Farmer Spotlight - Hayton Farm Berries 1 Year Later
Hayton Farm Berries is a 5th generation Farm located in Western Washington that grows and sells organic berries, grass-fed beef, lamb, and free-range eggs. Last year, when Angelica Hayton became a Barn2Door Farm Advisor, we sat down with her to learn more about her decision to sell direct with Barn2Door.
We recently caught up with Angelica on the Direct Farm Podcast to hear what’s new and learn about the tactics she’s used to increase sales and satisfy the local demand for her products.
Promoting Speciality Products with Pre-Orders
This past year, Angelica began trying to sell a new specialty product - pink lemonade blueberries. Due to an unpredictable soar in demand, Angelica shared how she advertises the products and gets the berries into customers’ hands. “A lot of people ask about the pink lemonade blueberries, so I make sure to post about it on our social media. Since demand is so high, I’ll share when we will have them and which farmer’s market they will be at.”
By accepting Pre-Orders, Angelica gives Buyer’s the ability to place orders before they attend the market. This has been useful with specialty products and other items that are available at the markets. Giving customers the ability to purchase items in advance makes it easier for Angelica’s buyers to get the products they want. It’s also simpler for Angelica to plan and organize orders in advance. “Before I started with Barn2Door, pre-orders weren’t possible. I had to tell people, ‘sorry, we’re out.’ But now, if we don’t have much inventory left of something, Buyers can pre-order, ensuring that we’ll have it ready for them.”
Read: Accepting Pre-Orders for 2022? This Farm secured $40,000+
Listen: Direct Farm Tactics: Pre-Orders
The Key to Convenience: Subscriptions + Delivery
When Angelica pivoted to selling direct online, she knew customers valued the convenience of a streamlined purchasing process. Offering Subscriptions paired with a direct delivery service gives customers the convenience they want. Since implementing both services, there has been no shortage in demand for her products. “We deliver twice a week now. We’ve grown to use two delivery trucks because we have so many stops!”
Making sure that customers can only receive direct delivery if they make a subscription commitment, Angelica secures monthly revenue and has been able to expand her reach. Subscriptions give Angelica the ease to plan inventory in advance, where customers enjoy consistent access to products. “As soon as we announced our 5-week box subscription, a lot of Customers subscribed immediately. When those 5 weeks ended, most of the same customers re-subscribed for another 5 weeks.”
Seeing how big of a success this was, Angelica is looking to expand her Subscription offerings to run into what is typically the off-season for her Farm. “I want to play around with different subscriptions. We freeze berries, so for the off-season, I’m thinking about a frozen berry box. Frozen berries are a product we already have and would be a great way to extend the season and secure further commitments.”
The Convenience of Selling Direct Online
Attending more than 50 farmer’s markets each year, Angelica shared the importance of having an online Farm Store for her business. “Having a webstore is great since I’m in control of running my business. For example, when Washington had a heatwave earlier this summer, many farmer’s markets shut down, but my webstore did not. A good business model needs to have options, so not all of your eggs are in one basket.”
By selling direct, Angelica has control over her prices and how much margin she earns. Depending on her available bounty, Angelica has the flexibility to set the price to fit her needs. “Barn2Door’s customization and flexibility are great. I can change the price per quantity to move more products during peak production or raise prices to make my bottom line. All of this is extremely helpful to growing my business.”
What’s Next for Hayton Farm Berries
As 2022 approaches, Angelica plans to continue expanding product offerings and promote the expansion of her delivery service to serve more buyers. “Our delivery service is going really well. When I posted about it on social media, many people didn’t realize we offered it! Promoting it more means more buyers will opt-in, and I can add more delivery days and zip codes as time goes on.”
At Barn2Door, we are honored to support Farmers like Angelica who are committed to serving their local communities with specialty products and creating a convenient experience for Buyers.
Barn2Door provides an all-in-one solution to grow and manage your Farm business. If you’re curious to learn why successful Farms run on Barn2Door, watch this 5-minute video.