Okanogan Producers Marketing Association 2007 Report
Document Actions
Magnolia Thriftway shares the story of Bunny Laine Farm's unique Sweet Louise apples, as part of the Eat Local Thanksgiving campaign which raised OPMA's sales to Thriftway stores back to height-of-season levels.
The Okanogan Producers Marketing Association
(OPMA), a stewardship farm
cooperative supported by Farming & the Environment, report sales
have tripled and accounts have doubled over last year and nearly all
want to buy more from them next year. Below is a letter from
Watershine Woods, OPMA Sales Coordinator and owner of Filaree Farm.
|
"In our second year of cooperative marketing, our 6 small farms have tripled grocery store and CSA sales totals of the first year. We’ve built upon the strong foundation laid last year with the essential help of Farming & the Environment. This is proof of our basic premise that small farms are stronger and more successful in the marketplace as allies than we can ever be as competitors. That consumers do care about local small farm survival, that the fresh picked quality only farmers can deliver is in demand, and that to be able to provide our stories and give people a true connection to their food is valuable to them. "The success of this cooperative has created a lot of
excitement both on the farm and in produce departments from "Produce managers must juggle the logistics of
time and dollars. They can not buy from
small farms if it is not quick, simple and profitable. By marketing together with one phone call,
one truck, one invoice and one check, we can make this farm fresh top quality
produce a financially feasible venture for them." Watershine Woods, OPMA Sales Coordinator and owner of Filaree Farm |