sheets also provide growers another chance to place their name before the consumer, enabling the customer to remember where the product was purchased and to share the recipe with the market or growers’ name with friends or family.
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