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Articles : September
2004 Progress and Updates
September 2004 Progress and Updates
Things got very busy for FCX over the summer, which is of course
great news. There are many things to report….
Sales: Attached is a chart developed by Jen Small that
graphs sales, number of producers and number of restaurants
on a weekly basis. You can see that the lines are going in the
right direction - up! To me the most positive thing regarding
sales is that restaurants we have added have all come back to
order more and have become steady customers. Given that a one-day
delivery cycle to NYC limits the number of stops we can make,
developing a clientele of loyal restaurants who order as many
products from FCX as possible will be key to our success. We
are not near where we want to be in terms of sales, but as the
fall season begins restaurants expect to increase orders. Summer
is typically a slow season in NYC, with August/Labor Day being
very quiet.
Outreach: Outreach to restaurants is going well - it
often takes several weeks of calls, sending product lists and
"courting" before a chef incorporates us into his/her
planning cycle and places a first order. We continue to expand
the list of potential restaurants and outreach lists.
Paula and I have also done a lot of outreach to local producers
over the summer. In order to increase the volume of sales to
each restaurant we also need to increase the array of products
FCX can offer. The poor growing season and the fact that FCX
did not get started until after planting season has made it
difficult to recruit vegetable producers. These products have
been sorely missed by the chefs. Other products for which demand
by the chefs is far greater than our supply: pastured/free range
eggs; lamb; any type of cheese/dairy products. Please encourage
anyone you know who may be interested in selling products through
FCX to contact me.
Table Talk Seminar-September 28: As part of our outreach
and communication to both producers and chefs, FCX is hosting
a Table Talk Seminar in NYC on September 28 from 11-1. The attached
flyer was sent to chefs in this week's product list. All meats-poultry,
lamb, pork, beef-will be discussed at the seminar. Producers
will have the opportunity to discuss raising methods, processing
constraints, costs, and cuts. Chefs will discuss their needs
for cuts, pricing and other issues. The outcome of the seminar
is for each group to better understand the needs of the other
and to come away with specific ideas for improved marketing
and purchasing. Questions such as the following will be discussed:
What is the difference between grass-fed and grass-finished?
What are constraints around availability of fresh vs. frozen
meat? Are there cuts the chef has not considered that will meet
his/her needs at a better price? Does the pricing structure
give the producer the best return for the animal? We hope to
arrange lunch at several of our participating restaurants after
the seminar, the cost being shared by the grant, farmers and
the restaurant.
We plan to take two county vans to NYC for the seminar, leaving
early on September 28. All FCX participating producers offering
meat are encouraged to attend. It's a great opportunity to meet
the chefs, learn more about marketing to this group, and promote
your products in person. Contact me for more information and
to reserve a spot. We will be developing a specific agenda
over the next couple of weeks. Please give me your ideas about
things that you would like to discuss with chefs or hear about
from them!
Transportation: We have been extremely fortunate to find
Remus Preda who has taken on responsibility for transporting
products to NYC. Remus is not only very familiar with NYC, he
is also familiar with the restaurant and farm worlds. He makes
a great addition to the overall FCX team, taking samples to
chefs that we are "courting", talking with chefs when
they are there for delivery, and being a great ambassador for
FCX. Mike Yezzi and Jen Small are also contributing use of their
freezers and cooler to store products overnight before delivery.
We continue to refine the packing/tracking/delivery procedures,
but have definitely put in place the basics of a system that
can work well. The next hurdle may well be when we "outgrow"
our current storage/transportation capacity.
Transportation Costs: The steering committee met in
August and decided that, while it is important to begin to charge
for transportation costs, all producers will have a 6-month
"no charge" period during the life of the grant. The
period of time will allow the producer to build FCX deliveries
into their overall planning schedule and budget before the transportation
charges begin.
Website/electronic ordering: This part of the project
has gotten behind schedule, in part due to constraints on my
time and in part due to "bugs" that have needed to
be worked out in fitting the system to our needs. I continue
to hope it will be "soon" that it will be up and running
at least for producers. So far, only a few of the chefs use
computers or Internet regularly for ordering. We'll start with
those to work out our final electronic system.
Grant Applications: Paula has submitted a new grant
to NYS Ag & Markets that is a companion to the first year
FCX grant. The new grant cycle, if approved, will take FCX through
the steps necessary to position it to become a free-standing,
viable business enterprise. Some highlights of the application:
- Joint seminars between producers/chefs so that each better
understands and can respond to the needs of the other
- Professional advisor for development of business plan
- Increased revenue/marketing through addition of local deliveries
- Assistance from professional marketing firm for material/support
NYS Ag & Markets has approved in concept FCX adding outreach
to local restaurants in addition to NYC. We have received many
inquiries from local chefs who have seen publicity about FCX
and want to participate. Adding a separate local delivery day
will increase sales/revenue at a lower transportation cost,
increasing the fiscal viability of FCX. We will would
like to have a producer meeting on Wednesday, October 6 at 7pm
(with an alternate day of October 7) to discuss launching this
new aspect of FCX and the outcome from Table Talk. Please
call me at 371-5592 about attending this meeting and the meeting
on September 28.
Sincerely,
Judith Kleinberg
FCX Marketing Liaison
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