Farmer Spotlight: Local Appetite Growers
Local Appetite Growers focuses on growing the cleanest produce for their community in Southern Alabama. Using hydroponic growing methods and no-till organic beds, Will and his business partner Karl are committed to farming efficiently – to maximize their space among their 3 ½ acres and 4 greenhouses. With a passion for growing lettuces, leafy greens, and other seasonal produce, what started as a hobby for gardening has turned into a fully operational and successful Farm business.
As one of the newest members of the Barn2Door Farm Advisor Network, we recently sat down with Will Mastin on the Direct Farm Podcast. We learned how Will and his team use hydroponic systems to feed their community and how Subscriptions and a simplified delivery program have contributed to their success.
Listen to the full episode here: Soilless Systems and Subscriptions with Local Appetite Growers
Building a Strong Customer Base Starts with Brand
At the core of Local Appetite Growers is their commitment to growing the cleanest products for their community. This all started with their name and brand. “We call it Local Appetite Growers because that’s our specialty. Everything we sell is local, ending up 30-40 miles from where we grow it. We’re proud of our brand, and we’ve focused on building a name for ourselves in the community.”
Local Appetite Growers started by serving wholesale and restaurant channels. “In the beginning, I tried really hard to get our produce in front of chefs at local restaurants. I would go door to door to show chefs our products and pitch new restaurants too. That’s been our process. Now, I send our price list out weekly and include pictures of our products. It works for us.”
Before Barn2Door, Local Appetite Growers would attend farmer’s markets to build their base of local customers and spread awareness about the Farm. While it was a good avenue to build initial market awareness, farmers’ markets proved difficult to build a sustainable business.
“We did farmer’s markets for a while, but we didn’t like it much because it was so unpredictable. Some weeks there were tons of people, but if it were raining or too hot, people wouldn’t show up.” Using markets to get in front of customers, Will benefited from building in-person relationships. This was important as he thought about his next move to expand into home deliveries.
Read: Insights from Your Local Coffee Shop When Investing in Your Farm Brand
Watch: Building a Presence Online & Offline to Grow Your Farm Brand
Choosing Direct Delivery over Farmer’s Markets
With inconsistent farmer’s market attendance, Local Appetite Growers knew they needed another way to consistently get products into customers’ hands. With a system in place already to deliver to their restaurant accounts, Will knew that individuals and families would also enjoy a home Delivery service.
“We were already delivering to restaurants out of necessity given chefs are busy. We knew that the only way to get our products to restaurants was to physically bring it to them, so with that mindset, we decided to expand to and begin offering direct home deliveries too.”
Even though customers were sad about Local Appetite Growers leaving the markets, Will used the customers he had gained to start the home delivery service. “Everyone who attends the markets lives in the community. Because we started with that initial batch of market customers, we’ve grown the program, and now it’s running steady. We haven’t been at markets since we left in 2016. We’re just now thinking of returning – to continue building brand awareness, attract more customers, and increase our exposure in the community.”
Read: How This Farm Increased Sales by Focusing on Fewer Farmers Markets
Listen: How to Use the Farmer’s Markets to Grow Faster Online
Streamlining Processes to Maximize Efficiencies
Local Appetite Growers wasn’t always selling online to their customers. When Will recognized the need to use online channels to grow his brand and spread local awareness of the business, he knew it needed to start with a website. “I wanted a website for years, but it can be so expensive. We had just started the delivery service, where I was juggling everyone’s individual orders myself. It became too much.”
For Will, the perks of a professionally designed website, an online Farm store, and the ability to manage business processes was a no-brainer. “Before Barn2Door, I managed everything through an excel spreadsheet which was a pain to manage. People would call, text, and email me to place an order. Now, integrating the online store with our website and streamlining our Delivery service has helped us manage the crazy growth we’ve experienced. The price was right, and Barn2Door was everything we needed at the time and still need today.”
However, with quick growth came changes in the ordering process. Will quickly realized that allowing customers to customize their orders would get complicated fast. “We don’t allow for many customizations from our customers. We do enough of that for our restaurants. Reducing the amount ordered a-la-carte has minimized how complicated our packing is – it’s helped reduce stress a lot.”
With Farmer’s Choice Subscriptions, the picking and packing process is more streamlined, and customers can get what’s currently fresh at the moment of fulfillment. “We always include lettuce and eggs in our Subscription, but then our customers get whatever else is in season. There’s no promise on what customers will get besides what’s available. It makes things easy for us.”
Customers can choose a 12-week or an annual Subscription to Local Appetite Growers’ products. Paired with a direct delivery service, Will easily manages growth, mitigates last-minute orders, and keeps customers happy with consistent schedules and flexible payment options. “Our customers really like to sign up for the Subscription – it charges their card every week, and then they forget about it. They want our stuff, but they’re so busy! Having our food show up at their door automatically every week is so convenient for them.
Barn2Door makes it so easy for us too. We set our order cut-off times, so we don’t get any last-minute surprises. It helps keep things consistent and never becomes a pain to manage. Barn2Door makes everything simpler to sell to our customers. Managing the plants is enough work! Barn2Door helps automate our sales with automatic order reminder emails, which means I can go to the beach with my family and sales still come in!”
Scaling Back A Delivery Service To Increase Profits
Local Appetite Growers initially pivoted online with Barn2Door to efficiently manage their growing delivery service. “When everyone was stuck at home, the community started seeing all of their neighbors get their deliveries from us. That’s how our Delivery service boomed. Barn2Door made it so easy for people to hop online and order from us.”
“In the beginning, we were delivering to all our customers in the area. However, it got to a point where we looked at our profits based on the neighborhood and decided some weren’t worth our time. We decided to focus all of our energy on delivering to areas that are profitable. Narrowing our zones hurt at first because we lost some sales, but in the end, it’s made our deliveries much simpler.”
By cutting delivery zones and working to expand their reach in profitable areas, Local Appetite Growers acknowledged that less is more. By charging a $5 fee for all deliveries (including restaurants), Will ensures that their time is being paid for while also covering wear and tear on their delivery van. “We have to charge for the convenience of delivery, and our customers are willing to pay.”
We’re honored to support Farmers like Will, who are dedicated to producing clean products and ensuring customers can conveniently access their Farm.
Barn2Door provides an all-in-one solution for Farmers to grow and manage their business. If you’re curious to learn why successful Farmers run on Barn2Door, watch this 5-minute video.