By Joanne Rodgers,
Bruce Peninsula Press
The NP CoWork hosted a Farmers Meetup on February 28th from 10 a.m. to noon at the Rotary Hall in Lion’s Head. The meeting facilitator, Megan Franken, says it is about building connections within the local farming community.
Small scale food producers/entrepreneurs and hobby farmers, some of them recently new to the area, attended the meeting. Describing the group as a “cool mix of people” Franken sees great opportunity to forge good connections.
Catapult Grey Bruce helps entrepreneurs grow their business
The first of two guest speakers, Chris Herbert of Catapult Grey Bruce (https://catapultgreybruce.com), says the organization focuses on helping entrepreneurs grow their business by offering mentoring programs, leveraging Subject Matter Experts, and assisting in developing business strategies. Herbert says Catapult does not compete with existing services but looks to fill gaps.
Their Catapult Tech Network (CTN) creates a hub of people interested in technology and aims to offer new innovative solutions for the use of technology in the agriculture sector. Herbert indicates they are considering creating a hub in the Northern Bruce Peninsula in cooperation with NP CoWork.
Lion’s Head Market actively seeking new vendors
The second guest speaker was Charlene Jordan, Manager of the Lion’s Head Farmers’ Market who describes the Market as having “a heartbeat of its own”.
Even with the restrictions due to COVID-19, the Farmers’ Market grew in 2021. There are approximately 30 vendors at the Market and on a regular Saturday in summer sees up to 700 people visiting the market. A holiday long weekend draws over 1,000 persons to the Market. Jordan indicates that 80 percent of the customers are visitors or seasonal cottagers.
Jordan is actively seeking farm producers, bakers – especially an artisan bread supplier, an egg supplier, someone interested in providing starter plants, and food vendors for the 2022 Market season.
New this year, Jordan will introduce a “tableshare” program, to encourage start-ups and sellers limited due to seasonal availability or smaller supply. Jordan received a $1,000.00 Community Grant to improve signage for the Market.
The final segment of the meetup was a brainstorming session. Some of the topics discussed were:
• Farmgate sales and farm tours
Farmgate sales and farm tours were discussed as a way to capitalize on the flow of tourist traffic and to offer farm fresh products to the local community.
• Connections via a digital space
Online awareness and local promotion can be valuable tools to build connections and advertise in the digital space. Charlotte Chinn of LookLocally.ca offers a free online directory for local businesses.
• Tool Sharing
The possibility of a tool sharing library, where the farmers/entrepreneurs can share or access tools on an as-need basis.
Anyone needing more information or looking to make connections with other farmers/entrepreneurs can contact Megan Franken at info@npcowork.com
