direct marketing tips

Gerald te Velde

Twin Creeks Farm

Direct Marketing Tips

January 2015

Direct Marketing Lamb

questions to ask

grass fed lamb

direct marketing lamb

past and future

Questions to ask

Where do I start?

Do I enjoy working with sheep?

What about people?

Questions to ask

Is there demand for lamb?

Demand for grass fed lamb?

Why grass fed?

Questions to ask

What are the costs?

Where/how can I sell lamb?

Do we market only lamb?

Questions to ask

What about processing?

Do I/How do I advertise?

How do I determine prices?

Grass fed/grass only lamb

Jan-Feb lambing and May-

June lambing

rotationally grazed (ie.

MiG, mob)

lambs are finished on

pasture or hay

Marketing Lamb Direct to Consumers

processing of lamb

pricing, advertising, & promotion

distributing lamb to consumers

lamb along side other products

inspected abattoir

how many/how often?

paper wrapped & frozen

vac packed & fresh

also ¼’s, ½’s and whole

Lamb Processing

figure your costs

production, processing

& distribution

check the competition

price by carcass weight

pricing by the cut

Pricing

word of mouth

business/farm logo

brochures, etc

signs & banners

internet -website, etc

other advertising

Advertising & Promotion

Farm Market Store

Farmers’ Markets

Delivery locations

Home delivery

Meat CSA

Restaurants

Distribution to Consumers

Lamb and other farm products

grass fed beef

25 shorthorn/black angus cows

Lamb and other farm products

pastured pork

10 berkshire/tamworth sows

Lamb and other farm products

Free range turkeys

Lamb and other farm products

Pastured chickens

Lamb and other farm products

ducks

Lamb and other farm products

goats

Lamb and other farm products

rabbits

Lamb and other farm products

5 acres of vegetables

Looking Back

started with milking sheep in 1998

marketed lambs through sales barns

began marketing direct in 2005

farmers’ market and ‘farm gate’ sales

Currently

direct marketing approx. 80 lambs

4 farmers’ markets, farm store,

delivery locations in Toronto

building new website

focus on improving our lamb

the possibility of hair sheep

market 120+ lambs/year

Plans for the future

increase farm store sales

more farmers’ markets?

expand meat csa/buyers club

look closely restaurants/wholesale

Plans for the future