Beyond growing – strategies and technologies that transform products to meet market demand
Judith A. Barry, Kristen Park and Robert Weybright
Stewart Postharvest Review, Volume 3, Number 1, February 2007, pp. 1-5(5)
2006
บทคัดย่อ
Beyond growing – strategies and technologies that transform products to meet market demandDespite the challenges that producers face in transforming their crops to finished products that meet market demand, the success stories in New York State illustrate effective marketing strategies to the retail, restaurant and wholesale markets. The Cornell University Strategic Marketing Conference “Beyond Growing – Strategies and Technologies That Transform Products to Meet Market Demand” held in Hyde Park, New York in November, 2006 discussed strategies and technologies for meeting market demand. This review summarises the more pertinent strategies discussed at this conference. Quality is a required strategy with consumers demanding high standards. The definition of quality was extensively discussed at this conference. United States Department of Agriculture standards are widely used, but it was also generally acknowledged that the true definition of quality is what the target customer will want and will accept. High standards are demanded with regard to postharvest handling, product quality and the service that the producer offers to the retailer, wholesaler or restaurant. Good buyer-supplier relationships were defined as critical and need to be nurtured to ensure that products were meeting the consumer’s demands. Good communication helps all in the food chain achieve their goals. The final message of the conference is that reliability, both on the part of the buyer and the produce supplier, secures sales. Failure to deliver an order as requested almost certainly results in a termination of the sales agreement. on the reverse side of the coin, the produce supplier needs a reliable buyer with respect to receiving payment for produce. In this paper, strategies to manage the risk associated with marketing are discussed. In conclusion, agricultural producers in the Northeast of the United States can and are successfully marketing products to meet market demand in the retail, restaurant and wholesale food service sectors.