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ASAP supports a "customers first" approach to building, growing, or transitioning a farm. This means that instead of growing or raising large quantities of farm products and then figuring how to sell them, we believe farmers are more likely to prosper when they time and scale their crops to serve expected or established customer demand. Unsure which local customers, or which types of local businesses, are the right match for your farm? There are plentiful resources available to assist your search.
ASAP's Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Conference, held the last Saturday in February each year, features more than a dozen workshops by fellow farmers, buyers, and other experts. The conference lunch period includes opportunities to meet buyers and discuss potential matches between farmers' products and buyers' needs.
Farms can describe their offerings online and in print in ASAP's Local Food Guide, published each year in spring. 90,000 copies of the Local Food Guide reach shoppers at more than 300 WNC locations, year-round. Click the link above and select 'Get in the Guide' to be a part of the publication. You must submit information by March 1 to be listed in that year's guide. The basic listing fee is $25. The Mixing Bowl is a sister publication, accessed through the same online portal, that specifically connects farmers with wholesale buyers. Want to attract visitors to your farm? A new map-based local food guide and trip planner will show the public how to find you.
Appalachian Grown is ASAP's local certification and branding program. The Appalachian Grown™ symbol is displayed with farm products grown or raised in Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachian mountains. When local shoppers see the Appalachian Grown logo, they know they're buying fresher foods that support family farms, strengthen the local economy, preserve rural culture, and protect the natural beauty of the Appalachian mountains. Through a simple paper form, or online at the Local Food Guide, farmers can become Appalachian Grown certified. Certified farms can use the logo on their packaging, advertising, and signage. When available, ASAP matching funds can help you pay the cost of these promotions.
To learn more about marketing in general, and how to apply the best thinking about marketing to your farm, Mountain BizWorks offers an Advanced Marketing Course. Also you can download our Marketing Handout.
Organic Growers School's CRAFT program offers on-farm training sessions that include marketing advice from some of our region's most experienced producers for local markets.
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