Fertile Minds: How to build and marketing a farm produce brand

Debbie Keeble has learned more than most about building a successful farm produce brand, having co-founded the premium sausage brand debbie&andrews.

Speaking at the Farmers Weekly Fertile Minds event she explained how, along with her husband Andrew, she founded and built the brand before selling it and subsequently launching Heck – their new venture into the premium sausage market.

Building a successful brand

“Connecting with customers is key,” said Debbie. Recognise that consumers are in a recession, added Debbie, so avoid building a brand around how nice your life in the countryside is.

“The brand has to be part of you,” said Debbie. “You’ve got to love it – live it, breathe it, and treat it like a baby.”

Develop achievable products

Producing a consistent product is important, said Debbie. The couple started off producing bacon with their own pigs, but couldn’t achieve a consistent product, so moved into sausages. Also, consider whether your farm can handle the logistics, said Debbie. If, for example, you plan to use your own livestock, will you be able to get the meat out of the slaughterhouse in time to meet your processing needs?

Research your market so you can target your branding. The Keebles looked at who wasn’t buying supermarket own-brand sausages and tried to fill that gap.

Building customer loyalty

Building loyalty and a relationship with your customers is crucial, said Debbie. “People want dialogue, not monologue.” Get in front of your customers through shows, events, tasters in store, and media activities. Heck sells its produce at 400 show days a year to speak to customers directly. Looking after customers when something goes wrong is also very important.

Getting on to the supermarket shelves

Show your product is different and will improve things for consumers who buy it, said Debbie. When meeting retailers, detail what you’re going to produce, how you’re going to do it, and how you’re going to tell consumers about it.

Nail your branding too. Lots of people fail to get this right, said Debbie.

A good way in to retailers is through a local buyer, she said, but be prepared for rejection. “No doesn’t necessarily mean no,” she said. “Keep banging on those doors.”

Where to sell your product

Target market, shelf life and distribution capacity must all be considered. Will your niche product sell in a supermarket, will you be able to meet the higher volume demanded by retailers? If your product has a short shelf life or you can’t distribute to lots of places, a farm shop might not be suitable.

Learning from mistakes

“Don’t include your name in your brand,” said Debbie – you don’t know how things might evolve.

More on this topic

Read more from Farmers Weekly‘s Fertile Minds event