There are pros and cons that community-supported agriculture has, so here is what you’ll want your consumers to know.
Are you familiar with the term “community-supported agriculture” (CSA)? If you don’t know the term, a CSA is a program that a producer or grower offers that allows people to have a share of their crop for a price. The one getting the share will receive a delivery every week that includes parts of what the farmer produced. It’s perfect for encouraging consumers to invest in local and seasonal produce. There are pros and cons that community-supported agriculture has, so here is what you’ll want your consumers to know.
Pro: Community-Supported Agriculture Can Save People Money
Saving money will always be appealing to consumers, and what’s great about community-supported agriculture is that people tend to spend less money per pound. You can also let them know about the quality of produce they get. A CSA will usually have very high-quality produce, better than what can be found at a standard supermarket.
For those interested in organic produce, they’ll be pleased to know that organics will typically be offered as well, but you should confirm with your vendor beforehand.
Con: You Get Whatever is in Stock
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What we mean is that the consumer doesn’t hold much influence over what produce they get. They get whatever the farmer has in stock at the time. A good producer will ask consumers about what vegetables interest them and which ones aren’t appealing. With that said, consumers will likely only enjoy being part of a community-supported agriculture if they like a wide variety of vegetables.
Pro: Produce From a Community-Supported Agriculture is Healthier
Along with price, nutrition is another aspect of food that influences what consumers will purchase. But what makes produce from a community-supported agriculture any healthier than other produce people can find? The key is that the produce is freshly harvested, and it’s offered to consumers at the nearest time to the time of harvest. Farmers in CSAs also tend to have better-tasting produce, and the nutritional value only continues to go up if it’s organic. It’s this combination of great flavor and nutritional value that should encourage consumers to look into CSAs.
Con: A Plan Will Be Needed
The amount of produce you get from a community-supported agriculture every week isn’t always the same. Sometimes, you may get more than you initially expected, and that means you’ll have to know what to do with all of the extra vegetables. This is important to let consumers know beforehand because they may end up wasting produce otherwise.
Baywater Farms Has The Right Produce For You
Baywater Farms is a family-owned and operated farm servicing Baltimore, Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware beaches, and the Eastern Shore. We are capable of meeting the demands of your produce distributor, restaurant produce supplier, CSA produce supplier, or wholesale produce supplier while maintaining the integrity and character of a small farm. When you work with Baywater Farms, you work with an experienced, ethical, and local farm dedicated to providing the highest-quality heirloom produce.