Wholesale Success Workshop: March 5

Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Selling, Post Harvest Handling, and Packing Produce will be given to all workshop participants. The manual will also be available to folks who are not able to participate in the workshop. Call 315-261-8054 for details.

Monday, March 5, 2012
9am-2pm
Madrid Community Building
1835 State Highway 345, Madrid, NY
FREE, but registration is required: Call 315-261-8054 or email info@gardenshare.org

North Country fruit and vegetable growers are invited to the Madrid Community Building for a daylong workshop covering topics including the advantages and disadvantages of selling wholesale, crop selection and planning, packing and grading, postharvest handling and the food safety needs of wholesale buyers.

The workshop takes place on Monday, March 5 from 9am to 2pm at the Madrid Community Building, 1835 State Highway 345, Madrid, NY. The workshop is free, lunch is included, but registration is required by February 28. To register call 315-261-8054, email info@gardenshare.org, or drop us a note: PO Box 516, Canton, NY 13617.

Participating producers receive a free copy of the Wholesale Success Manual (a $50 value): Developed by FamilyFarmed.org this 256 page book is a leading source of information to help farmers scale up and sell into wholesale channels.

The lunch hour will include a Meet the Buyers Networking session; a chance for producers and buyers to talk one on one. Lunch will be followed by a panel discussion with successful wholesale farmers, where you will be able to hear aobut successes and challenges of local wholesale farmers and have the opportunity to ask questions.

A more specific schedule and list of participants will be posted here as details are confirmed, but here are the basics.

8:30 - 9:00am          Sign in and coffee
9:00 -10:20am         Session 1; Is wholesale right for your farm, and next steps to get there.
10:30am - noon      Session 2; Post-harvest handling, and the food safety needs of wholesale buyers
Noon - 1:00pm        Lunch and Meet the Buyers Networking
1:00pm - 2:00pm    Wholesale Farmer Panel Discussion

Presenter Atina Diffley is a farmer with thirty years experience in the field. Her areas of expertise include post harvest handling, brand-name marketing, greenhouse management, and farming systems.

This workshop is a partnership between GardenShare, North Country Grown Cooperative, the RMA and FamilyFarmed.org.