STRATFORD — Fred de Martines has noticed something since beginning a gradual move away from conventionally-produced pork into the specialized market of processed-to-order, raised-on-straw Wild Boar, Tamworth and Berkshire hogs.
Among his new business contacts, there’s genuine concern about each others’ financial well-being. Among the mainstream farm community he’s slowly leaving behind, it’s seen as almost embarrassing to admit that you’re not operating from one loan payment to the next.
“I remember there was one restaurant in this area, and when I went to see about them buying some wild boar, the chef asked me whether I was making money.” The Sebringville-area entrepreneur replied in the affirmative. “Then the chef said, ‘okay, good. Now, I want to do business with you’.”
Speaking as part of a direct-marketing best practices panel discussion at last month’s second annual Perth County Regional Food Summit, de Martines commented that restaurateurs want to know that, if they sign on to purchase from a farmer, the supply is going to be there over the long term.
Since starting slowly with Wild Boar in 1992, de Martines has built a business that now sees him some days leaving at 6 a.m., driving a 450 km route for processing plant pick-up and restaurant delivery into Toronto, then returning at 9:30 p.m. He told Food Summit attendees that, although he still likes to “get (his) hands dirty a few times a week,” the extensive driving “is not a chore” because it offers a chance to build direct relationships.
And the messages he hears have sometimes surprised him.
Importantly, his forays into high-end Toronto markets have revealed a reverence for those who work the land.
“If you want appreciation, that’s where you can get it,” he said.
Then his cellphone rings and de Martines admits during the panel discussion that “it’s been going off all day.” He doesn’t offer any excuses, then points out that “it has to (ring) . . . People want to place orders. I’ve got to send in cutting instructions. Everything has to be finalized.”
“That’s one of the things that’s different from mainstream agriculture,” he said. “The rest of the world wants to be sure that the people they’re dealing with are making money. That way they know they’re dealing with good businesspeople.”
Also on the “best practices” panel were direct-to-restaurant or direct-to-consumer producers Dave Koert of Seaforth and Laurie Neubrand of Monkton. The restaurant side, meanwhile, was represented by Janet Ashworth of Stratford’s County Food Co., and Neil Baxter of seasonal Stratford Shakespearean Festival-dependent Rundles.
Koert’s grandparents immigrated from Holland and grew a considerable amount of produce for the local market. The next generation of the family moved totally into commodity agriculture. But Koert, coming back to the farm after years away from Seaforth, decided that the best way for him to make a living was to get back to his grandparents’ roots.
“I have a bit of an advantage because I worked in restaurants for about 15 years,” he told Food Summit attendees.
For those getting into the direct-to-restaurant business, Koert advised visiting potential clients, tasting how they prepare food, and finding out what delivery arrangements would work best.
He has also jumped wholeheartedly into so-called “social media,” establishing an online Facebook page, Twitter account, and ongoing weblog. He conducts almost all business with his restaurant clients by email, but warns that all these things must be updated regularly — ideally, as part of a daily routine.
Neubrand explained restaurants prefer the security of knowing they’ll have a product over an extended period of time. She advised visiting with clients in November and December to establish what they want, and/or what the producer can provide. That’s because late fall is when orders are put in through seed catalogues.
“My husband doesn’t need Christmas presents,” joked the well-known regular from the Stratford Farmers market. “He’s just happy when all those seed catalogues come in.”
At her market stall — which is frequented by a number of the city’s chefs — and in her direct dealings with the Olde English Parlour, she has learned to have the Elmira Produce Auction as a back-up plan if she can’t bring enough of a certain product to meet demand. That way, her customers will remain happy.
According to de Martines, another key is to work with the chefs to ensure the restaurant will be able to keep the product on the menu for an extended period — at a price that’s acceptable to both the buyer and the seller.
“If you can’t offer them a product at a price where they can make money, don’t try to sell it to them because they’re not going to be happy with it,” the alternative-minded pork producer said. “It’s not going to be in the restaurant for very long and they’re never going to want to talk to you again.”
Ashworth, by contrast, said it’s not always about following through on a commitment no matter what obstacles are placed in your way. She suggested that may be the difference between her business — which caters to a lunchtime crowd that’s looking for locally-produced food at affordable prices — as opposed to a higher-end restaurant trying to capture the premium-paying clientele that’s part of the “locavore” trend.
At County Food Co., Ashworth explained, there have been weeks when 150 lbs of asparagus have been marketed through the salad bar, but at affordable prices because she arranged to take all the product deemed “seconds” by an area producer. She cautioned, however, that it took three years of working with that grower to get to the level of trust where they believed the restaurant would be committed over the long term.
“Now, (the producer) just brings it,” Ashworth explained. “She knows I’ll be there to buy it.”
