Webinar: How do farmers develop strong relationships with buyers?

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 | 1:30-3 p.m. | Virtual

Want to optimize your buyer/seller relationships? This virtual webinar is designed to help farmers navigate the world of wholesale, understanding the wholesale buyer mindset, preparing your pitch, product and packaging standards, negotiating pricing, logistics and post-harvest handling expectations, and best practices for communication. Alli Ball will cover her Retail Ready framework, and Ben Hartman will approach this topic with his specialization working with fresh fruit, vegetable, and flower producers (full speaker bios below).

Knowing your costs is important when entering this process. Please consider reviewing the Calculating Costs of Production series with Ellen Polishuk beforehand.

The first 12 registrants will receive a free 15-minute consultation with Ben Hartman.

Cost: $25 per person. Registration closes Monday, January 22. The Zoom link will be sent in the registration confirmation.

Alli Ball is the founder and CEO of Food Biz Wiz and the creator of Retail Ready®, an online program providing strategic support, curated curriculum, and values-aligned community for producers of packaged products in the food industry. As a former grocery buyer-turned-wholesale consultant, Alli has helped thousands of emerging brands understand what it takes to get on the shelf and have high sales once you’re there. Find her on her website here or weekly on Food Biz Wiz® her award-winning weekly podcast about wholesale strategy.

Ben Hartman is the founder and principal of Sungold Consulting, a consulting and advisory firm dedicated to helping farmers, producers, brands, and buyers navigate the complexities of sustainable supply chains and the grocery retail industry. With deep experience in grocery perishables category management and purchasing—at Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco and at Good Eggs throughout California—he’s built local and regional supply chains with a focus on helping small- and medium-sized producers scale without sacrificing values or business viability.