Selling at Markets Questions

[Merry Berry]

There is an old thread about this sort of topic, but it was last updated around 2013.  I can bump it, if preferred as there is some good info in there, but thought times and ideas might have changed since then.  Where I live, there is a weekly outdoor Sunday market which attracts huge crowds every weekend.  While making money is always a goal, the main thing I want out of this is the exposure.  Vendors I have talked with in the past have said it was invaluable in getting their name out there.  Unfortunately, I live in the South which means the temperatures can be brutal from April to November which is when the market runs.  I am thinking I can devise a system of small, shallow hotel pans filled with ice or gel packs which I then cover with a decorative cloth and place a plate or a tile on top of that with the product for sale sample.  As for the product to sell, keeping it in a Cambro transportable container is probably for the best.  I guess my questions are:

 

1.  Is this doable for selling chocolate bonbons/truffles especially given the heat here?  Anyone with experience of this type of setup?  The basic premise is the vendors who have shown up the most in the past get first shot at the prime real estate under the pavilion which provides air flow and shade.  Those who are new are oftentimes relegated to booths outside the pavilion under the sun although I will have a tent and tables.  I go to a vendor's info session in a couple of weeks to find out more and see if this is still the case.

 

2.  My commercial entity will be selling more than just chocolates such as pastries, confections, cakes, etc.  Should I try to push those more as the summer months start to get above 90° F?

 

3.  Does anyone have any experience with this type of selling and have any general advice?  I plan on having business cards and a newsletter signup sheet.

 

4.  I am in the process of getting the necessary licensing and inspections so those should be covered before the market starts.  Anything else, I might be missing here?

 

I have a million other questions, but do not want to overload this topic all at once.

 

Thanks for any help you might have.

~Sweet MerryBerry

[Jim D.]

You didn't say how far south you are. I am in Virginia and have been urged by the person in charge of our farmers' market to set up a booth. I would love to do it but have resisted. I'm sorry to be so negative about the prospect and you may find a way to make it work, but when I go to the market on a hot, humid August day, I am reminded how difficult it would be. I am thinking here of the chocolates, not the other products. You would have to keep the chocolates cool and away from humidity or they would be ruined, yet you must have a display of them. How would you accomplish that? A climate-controlled display case would work, but would be very expensive. You could have the boxes stored away in sealed plastic bags in a cooler and they would be OK, but people won't buy something they can't see. There is another issue that can be a problem (I think it is discussed to the thread to which you referred) and that is samples. The dreaded samples! Would-be customers want them, and you would have to be prepared for those who taste (and taste some more) and then walk on. And you would need a way to keep the sample chocolates from the dull, sticky exteriors that would develop.

 

On the brighter side, you could have the chocolates out only when it is cool and dry enough and concentrate on your other products on the bad days. That would work.

[teonzo]

Consider that chocolate products are not usually bought for immediate consumption. This means if you succeed to sell chocolate bars and bonbons during hot weather, then most probably those products will melt before consumption, so customers won't be that satisfied. Not a good publicity for you.

If you have heat resistant products (cookies, pate de fruits, so on) then just focus on them at the market, the important thing is getting known. Popsicles would be the best choice of all!

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Merry Berry]

Yep, you both make good points, and I tend to agree with you.  I am with you that it would make more sense to focus on other products and just get my name out there.  Definitely do not want to begin with a bad mark against me.  I have witnessed it sink many would be sellers in the beginning of their career.  

[pastrygirl]

I did a couple of summer farmers markets my first few years and found them not worth the struggle.  Now, I don't sign up for anything outdoors between mid June and early September. 

 

It' s hard to compete with summer fruit and ice cream.  People shopping at farmers markets tend to be a bit more health conscious, if they're having a frozen treat while they shop and buying peaches for later, they don't need chocolate, too.  And if it's REALLY hot, people don't go out.  Maybe it's us soft NW-ers, but if it is 70-80, people are out & eating ice cream, if it's 90, the local beaches and lakes are packed.

 

It might be hotter than you think.  If the market is set up in a parking lot or street, the sun has already been warming the pavement since it came up.  Even though your booth has the shade of the tent, the ground 3 feet in front of you might be able to fry an egg.  A solid bar will be fine at 75F in the shade, but ganache truffles begin to get soft.  Anyone who drove is going back to a hot car and if they're not going straight home, they can't leave chocolate in a hot parked car.  You can try ice packs or insulated pouches but those add cost and only help for so long.

 

Maybe make sure to have a couple of really chocolatey baked goods in the mix so that people get a taste for what you do with chocolate without risking melted bonbons.

 

 

[Merry Berry]

Yep, Pastrygirl, I agree with all that.  I think I will focus more on things that will hold and sell better.  Chocolate during the summer is a tough sell.  Like I said, I am going to sell more than just chocolates, so I can come up with plenty more stuff to sell that can withstand the heat.  Luckily the market is pretty diverse in stuff that is sold and people that attend it.  While there are some farmer market booths, they are actually in the minority compared to everything else that is sold there.  And rarely do people in the South find reason to only buy healthy haha.

 

As I said, I know it will be a slog, but the recognition businesses get there is pretty great.  I know of several that jump started their business by attending for a year or two.  If you do an image search for Chattanooga Market, you will see how large the pavilion is and it stays packed nearly the entire time it is open.

[pastrygirl]

@Merry Berry  ok, so not a farmers market, some of everything.  Is it year-round?  What are the hours? 

 

Like anything, you'll just have to see how it goes, but I'd try a handful of breakfast pastries for the early birds and some cookies, brownies & seasonal fruit tartlets for afternoon snacking.  Good luck & have fun!

[Merry Berry]

Hey PG, it is April - November every Sunday 11-4.  I think it will be a lot of trial and error to see what sells and what does not.  Most food stalls are received pretty well there.  Spot on with the tartlets as I was thinking something along those lines too.  Along the usual suspects of bars, cookies, muffins, cakes, etc.  The nice thing about it, is you can kind of play around with your offerings in the beginning and find your groove.  I would love to do chocolate items, but I agree with you all that it is just not feasible.  Thank you for the advice thus far.

[Jim D.]

I checked the photos, and that is a very impressive market. I'm jealous. If you could get an indoor space, that might change the equation as far as keeping your chocolates safe. If customers ate them right there at your booth, it would probably work, but, as pastrygirl said, most would take them to their hot cars. Have you seen vendors who sells perishable items? If so, what precautions do they take?

[Merry Berry]

That is a great question JD and one I am going to talk with the organizers about at the vendor info session in a couple of weeks.  We used to go fairly regularly 10 years ago, but fell off about 3 or 4 years ago since you start to see the same stuff every year and find other things to do on pretty Sundays.  I kick myself for not paying closer attention back then.  I know coolers are very common, but I am sure many people utilize Cambro containers and such.

[pastrygirl]

2 hours ago, Merry Berry said:

it is April - November every Sunday 11-4

 

Maybe a couple of savories for lunch - a cheesy biscuit or spinach croissant.  If the weather is cool to start, you could certainly try some mothers's day chocolates.

[Merry Berry]

Yes, it is possible I could get away with until sometime near the end of May.  There were a few times we went in April when it was downright cold and like you said, Mother's Day is the perfect day to sell those types of things.  Thank you very much for the ideas PG.  I think I can have a lot of fun with the market.  

 

Do you do something similar in Seattle?

[pastrygirl]

2 hours ago, Merry Berry said:

Do you do something similar in Seattle?

 

Yes, I have a retail line of chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, and caramels that I sell through a handful of stores and at various events.  Chocolate festivals, wine walks, and crafts fairs can bring good sales.  I also work with a couple of caterers to fulfill their dessert needs.  The variety helps keep it fun.  I'm still a starving artist, though, I make a living but barely.  Time and energy for sales and marketing are my weak spots, I'd rather be playing in the kitchen!

 

 

[kayb]

The Chattanooga Market is a great venue (I spent many years at the other end of the state). Looking at the time of day, I'd expect you would have a number of people who might pick up something to have for dinner, as you don't want to get home at 5 p.m. and have to cook on a weekend. How about quiche? It generally keeps fairly well, and transport shouldn't be an issue. Maybe individual ones as well as big ones? Hand pies are another favorite, both sweet and savory; something people can munch out of hand while strolling the venue, or easy to take down to the river and picnic with.

 

If I'm through that way on a Sunday this summer, I'll look for you!

 

[pastrygirl]

14 hours ago, kayb said:

How about quiche?

 

Quiche, with its egg and milk custard, is not something that would be great to sit out all day on a warm summer afternoon.  The health dept would want it to stay chilled.  Which is possible, but ...

 

MB, as you go through your inspections, make sure you know what they'll allow to be kept at outside temp for the day.  "Dry" baked goods are safe - cookies, biscuits, bread, cake.  I know I suggested a cheese biscuit above, but there may be concern about high-moisture cheeses.  A hard cheddar or parmesan baked into or on top of a scone is one thing, obviously you wouldn't leave cheesecake out all day, and softer cheeses like fresh goat cheese or mozzarella may also be forbidden. 

 

Also see what other food vendors have and try to find a unique niche.  If someone else specializes in 25 flavors of macarons, maybe you don't need macarons too. 

[Merry Berry]

KB -- Stop by any time you like!!  

 

PG -- Luckily TN changed most of their food laws a few years ago to match ServSafe standards which I am certified as an Instructor/Proctor.  However, there will definitely be a few miscellaneous food laws I may be unaware of so I will be in contact with the Health department to cover those areas.  

 

Quiche is probably a food I will stay away from for those reasons you stated and they might be a tough sell around here anyway.  I agree with you on the niche part and that is what I am going to focus on.  I kick myself for not attending last year to see what was new with the food vendors, but it will be pretty easy to see what is available by the first couple of weeks.  Depending on the weather, the first few weeks can be macarons and chocolates if the weather acts like it should that time of year.  Unfortunately, the weather here is nothing like it used to be and it could be pushing 80's or 90's by then.