He Sells Farm Produce Direct To Restaurants

He Sells Farm Produce Direct To Restaurants 30-3-6 "What's nice about operating the way I do is that you can sell your produce before it's even harvested," says Bill Poynton, a former chef and restaurant manager turned full-time gardener. "You don't ever have to stand at a farmer's market for hours." After 15 years in the restaurant business, he bought a 21-acre farm near Northfield, Minn. After he planted his first crop of peppers, garlic, potatoes, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, watermelons and other melons, he learned he had missed the deadline to book a booth at a large nearby farmers market. That left him with a lot of produce and no buyers. "I literally went knocking on restaurant doors," he says. "Surprisingly, nobody turned me away and I sold everything." He says the chefs were very receptive to talking to him about his produce and he learned that others are selling direct, too. Poynton says pricing can be tricky and that it's a learning experience. "I literally pulled numbers out of the air," he admits. "Nobody questioned my prices which told me they were too low." This year, he plans to only sell directly to restaurants. He says chefs want organic produce that's clean. "Leave the dirt on the farm," he says. "These chefs are picky." During the winter, he sent out mini surveys to learn what chefs are looking for. He's also working with members of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota which is working to expand produce available to restaurants. Poynton says some chefs take pride in serving locally grown produce. "Some even put the farm names on the menu and it's great seeing that." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Poynton (ph 507 581-1671; bpoynton @frontiernet.net).

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