ProduceHere.com

YouBuyLocal

(If this is the wrong thread let me know, thanks, doesn't seem to be anything in the rules against it but might be wrong)

Hi All,

I am setting up a website for sourcing directly off producers, primary (mostly farmers) and secondary (preserves, dairy products, etc) and farmer-owned/controlled distribution networks or cooperative brands.

Producers
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZBK9LN9

Consumers:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z6CW55X

I want to here from producers to see if they would engage with the platform. Essentially we are starting off with the existing farmers market infrasturcture. Producers would put up their products in the same way as done deal (paying a few cents off their mobile phone credit to display products) and they would have a shop and ecommerce functionality. The they would "attend" the markets they sell at on the platform, and all of the products available at that market from the sellers would automatically be displayed in the market's catalogue so consumers can see all of the products available throughout the week so they can buy for pick-up or delivery online. Seasonal and new products are displayed as producers manage their stock on the platform's dedicated inventory system weekly.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZBK9LN9

Petrol stations would eventually be used as "produce-points" or convenient pick-up locations so that sellers don't have to always deliver direct to consumers doors, making delivery more convenient and cost-effective.

Would anyone be interested in helping me out by providing a bit of feedback? I'd really appreciate it as we have a development team working on the software at the moment and are looking for investment.

An example of the kind of producers we are looking for are: http://www.castleminefarm.ie

and

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/site/fa...tly-11261.html

But this system will work for small-holders as much as larger operations

Here is the survey again, thanks
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZBK9LN9

Here is the survey for consumers:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z6CW55X

If you're interested in buying local food please do this very quick ten question survey, literally 30s to do unless you want to give us additional feedback, which would also be great.

And thanks Rovi, for allowing me to leave the survey up, sorry for duplicating it, didn't know where to put it

Rovi

[MOD] Normally, unsolicited surveys get deleted or moved to the Surveys and non-media research forum, but this one APPEARS to be potentially of benefit to the farming community, so we'll leave it sit for the moment.

For the moment. [/MOD]

YouBuyLocal

If anyone is interested or curious about what we are doing please feel free to pm me, thanks

just do it

YouBuyLocal wrote: »

If anyone is interested or curious about what we are doing please feel free to pm me, thanks

Is this not the same as yourfieldmyfork.ie ?

YouBuyLocal

just do it wrote: »

Is this not the same as yourfieldmyfork.ie ?

No, YourFieldMyFork is a not-for-profit business/social network. I can't say where Ella Mcsweeney will take YFMF but if she does not attempt to solve the distribution problem and generate revenue in order to keep the platform in development it will not survive. I have been setting this up for around the same amount of time as Ella Mcsweeney but with far less resources and neither myself nor many of the producers I have been dealing with believe this kind of enterprise can exist for long without revenue. Hard-coding the site as she has done means it will not develop without a dedicated team involved for the long-term. We are using more sophisticated open-sourced software and have a longer-term development strategy and plan to tackle the distribution problem. Eventually her site will become very very out of date, maybe only in 3-5 years. Hard-coding the site has shown a distinct lack of understanding of software, unfortunately.

Plus, producers want people to come to their farm infrequently but regularly to pick up van-loads of produce, not individual consumers, unless they install the infrastructure for a farm shop, which must be manned. We have a strategy to make it easier for producers through affiliate distributors directly connected with the producers, and who are usually producers themselves, rather like Amazon.com

That said, all power to Ella, I just want to see this developed regardless what form it takes. But I have very solid reasons to believe that our model is the correct one and the one that will serve & empower producers more effectively.

+ there is always room for multiple competing models, if Irish producers trying to sell online direct were to throw all eggs in with Ella's basket, or our basket at ProduceHere.com for that matter, they would be less likely to come with something tangible and sustainable.

YouBuyLocal

Thank yee for doing the survey, we are almost at 20 now, which is a great response

YouBuyLocal

Few more came in today, thanks again

Askim

did survey, i like to buy local, at fair price don't like to be ripped off, local farmers market has now only 4 stalls & packing up at 2, but advertised as till 3 & 1 "farmer" was from 40 miles away.

would love continental style of markets, fresh & reasonable

A

YouBuyLocal

I think it is important to build up relationships with producers through additional farm services such as hospitality, courses on organic growing or others and farm visits. Thats what I see a lot of producers doing and that is what I would like to see happening on the platform when we get it going. That would make people more familiar with producers so they would identify with them and feel more comfortable going to the market. When people buy in bulk they can get food cheaper direct off the producer than from the supermarket. But if a producer goes and only picks up 200-250euro for a day at the market then they have to put up prices or pack it in