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Interview With Suzanne Carreker-Voigt
We interviewed Suzanne Carreker Voigt on October 31st, 2012, and we thought the most important things that both pertained to our class, but also interested us are as follows:
- There are a few similarities to running a mall and running a farmer's market: they are both similar because under one roof there are many businesses that are competing for finite client money—but at the same time, success of one helps the other and vice versa (bad business hurts).
- However, there are also a few differences between running a mall and running a farmer's market: Mainly, a farmer's market it is a producer-run market
- In this clip Suzanne Carreker-Voigt explains how there were various complications when she first came to be Market Coordinator that she brought from previous experience.
- Have to get individual vendors to work together
- Had to explain to the vendors the business angles of running the farmers market (such as good will, community outreach, etc.)
- Board goes through applications for vendors
- USDA runs random tests on "organic" food to make sure that it passes standards. If they don't pass, it could cause huge problems for all surrounding markets.
- One great aspect of the farmer's market is that once you taste the food- you’ll be convinced (Suzanne likes to share local recipies which help create a community within the farmers market, for an example: http://www.saratogafarmersmarket.org/spaghetti-squash-primavera/)
- Different types of farmers:
- The original Golden Oldies- has been farming all their lives
- The market needs a new generation of farmers
- The average age of a farmer is 55
- Upscale farmers- group that got tired of city, “walk their talk”- independently wealthy from other jobs
- Are impatient with the farmers who can’t afford or can't understand a different way to farm.
- More callous but also very passionate, which results in tunnel vision since they are unable to sympathize with people who have grown up on farms their whole lives
- Leftover hippies/wanna be hippies and want to go back to the land
- Hard to integrate the three into the same business/ structure of a farmers market
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
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