Ready to break free from razor-thin wholesale margins and start earning what your farm products are actually worth?
Current food and lifestyle trends mean that today’s consumers are actively searching for locally-sourced products. What’s more, they’re willing to pay premium prices for farm-fresh quality they can trust. If you can take advantage of this shift, you can start selling directly to customers — and earning way higher profits than you would through traditional wholesale channels.
Instead of fighting for wholesale contracts, you can focus on building relationships with customers who genuinely value the work you do every day. But the question of how to sell farm products directly often stands in the way of farmers who don’t know where to start.
This guide covers seven proven strategies to sell farm products directly. You'll discover the essential tools and tips you need to get started with direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales for your farm.
Let’s get started.
The farm-to-fork movement has existed for several years now, and it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. Issues with meat quality and produce recalls from corporate farms have left many consumers wanting to know where their meat comes from and how their vegetables were grown.
This shift in consumer mindset creates real opportunities for farmers willing to adapt their sales approach, but it’s not the only reason why now is the perfect time to sell your farm products directly. Consider these industry changes:
Related Read: 6 Strategies To Retain Farm Store Customers
The question for most farmers isn't whether direct sales make sense — it's how to get started without disrupting current operations. With this context in mind, let’s dive into our list of strategies and tools you need to start selling farm products directly.
The first (and most obvious) way to sell farm products directly is to open a farm store on your property. This strategy works best for farms with food visibility from the road and easy access for customers arriving by car or RV.
Your on-farm store can be as large or small as your budget and vision allow. The key is to focus on clean, organized displays and clear pricing. You’ll also need proper refrigeration and a point of sale (POS) system, so ensure the location you choose has reliable electricity.
Essential equipment includes:
Pro tip: Research local permits, zoning requirements, and food safety regulations in your state and locality, as many areas have specific rules for on-farm retail operations.
Another option for selling farm products directly is through your farm website. Launching a professional, easy-to-navigate website for your farm is the first step to leveraging this strategy. Remember: Your website will be many customers’ first impression of your farm, so you want to invest in a high-quality site with great photos and detailed descriptions of your products and your farm.
Next, you need to choose the right e-commerce platform. Most generic e-commerce systems are missing key features that let you sell by weight, manage variable inventory, or set up delivery zones around your farm, so you want to pick a platform designed for farms.
Here are some key features to prioritize in your farm e-commerce platform:
The best e-commerce platforms integrate seamlessly with your point of sale system so your inventory stays up to date and accurate, no matter what channel a customer purchases through.
Farmers markets are one of the oldest methods of selling farm products directly to consumers. The farming industry has changed a bit, but farmers markets are still an incredible opportunity to connect with local customers.
The most important consideration when selling at farmers markets is your booth setup. Your booth is your storefront, so make it memorable. Display your products to look as fresh and appetizing as possible, and consider offering product samples to draw more foot traffic to your booth.
You also want to invest in a cloud-based POS system you can use on the go. Look for systems that work offline and sync when you return to the farm. These tools will help you keep track of your inventory without risking lost sales due to poor on-site internet connectivity.
Another strategy you might explore is developing a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. In a CSA program, members pay upfront for a season's worth of shares. This steady cash flow at the beginning of the growing season (when expenses are highest) is incredibly helpful.
The trickiest part of this strategy is planning successful CSA shares. You need to balance variety, portion sizes, and seasonal availability. During peak season, most members expect eight to 12 different items per week, in quantities appropriate for their chosen share size.
Related Read: ANSWERED: What Does Local Farming Mean?
CSA logistics involve multiple moving pieces. Establish convenient pickup locations, plan efficient delivery routes if offering that service, and invest in proper packaging systems that keep products fresh. You may also consider offering full and half share options to accommodate different budgets and widen your customer base.
You're missing a major opportunity if you’re only selling raw ingredients at your farmers market booths and farm store. Value-added products like jams, pickles, and prepared foods command higher prices and have longer shelf lives than standard farm products.
But what value-added products should you offer? Start by understanding your market and your farm. Focus on items that complement your existing product line. You might add seasoning blends or jerky if you run a beef farm. A vegetable farm should explore things like pickles, salsas, or frozen prepared meals.
Related Read: How To Increase Farm Store Profits: 10 Tips & Tools
One important consideration for selling value-added products is regulatory compliance. Most states require commercial kitchen certification for any processed foods sold to the public. You might be able to get around this if your state has Cottage Food Laws, but be sure to do your research before launching this strategy.
Restaurant and retail partnerships offer another reliable way to sell your products. The most important consideration with this strategy is picking the right partners. Look for restaurants and shops that share your mission and vision: farm-to-fork restaurants, independent grocery stores, and specialty food shops are great places to start.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating these professional partnerships:
The bonus of this approach is that you get some word-of-mouth marketing benefit, too. When restaurants feature your products on menus or promotional materials, they're essentially advertising your farm to local customers.
Farm tours, pick-your-own operations, and hands-on workshops let customers see your operation firsthand. They’ll be more likely to connect with your farm emotionally and see your value, meaning they’ll pay a premium for the experience and the products.
Smart planning is critical with this strategy. You can host seasonal festivals, run cooking classes, or host farm-to-table dinners. These events are a great way to make money farming because they bring in cash through admission fees while also driving future product sales.
Pro tip: Consult with insurance professionals to ensure proper coverage before welcoming visitors to your farm.
Now that you have the strategies, you need the tools to put them into practice. You need:
Luckily, GrazeCart combines all these essential tools into one platform built specifically for farm-to-fork businesses — which means you don’t need to invest in half a dozen different systems to get your business off the ground. Check out our free trial today to see how our solution can help you start selling farm products directly to customers.
Direct-to-consumer selling is an incredible opportunity for farms like yours. The seven strategies we covered in this guide give you multiple options for connecting with customers and selling products outside of your wholesale channels.
The key to success is starting simple. Pick one strategy that feels right for your farm, then expand gradually as you build momentum. But before you can get started with any of these strategies, you need the right tools.
The right technology makes all the difference between struggling with manual processes and running a smooth operation — your all-in-one POS system manages the logistics behind direct-to-consumer sales, so you can focus on running your farm.
Ready to transform your farm business? Start your free GrazeCart trial today to discover how easy it is to sell farm products directly to your valued customers.