{"id":45470,"date":"2025-09-26T02:49:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T06:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smallfarms.cornell.edu\/guide\/marketing-options-in-urban-environments\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T07:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T11:38:31","slug":"marketing-options-in-urban-environments","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/smallfarms.cornell.edu\/es\/recursos\/guide-to-urban-farming\/marketing-options-in-urban-environments\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Options in Urban Environments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Benefits of Direct Marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The main attraction of direct marketing, compared with selling through traditional wholesale markets, is that you receive the full share of the consumer dollar and have more control over the price you receive for your products. Additionally, you have ample opportunity to tell the story of your product to the purchaser and for them to learn from you. But with direct marketing, you\u2019ll also incur extra costs \u2013 not the least of which is your time.\u00a0 Be sure to evaluate each option carefully as part of a farm business plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers Markets<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Farmers markets are a good place to develop your marketing skills.\u00a0 Start by visiting markets in your area. Inventory what\u2019s available and note what does not sell out by the end of the day.\u00a0 Don\u2019t grow what doesn\u2019t sell unless you can clearly differentiate your product and have assessed it has a market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get a copy of the market rules. Some markets have strict rules as to what types of product can be sold, the distance products travel to market, if a farm owner must be present at each market, and many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determine if your business plans and goals match the market rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to study the customers.\u00a0 How many are there?\u00a0 What is their ethnicity?\u00a0 Are they young or old?\u00a0 Are they families or single buyers?\u00a0 Affluent or bargain shoppers?\u00a0 Ask shoppers and vendors what they like and don\u2019t like about the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be successful, you need to enjoy interacting with people and be willing to invest the time it takes to pick, pack, transport, set up and sell.\u00a0 To maximize potential returns you need to sell for as long a season as possible. For produce vendors, this means growing a wide variety of crops. Farmers\u2019 markets sales alone may not generate enough money to make a living, requiring you to look at additional marketing strategies, but they can be a good place to start a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find New York farmers markets near you, contact the Farmers Market Federation of NY<\/a> at (315) 400-1447 or visit the NYS Department of Agriculture and Market<\/a> website.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On-Farm Sales<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On-farm sales can both enable urban farmers to incur a profit as well as to attract visitors to their urban farm sites, subsequently fostering increased visibility and community engagement.
To be successful, you need to enjoy having lots of people at your farm.\u00a0 Risk management and liability insurance is a must.\u00a0 Building loyal clientele is key, and may take many years.\u00a0 Your business plan must be based on realistic customer numbers and sales projections.
Keep in mind that some municipal codes and zoning ordinances prevent the sale of fresh produce and other farm products from residential and other districts. Be sure to check your city\u2019s ordinances before pursuing any on-farm sale endeavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internet and Mail-Order<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you develop unique, high-value products that are easy to ship, this strategy can complement your other direct marketing efforts. Packaging and shipping costs need to be considered but for products that are not bulky or heavy, this can be a profitable strategy. One easy option for getting started with internet marketing is to list your farm on the following free sites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local harvest<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NY Farmers Markets<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Supported Agriculture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations typically provide a weekly share box of produce to customers who pay for their shares at the beginning of the season, and the up-front money reduces financial and marketing risks for farmers, and customers share in production risks. \u00a0CSA operations also increase public visits to, and the visibility of, an urban farm.\u00a0 For more information about running a CSA operation in an urban environment, see the CSAs in the City Factsheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Indirect Marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Restaurant Sales<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many chefs are looking for fresh, local products to feature in their menus, and urban farmers can benefit from the wealth of restaurants in urban centers.  You will find that chefs are as busy as farmers.  Develop personal relationships with chefs, find out what they want and what they are willing to pay. Grow those products for them for as long a season as possible.  You need to offer consistently-available, high quality, clean products that are delivered on time. Restaurant sales need to be an intentional strategy, not a way to dump surplus product.  Drawbacks include the need for small quantities of some items.  Watch that delivery costs and time don\u2019t eat up profits, and be clear on payment terms.  Once a relationship is solid, less face-time is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales to Food Retailers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Increasingly small food retailers are interested in sources of locally grown food. One option is to contact retail farm markets in your area. Many do not grow all they sell.  Also, check out food cooperatives, natural foods stores, and independent groceries. Most will only pay wholesale prices found at regional markets.
Non-independent retailers, from convenience stores to super-centers, have purchasing requirements unique to their business. Some purchasing decisions are made at the local store level, but most require higher-level. Start with local store managers and head buyers of relevant departments.
Food retailers expect local prices to be in line with wholesale prices. Understand buyer expectations and prices before agreeing to delivery. Some may reject products based on quality or because they have a better supply and price elsewhere.  The advantage of selling to retailers is that you can move more volume to fewer buyers, reducing your marketing costs. The disadvantage is that it can be a fickle, price-driven market.  Be sure to spread your risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Institutional Food Service Sales<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some schools, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, and other institutions can purchase local products. Many are part of a buying consortium and have a single goal: keep costs low.  Meals can be pre-prepared or ready to serve, with few fresh items.  Institutional food sales also come with institutional barriers, including regulations and requirements that dictate their purchasing practices.  One way to tap institutional markets is to go through the distributors who sell to them. This adds a middleman and reduces returns.  High quality, volume sales, standard packaging, and reliable delivery will be necessary to make this type of customer relationship viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on direct marketing, contact the North American Farmers\u2019 Direct Marketing Association on their website.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing in Urban Environments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The unique characteristics of urban environments offer some urban-specific market niches, such as producing crops that do not transport well, taking advantage of warmer urban microclimates to produce crops earlier or later than the average season, and cultivating specialty crops in demand by local ethnic populations and markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MetroFarm: Growing for Profit In or Near the City<\/em> by Michael Olson (TS Books, 1994) provides helpful business insights for urban farmers interested in urban market farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing to Improve Food Access<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Urban farmers often aim not only to be profitable, but also to improve their communities’ and city residents\u2019 access to fresh, healthy, local food. There are often designated funds available to subsidize projects that provide fresh, nutritious, affordable food to low-income or other underserved populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile markets, for example, enable farmers to reach communities and areas that might not have a farmers market, grocery store, or other place to buy fresh and healthy food.\u00a0 Capital Roots\u2019 Veggie Mobile\u00ae<\/a>, for example, operates Tuesday through Saturday and makes one-hour stops at assisted living centers, public housing projects, and other densely populated neighborhoods in Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Programs such as Just Food\u2019s Fresh Food for All<\/a> improve access to food by connecting farmers within 250 miles of New York City with food pantries and other emergency food programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GrowNYC Wholesale Greenmarket <\/a>not only makes local produce available to city retail stores, institutions and restaurants at competitive prices and quantities, but also includes food access initiatives such as the Fresh Food Box Program and YUM Fresh Food for Northern Manhattan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York State Department of Health offers a map<\/a> of New York state that indicates the regional food banks that distribute food to a local county for Emergency Food Relief Organizations (EFRO). This tool can be a great starting point for farmers interested in donating fresh products from their farms and giving back to the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For More Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For more information on how to accept Federal Benefit Programs (including SNAP, WIC, and SFMNP), please visit the Food Access and Federal Benefit Program Factsheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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