- Dazzling Displays
- Grower utilizes presentation
to attract buyers
- By Greg Brown
Associate Editor
- Trillium Haven Farm has attracted attention in farmers’ market spaces by offering their customers a great variety in a dazzling display.
That has been one of the early keys to success for the farm in Jenison, near Grand Rapids, Mich. Last year in tomatoes alone they offered 12 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and a couple of heirloom sauce tomatoes.
“The heirloom tomatoes have been selling really well,” said Michael VanderBrug, of Trillium Haven. “Each one has such a unique flavor. Our customers find the ones that they like and they keep coming back for their favorite.
“They also make a pretty a striking display at the farmers’ market,” said VanderBrug, who operates the farm with his wife, Anja.
When they had an opportunity to grow produce on some ground that Michael’s grandfather had previously farmed, they went for it. Now, they are entering their third season growing organic produce for farm markets and their CSA (community supported agriculture) venture.
“My grandfather farmed it for 30 years and 15 years ago he started leasing it out,” said VanderBrug. When his grandfather voiced his interest in selling the property for home building, the couple approached him about farming the acreage.
They had been interested in sustainable agriculture, despite the fact that neither had worked as farmers before. Michael had always loved gardening, and Anja was interested in land use issues and sustainable ag practices before starting the farm.
Today, the farm is full-time during the season and in the off-season Michael has done carpentry and remodeling work.
While the heirloom tomatoes are popular, the farm offers other unique produce.
They grow cucumbers, eggplants, greens, offering each product in several varieties. The range of varieties brings a lot of visual appeal to their display. A variety of Japanese eggplant is one of the things that moves well, said Michael.
“We have a special cut greens mix and we never have enough of that. We bag it as a convenience for our customers. It’s all washed and cut,” said Michael.
From the start, the couple was concerned with the look of their stand. After reading several farm marketing books, they were well aware of the need to make a visual impact and make it look good.
“We have a poster board that displays images of our farm,” said Anja. “We also display articles about the farm that have appeared in local papers.”
The display includes baskets and arrangements of colorful produce. In June, the operation starts out at the market with spinach, lettuce and mixed radishes and other early vegetables. The Grand Rapids Farmers’ Market is open until Christmas and the farm is examining flower arrangements and other products to expand their late-season offerings.
The VanderBrug’s also are in tune to where their clients are learning about food and how they are using their products.
“We realize that people don’t cook or can as much as they used to,” said Anja. The VanderBrugs go out of their way to help their consumers connect with their products. They receive a wide variety of consumer magazines, and help customers make connections to the recipes they may be buying for.
“We may really stress that a particular variety was just in a Martha Stewart Living article - you have to know that kind of stuff,” said Anja. Having someone knowledgeable at the booth is also one of their key marketing tools.
“You have to have somebody there who can answer all of those questions,” said Anja. “You need someone who can say this is how we prepared and ate this product.”
Their other venture, the Trillium Haven CSA jumped from 30 participants the first year to 70 in the second. With two pick-up points – one at the farm and one at their home, the operation tries to offer hours convenient for them and customers.
“We have about 30 people that picked up on the farm and 40 that picked up in town,” said Anja, who is involved with several local groups who are promoting CSA’s.
“We are exhausted at times, but the job offers a people connection that you don’t get in many other professions,” said Anja. “We get these great e-mails from people - you don’t get that as a regular farmer. You don’t get that emotional feedback that you get at the market when people say this is so beautiful.”
Anja said that some customers visit every week, buying what they need and report on what they prepared with the fresh produce and how good it was.
“That feedback is what gets us through the last three months of the season,” she said. “In December and January you can sit back and decide what we can do to make this better.”
