Expanding Your Farmers Market: Four Ways Special Event Ice Can Help
Posted on: 10 September 2020
Farmers markets are known for their fresh fruit and produce, but vendors are often limited by the temperature outside when planning which items they will sell. Special event ice can make it easier for a wider range of local vendors to sell their best goods at your market. Here are just three ways you can use special event ice to create more sales opportunities for farmers and other vendors in your area.
Fresh Meats And Fish
Farmers selling fresh meat and fish may have a difficult time bringing their products to a farmers market. Warm weather may require them to freeze cuts of meat, fillets of fish, and other meat products. By supplying ice to these vendors at your market, it is possible to sell fresh, not frozen, meats. Work with your vendors to create a table setup that supports the use of ice to keep meat and fish chilled while the market is open. By having these products on display instead of frozen and sitting in a cooler, local cattle farmers, poultry farmers, and fishermen can potentially increase their sales each week.
Wider Selection Of Dairy
Local dairy farmers may have delicious cheeses, yogurts, and other fresh products available for sale. Keeping these products at their ideal temperature can be tricky, and offering a supply of fresh ice each morning can make it easier for these goods to be put on display. Farmers can fill buckets or tubs with ice before placing their products inside. This leaves the cheese and other tasty treats cold and ready for purchasing.
Concessions And Pop-Up Restaurants
Farmers markets also provide local restaurants with a great opportunity to share menu items, but ice is needed to serve beverages and keep perishable ingredients cold. Special event ice can solve this problem. This makes it easier for local restaurants to create temporary locations at your farmers market to show off new recipes and give customers a preview of what to expect when they dine in. Concession stands are also easier to add to your farmers market with a supply of fresh ice. Cold bottles of water on a hot day can provide much-needed hydration, and frosty smoothies made using local fruits and vegetables give shoppers a taste of the delicious produce available.
Bulk Shopping
One challenge your customers may face is being limited when purchasing perishable goods. Consider offering a supply of ice at the door for shoppers to fill rolling coolers with. With cold ice inside the coolers, it's easier to keep the meats, cheeses, and other delicacies cold until each customer arrives home. Shoppers can purchase more goods, filling their coolers with all the special items your vendors have available.
Be sure to take into account the typical volume at your farmers market. Work with your vendors to determine how much ice each one will need. You can use that information to place a bulk order with your special event ice company every week.
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