The Roles of an Independent Farmer - Hopewell Farms
Overview
Phil of Hopewell Farms moved onto 10 acres of land in Gainesville, Georgia in 2019. Inspired by “Folks, This Ain’t Normal” by Joel Salatin, he decided to leave his commercial banking job to raise meat for his community. Once he uncovered that the other 33 surrounding acres would be sold, he decided to buy that land and begin learning to raise cattle.
Now, Phil runs a sustainable Farm that serves hundreds of Buyers with pasture-raised protein. With Barn2Door, Hopewell Farms has streamlined order management, expanding its business with weekly Subscriptions, and built a strong base of recurring cash flow. As an independent Farmer, Phil has to wear many hats - not just a producer. See how he balances the many roles he has to fill on his Farm:
Building a Passion to Farm
In 2020, Phil purchased a small herd from the previous owner of his land. This included 15 mama cows, 1 bull and a donkey, which led him to begin rotational grazing. By late 2021, the Farm was ready to sell to their community. They expanded their offerings with chickens (broilers and layers), heritage pork and turkeys. This diversity of product expanded his market appeal to more Buyers, while also promoting soil regeneration on their land, helping to build a more sustainable operation – physically and financially.
Phil manages his production with a USDA-exempt poultry processing plant on his land. His Farm is surrounded by industrial poultry operations, and he actively fights against commodity production by making sustainable food accessible and convenient to the community. He receives grain bins and brooder lamps from the industrial operations to “repurpose in a purposeful way”. His goal is to make healthy, sustainable produced Farm food more convenient and accessible to local Buyers.
Making Local Food Convenient
To make local food convenient, Phil knows that his inventory must be easy to shop, fulfillments must fit into the daily routines of Buyers, who can easily access current inventory. With Barn2Door, Phil enables his customers to shop on their own time across several channels (email, social, website and mobile), access his available inventory and choose products and fulfillment options that align with their busy schedules. His Farm food can then be more convenient than the local grocery store.
We want to be all natural, the most nutrient-dense, delicious local food with the convenience of Amazon. And that’s what people want and need.
- Farmer Phil
Phil targets his delivery routes in specific local neighborhoods to create density. This helps him serve more Buyers with an efficient delivery system. If other potential Buyers see these deliveries in their neighborhood, they may be inclined to inquire about his products or sign on for a delivery themselves (scan the QR code on the side of his truck or packaging). The Farm has a goal of doing deliveries 5 days a week with two full-time Farmers to maintain demand.
As an Independent small Farmer, Phil knows that he has more control over his product, quality and fulfillments than industrial operations. He can build loyal relationships with Buyers in his community, set his own pricing and determine what packaging and fulfillments will be most convenient for customers.
Marketing to Farm Buyers
Phil can easily do in-person marketing by keeping his business local. This allows him to build meaningful, loyal relationships that translate to repeat purchases. He believes on-Farm events are one of the most powerful tools to increase conversion. During these events, his community has the ability to see where their food comes from, and learn more about the production process, which makes their purchase more meaningful (increasing loyalty, too). He also attends 3 Farmers’ Markets to attract new Buyers who value local food, but may not be familiar with his brand.
Using social media allows Hopewell Farms to expand its reach, and create content that can entertain and educate followers. While Phil films his own Instagram Reels, he delegates the task of editing and posting them to a friend. This allows him to get more time back in his day without sacrificing marketing efforts. He does the same thing with email marketing, allowing someone else to write his newsletters with stories and educational content in exchange for store credit for his Farm products.
Phil sends out mailers to neighborhoods he wants to target as a physical marketing asset. He is able to get in front of potential Buyers for a low cost, and show his proximity (and convenience). Phil says it is important to measure the cost of your marketing efforts versus the return you get from new sales to weigh the effectiveness of a given marketing campaign.
To attract Buyers to Subscription sign-ups, Phil will attach high-value add-ons to the purchases, such as eggs. This entices customers to purchase an ongoing Subscription, pushes more product and pleases Buyers with a high-demand inventory item. Phil will also add in secondary cuts to his Subscription Meat boxes, to show Buyers additional products they may typically skip, and to ensure all of his inventory is moved.
More Than Just Farm Production
As an independent operation, Hopewell Farms requires Phil to be more than just a Farmer. He must also market his business and manage his finances well, to ensure he is consistently expanding his brand reach and turning a profit. Phil leverages several free Barn2Door resources that empower him to build and maintain a sustainable business, including Barn2Door’s Connect Program (office hours with other successful farmers) and Academy Classes (specific courses taught by Farm experts on a variety of business topics).
Hopewell Farms utilizes Farmers choice for their Subscription boxes. This allows Phil to better manage his inventory, moving products that may not sell as well (e.g. secondary cuts) along with his high-demand products, to help Buyers try new items. Phil empowers Buyers to shop all of his products by providing recipe cards or how-to-videos to make it easier to prepare unfamiliar cuts, and to encourage future purchases.
Phil says he wished he understood the importance of making a plan and budget in the beginning of his farming journey. As an independent producer, it is important to be bold in your pricing to build a sustainable income for your business. Phil says, “I am so comfortable with my prices, because it is what real food should cost. Other alternatives that are cheap, are cheap for a reason.”
It is important to communicate the value of your products to Buyers so they understand why they pay a premium price for sustainably-raised items. The customers that remain loyal to your brand and understand your values will become repeat Buyers. Phil knows he cannot please everyone, so he targets Buyers that share his values and respond to his marketing efforts, and then make their purchase experience easy and convenient.
Conclusion
Phil of Hopewell Farms (GA) has built a thriving pastured proteins business by offering consistent and convenient purchase options for his local Buyers. He knows his target Buyers and where they are concentrated, making his marketing efforts more effective. He quickly learned the importance of marketing the value of his products, and making it easy for Buyers to access his products, while simplifying his Farm management. Phil is passionate about helping others find their own success and balancing the demands as a Farmer.
Barn2Door offers software for Independent Farmers to create and promote their brand, sell online and in-person, and save time managing their business. If you’re curious to learn more, watch this 5-minute video.