How to Sell Your Wares at a Farmer's Market

Do you love to can your jellies and jam? I bet you think you have a great recipe that you would love to market. Many communities have what is called a "farmers market" whereby every day people turn their hobbies into a business and sell their home made wares, plants, and just about anything that a local farmer's market will accept. However, dreaming of this is one thing and doing it with success is another thing. I am going to share some tips with you from an interview I did with my neighbor, Lynn Fitzgerald who has taken a hobby 11 years ago and turned it into a successful farmer's market business today called "Fitz Ritz".

Depending on the size of your farmer's market, spending a day there can be a wonderful weekend adventure. One of the Greater Orlando's best kept secret is the Winter Park farmer's market. It has cobblestone streets and a warmth and charm of a European city. Every Saturday, between 7am till 1pm they have a popular open-aired farmer's market with parts of it covered. In order for a vendor to sell their wares in the covered parts you have to be well respected on what you are selling. This is where you will find Lynn Fitzgerald owner of Fitz Ritz selling her gourmet treats.

I sat down with Lynn to ask her some questions that might help a "newbie" vendor who wants to break into their farmer's market.

Irene: Lynn: What is your background?

Lynn: I have been in the hospitality industry since I was 16 years old, primarily in the commercial industry all my life. I lived on a farm and we were involved with canning.

Irene: Do you feel that someone needs to have such a background as yours to be successful?

Lynn: No, not at all. As long as you have a passion on what you do, the drive alone will make you successful. What is nice about the home made canning process is that it is healthier because I use fresh ingredients. Once, I was told by a nurse that home made pickles are actually healthy for you because it replaces the bacteria in our stomach. This is important when people eat too many processed foods. Enzymes become missing from our diets.

Irene: How many products did you start out with and how many do you have now?

Lynn: I started out with just trying out some jams and jellies to see how that would go over. This was 11 years ago. Now I have 102 types of products such as jellies, jams, olive oils, salsa, butter spreads, just to name a few. It's best to have products that you can have a relationship to the customer. What I mean is I try to educate my customer on how they should use the product by giving ideas and suggestions. I focus on putting imagination in their heads so that they can go home and become a Gourmet cook themselves.

Irene: Is it better not to sell too many types of items in the beginning?

Lynn: No, all someone needs to do is go out with what you know and expand later.

Irene: How many hours do you invest between preparing your wares and selling your products?

Lynn: On a weekly basis, I will put in 30-35 hours for preparations and then my Saturday hours of 7am -1pm to sell them at the farmer's market. I also have a website that I will monitor.

Irene: What would your average profit margins be on your products?

Lynn: I break it up in thirds. One third goes towards my purchases; one third goes to my Research and Development; and one third goes towards profits.

Irene: What are the steps to get into a Farmer's Market?

Lynn: You have to find out what the rules for your local county and/or city are when it comes to getting an occupational license and for prepping and selling food products. Where I live we have to prepare our food products in a commercial kitchen, whereas a place like Alaska you can prepare food in your own kitchen. This is very important or you can be shut down immediately. I would suggest starting with your local Chamber of Commerce and the Health Department for some of this information. Also, you should contact the farmer's markets in your area to find out what their requirements are.

Irene: Do you have any war stories about anything that happened to you in your business?

Lynn: One time I had a very good customer that became perturbed when my website had problems. It took his order and payment. He received a receipt. However, I didn't get the information. He was upset because the website took his money and yet he didn't receive his goods. I couldn't' convince him that it was due to a problem on my website. So, I lost a valuable customer. However, I gained invaluable insight on how I must communicate with the customers.

Irene: If there was one bit of advice to help a newbie trying to get into a farmer's market what would that be?

Lynn: Know what you are going to do; research, research, research! Make sure you have all your ducks in a row so you will have fewer headaches. I have a motto: Life is too short not to have good friends, good times, and good food!

Lynn and her business" Fitz Ritz" will be featured on the Travel channel after June 5th. She recently was interviewed at the farmer's market in Winter Park, Florida by Samantha's Brown's "Weekend Trips". If you'd like to try some of her gourmet wares you can place an order "here".