Organic Open House on June 24th

Organic Marketing in the World of Covid-19

North Slope Farm and NOFA-NJ co-host an Organic Open House and we are trying to use these to encourage farmer discussions on current topics. The June 24th Open House will feature guest speakers and roundtable discussions on the topics of Internet Marketing of Farm Produce, Direct to Consumer Delivery and Farmers Markets in the World of COVID andI thought you might be interested in joining.  

Looking forward to tomorrow night’s open house! Special Guests confirmed to date: Meredith Melendez, County Agricultural Agent, to discuss Food Safety Best Management Practices. Mike Azzara, Zone 7 Produce Supplier, to discuss managing changing marketing strategies and staff topics. Chris Cirkus, Manager of West Windsor and Trenton Farmers Markets, to relate experiences from the front lines of protecting food access and farmer outlets. Also, Jon Knox of Dogwood Farms, Ron and Virginia from Bone-In Foods, to discuss managing home delivery. Organic Farmers to share insights and discuss strategies.
For the resources to support the discussion, check out these Links:
Rutgers On Farm, Food Safety Covid-19 info
Fresh From Zone 7
West Windsor and Trenton Farmers Markets
Finally, here’s a Handy List of Direct Sales Software Platforms from the Young Farmer’s Coalition

Barn2Door        

• Features          Ecommerce storefront, Mailchimp and Quickbooks integrations
• Pricing     $94/mo. plus 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction, $399 setup

Cropolis             

• Features          Online sales via availability lists, Process online payments
• Pricing $99/mo. plus 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction

CSAware           

• Features          CSA management
• Pricing             2% of sales, minimum $100/mo. plus credit card fees

Farmers Web    

• Features          Online sales via availability lists, Process online payments
• Pricing $75/mo. plus 3.5% + $0.30 per credit card transaction

Farmigo             

• Features          CSA management, Food hub / multi-farm sales, Ecommerce storefront
• Pricing     2% of sales, minimum $150/mo. plus credit card fees

GrownBy           

• Features          CSA management w/ custom shares (in beta), Ecommerce storefront (in beta), Cooperative ownership opportunity
• Pricing             2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction; free for offline sales

HarvestHand     

• Features          CSA management
• Pricing             $10 per member, first 10 members free; Online payments through Paypal

Harvie                

• Features          CSA management, Marketing assistance
• Pricing             7% of sales plus 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction, $500 setup fee

Local Line          

• Features         Ecommerce storefront
• Pricing          $60/mo. – $95/mo.

Local Food Marketplace      

• Features          CSA management, Ecommerce storefront, Online sales via availability lists, Food hub / multi-farm sales, Delivery route management
• Pricing             See pricing page for details:

Local Orbit        

• Features          Food hub / multi-farm sales, Delivery management, Newsletters
• Pricing   $70/mo. – $400/mo. plus 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction

Open Food Network            

• Features         Food hub / multi-farm sales, Ecommerce storefront
• Pricing             Open source community, contact U.S. organizers to learn more: hello- usa@openfoodnetwork.net

Shopify            

• Features          Ecommerce storefront
• Pricing             $29/mo. – $299/mo. plus 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction

WhatsGood       

• Features          Ecommerce storefront; Aggregated delivery available in Boston, Rhode Island, and Virginia
• Pricing             Charges consumers 5% fee