Farmer Spotlight: Bennett Farms 1 Year Later
Thomas Bennett raises non-GMO, antibiotic-free pork and poultry in southeastern Michigan. Dedicated to implementing the highest standards of animal welfare, sustainability, and humane practices, animals on Bennett Farms live low-stress, happy lives, exercising their natural behaviors.
Tom was a member of the Marine Corps, serving ten whole years in active duty. Upon retirement, he began Bennett Farms as a side-hobby to feed his family. It didn’t take long for demand to grow from friends and the local community as the interest for high-quality, sustainable meat products expanded.
We recently sat down with Tom to talk about Bennett Farms and get the scoop on how they doubled their sales again.
Doubling Sales year-over-year
“Since the last time we spoke in 2019, we doubled our annual sales again. We’ve done that for the past few years. In the beginning, it was easy to double because the numbers were smaller, but as the operation gets bigger, the numbers grow fast. We’ll probably do it again next year, which is amazing.”
With COVID contributing to sky-rocketing sales for the second year in a row, Tom explained the importance of differentiating his Farm brand online. “Everyone and their mom developed an online store this year, so the market is saturated right now. It’s good to have relationships with your customers and a strong email list to reach them directly. We also meet our Buyers anywhere. They can find us at their local independent grocery stores, or we manage delivery and market pick-ups from our online store. We do about 13 farmer’s markets a week during the summer and about three a week in the winter. This makes it convenient for our customers because when they get to the market, it’s paid for, we hand them their items, and they’re on their way.”
Bennett Farms also utilizes a subscription model to secure recurring cash flow for the off-season. “I don’t think we could be in business without our online store in the winter. Having online sales and subscriptions helps bankroll production going into the summer. We’re spending a lot of money on the animals and feed during springtime, so when the big rush of May comes, we don’t have a shortage of product. Putting up more product before the summer months would be way more of a challenge without the online sales coming in.”
Tom went on to discuss the importance of pricing his products compared to the competition. “Our products are more premium-priced, and it has to be. We can’t work off a model that makes us two cents off one pound of meat. You need customers that love your product, so don’t try to target it towards everyone because you will spin your wheels, raising the product, for basically free. As long as your product is something that can differentiate itself from the local grocery store - non-GMO, antibiotic-free, or pasture-raised - there’s no shortage in demand for high-quality products.”
Spreading brand awareness through various platforms and creating a network of loyal customers is critical to Farm success. “We’ve never found ourselves sitting on products that we couldn’t sell. I think a lot of that is because we invest in advertising. We try to build a good brand.” Tom uses various tools that help drive local traffic to Bennett Farms’ online store, including a Google Business Account. “When people google ‘Bennett Farms,’ our website is what pops up, just like when you’re searching for a nearby restaurant. We get a ton of traffic to our page when people are searching for local meats.” Utilizing key tools and platforms to build brand awareness is critical to establishing a robust online presence and is a convenient way for buyers to find your Farm store.
Farmer Veteran Coalition
Bennett Farms is a member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), an organization dedicated to supporting veterans who have continued their service to America through agriculture. “When I found out the organization existed, it was a no-brainer for me. I signed up right away, and it’s free for anyone to join if they want to support military veterans. To get the ‘Homegrown by Heroes’ logo certification, which we use on all of our products, you have to be a veteran. This certification qualifies you to use their logo for advertising products. It helps us stand out on our packaging and maybe from the guy next to me selling the same stuff.
When I attended the first annual meeting, it was great to see veterans, and it brought me back to the camaraderie and brotherhood from the military. I think many of us who attend those meetings miss that sense of community because this is something you don’t get outside of military service. It’s a cool feeling to experience and be back around those types of people, so I always look forward to attending the meetings. FVC does a lot of great things with grants to help Farmers get started. We were awarded a grant a few years back - which was great when we were starting. FVC also has mentorships that partner new members with other veteran Farmers, so there are lots of networking opportunities too!”
The Homegrown by Heroes logo certification is approved by the USDA and has sparked many conversations at the Bennett Farms booth. “A lot of times, people will come up at markets and ask about the logo. We’ll explain what the Farmer Veterans Coalition is, what they do, and why we’re a member of it. I’ll explain my service history, and they’re happy to shake my hand.” FVC membership allows Tom to connect his story with his products, supporting veterans and giving his local community access to premium, healthy foods.
Employee Incentives
At the heart of every Farm are the employees, helping hands, and those who contribute to supporting their local communities. “This year, I wanted to incentivize our employees to have some skin in the game. We wanted to give everyone a raise and be excited when they’re having a good day in sales, so we decided to connect their raise to a commission style. Now, they get a percentage of the gross sales they make for one day. It’s been great, and we’ve seen a lot of results. We should’ve done it sooner! We also implemented an email collection incentive. Every time one of our employees gets a new email for our subscriber’s list, we give them $1. This has boosted our email collection quite a bit, and I’m happy to pay for it because those are high-quality emails that are going to have an impact on our ROI over time.”
What’s next?
“We’re going to keep chasing our sales goals and keep doubling.” It takes a lot of time and energy to continue growing his business, but Tom has been thrilled to move his farm from a hobby to a sustainable business supporting his family.
On behalf of the entire Barn2Door team, we thank Tom and all of our Veterans for their service. Barn2Door is proud to serve Tom Bennett and other US military veterans; we encourage Farmers to capitalize on the resources and fantastic support of the Farmer Veteran’s Coalition (FVC). If you’re interested in learning how Barn2Door supports Veterans or can help your Farm build a thriving direct-to-market business, watch this 5-min video.