Farm Market Stop in Manchester?

Argus Farm Stop location in Ann Arbor. (From presentation to Manchester Farmers Market Committee meeting)

submitted by Ruth VanBogelen, Manchester Farmers Market Committee

A Farm Market Stop is a store open 7 days a week. It looks like the produce, meat and dairy section of a traditional grocery store. Customers come to the Farm Market Stop frequently (maybe even daily) to purchase food for healthy meals and snacks. The food they purchase is grown locally by area farmers.

Different from a farmers market, the customer shops and checks out items all at once with cash, credit, debit, EBT, DUFB, etc. The Farm Market Stop has a labeling system on all items so the farmer is reimbursed for what sells. Often these markets also have an internet café so that customers have a beverage (coffee, tea, latte, etc.) in hand for conversations with other customers and sometimes the farmer who is delivering. The café offers fresh baked goods – also made locally. Some Farm Market Stops have commercial kitchens so excess produce is processed and frozen to extend sales life of the product, and/or food is prepared for quick pick up meals .

How is this food model good for area residents? Locally produced food has a higher level of nutrients. For example, did you know you would need to eat 50 peaches grown in California (picked before it is ripe, packaged for shipment across the country) to get the same amount of vitamins as one peach grown in Michigan (picked when ripe and consumed within a day or two). And the temptation to buy and use low nutrition food and pre-packaged foods (loaded with preservatives and salt) is gone.

How is this food model good for the local economy? In a traditional grocery store the farmer receives 15% of each food dollar sold and in the Farm Market Stop model the farmer receives 70-80% of each food dollar. Farmers who sell at a farmers market often need to charge more for their produce because of the hours they spend direct selling to the customer (need to pay themselves for their time). Farmers typically deliver to a Farm Market Stop one or two times a week as a drop off. The staff at the market package and price the items based on what the farmers wants to sell the items for. Yes, as a customer
you might find different packages of carrots that are priced differently.

Are there enough local farmers to supply a farm market stop in Manchester? Yes, Manchester is an agricultural community with many farmers producing fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, etc. Argus Farm Stop has two stores in Ann Arbor and they have 200 farmers on their supplier list. And yes, there are enough hoop houses in the area to produce items year around.

What a Farm Market Stop is not. Basically if you think of a traditional grocery store, most of the items found in the aisles would not be available – it would supply most of what you would find around the perimeter of a traditional grocery store. Thus, customers would still need to go elsewhere to purchase paper products, boxed and canned food items.

What would it take to get a Farm Market Stop open in Manchester?
1. Location. Several currently empty buildings on Main Street would suit the amount of square footage needed. Argus Farm Stops were starting using gas stations that were no longer in use.

2. Business Plan. Remember that 70-80% of each food dollar goes back to the farmer, which leaves 20-30% to cover rent of the building, paying staff, insurance, etc. Proceeds from a café are 70% toward overhead and 30% for supplies – so cafes really help the bottom line. Most Farm Market Stops are non-profit businesses and/or farm cooperatives. Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor has offered to help a Manchester Farm Market Stop to get started. Their knowledge of how to plan, operate and fund such a business could help shorten the timeline to get started.

3. Start up funds. Funds to reconfigure the building, for purchase of refrigeration units, shelving, software system for pricing, selling, inventory, etc. Without a grocery store, Manchester would likely qualify for grants as a food desert. 5 Healthy Towns Foundation and other organizations are already creating a lists of potential sources of start up funds. Manchester is also known for its ability to host fund-raising events (e.g., Chicken Broil, Crazy Cash, Farm to Table Dinner, etc.)

4. Manager and staff. It is best to have a manager(s) with knowledge of the grocery business (and rules and regulations for food safety) and a café business (if a café is included) and staff who are passionate about helping to sell locally grown produce.

5. CUSTOMERS!! If you would shop at a Manchester Farm Market Stop, please let us know and we’ll start a customer list! If you would like to help develop this model, please email 48158food@gmail.com and describe how you would like to help! We are looking for volunteers to help develop this idea further, but also managers and staff that would be paid once the market is ready.

Note – many options to offer Manchester a food supplier are being investigated.
 Manchester DDA is investigating for profit grocery store businesses
 Manchester Ladies Society is investigating starting a Food Coop (Read related article here.)
 Area Restaurants are exploring options for adding other take out items
 5 Healthy Towns Foundation is investigating a Veggie Mobile that would make stops in
Manchester
 A variety of short term fixes to ensure area residents have transportation to, deliver of or access to food in town are being explored

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.