A guide for the emerging specialty crop producer

Is your farm business growing? Are you looking to get your produce into new markets? Working with a distributor may be the right path for you!

WHAT IS A DISTRIBUTOR?

Food distributors act as the middleman between the farmer and the customer, or retailer. They purchase farm-grown products directly from the farm, then sell them to a variety of customers: restaurants, grocery stores, and supermarkets, schools, institutions like hospitals and universities, food processors, and food manufacturers (Lauren Arcuri, 2020).

WHY WORK WITH A DISTRIBUTOR?

As a farmer or producer, selling your fruits and veggies to a distributor offers a variety of benefits:

• Sell larger volumes of produce more efficiently than selling directly to consumers.
• Reduce the time and resources spent on marketing directly to consumers to focus more on production.
• Access different markets to increase sales volume and brand presence