There is always something new going on at Durham Farm Fresh!

Most recently, Durham Farm Fresh has undertaken a research project called “Expanding Opportunities in Local Food Marketing”.

The project, funded through the Agricultural Adaptation Council, is a proactive initiative that undertakes research into the Durham Region marketplace to develop and implement strategies addressing new marketing opportunities.

Project synopsis:

‘Local food’ and ‘buying fresh’ are buzz words in agriculture, hospitality, and tourism sectors across North America and around the world. Here in Durham Region, what do our consumers think of local food? And how do they want to consume ‘local’? Durham Farm Fresh members have excellent products, but how do we bring the gap between producers, consumers, and access to local foods? The Expanding Opportunities in Local Food Marketing research project addressed this issue by engaging consumers in consumer focus groups, and conducted a region wide consumer survey (Ipsos Reid n= 741).

And the results? Durham Region consumers want local produce:

• 47% consumers care about where their food is produced

• 76% consumers ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ will purchase items labeled as locally produced

Analyzing consumer research, and engaging Durham Farm Fresh members through a series of interviews and a membership survey, the project consultant, BCI Marketing Partners Inc., published a long term strategy proposal in May, 2009. The strategy focuses on a number of key initiatives and guides the resources of Durham Farm Fresh. The initiatives include; marketing and promotions, developing best practices and a brand charter, increasing retailing opportunities, growth of the Durham Farm Fresh Marketing association staff and organization capacity, and fostering a continuous improvement approach to activities. For more details, refer to the strategy overview.

The Agricultural Adaptation Council is a non-profit coalition of leaders from agricultural and rural organizations that allocates Federal and Provincial funding. The organization supports initiatives that ‘fosters long-term growth, self-reliance, profitability, viability and employment opportunities’ (AAC, 2009)