Local Food Online

ALEX PALZEWICZ, UP Local Food Coordinator & Online Sales Lead

CLAIRE BUTLER, Communications Coordinator

“How am I going to get my products to the consumer?” This was the biggest question on the minds of food producers during the spring of 2020. Online farmers markets and farm stores, once a rarity in Michigan, are a positive and evolving adaptation to the ongoing pandemic.

“While COVID created challenges for farmers markets in 2020, many thrived through innovation – increasing sales and bringing new buyers to the table via online orders with curbside pickup,” says Amy McCann, CEO of Local Food Marketplace, an online sales platform designed for farms, markets, and food hubs.

In Traverse City, the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market quickly pivoted to using Local Food Marketplace and offered a minimal contact system. Online ordering was well received in the community with nearly 400 shoppers placing $16,000 in online orders in the first three days of going live. Throughout the 2020 season, the online market generated $164,750 in sales for 49 vendors, with over 1500 customers placing an average of 150 to 200 orders a week. “Personally, I found myself shopping more at the farmers market,” says one online Sara Hardy Farmers Market shopper. “I don’t really like crowds of people, so having my options all laid out in front of me on the website made it super easy to scroll through and see what I wanted to buy.”

Online shopping is familiar for most consumers and led to larger purchases at the market. However, selling online was completely new territory for many local food businesses. With dozens of small Michigan farms trying to navigate their first, or even multiple, online ordering systems at once, inventory management was one of the biggest challenges. For example, Lakeview Hill Farm in Traverse City operates their own e-commerce site, sells online at a farmers market and with separate wholesale platforms. “They all have different periods, deadlines, order cut-offs, and delivery dates,” says co-owner John Dindia. “That has been really hard to manage.”

These growing pains are expected during any switch to a new method of selling, especially one exacerbated by a global pandemic. Though, many vendors are enjoying plenty of benefits to moving online. Farmers no longer had to spend hours setting up and tearing down stands multiple times a week, but could spend their time actually farming. Plus, many online markets extended their season or even stayed open year round with streamlined pick up options.

Even though the switch to online was intensified by the pandemic, online farmers markets are here to stay and are shaping a more localized food system throughout Northwest Michigan and beyond.

Online Sales Facts

According to a recent study from Colorado State University, online shopping for farmers markets and farms increased by 14% between September 2019 to September 2020.

AVERAGE ONLINE ORDER SIZE: * $59-179

AVERAGE IN PERSON ORDER: * $15-30

NUMBER OF MICHIGAN ONLINE FARMERS MARKETS: 14

*From Local Food Marketplace