FeasibilityofSnailFarmingasaModelfor

SmallUrbanFarmstoExpandintoNiche
MarketsforIncreasedProfitability
ByAlenaGrilla,ChloeLaJeunesse,DerekMcMaster,andDavidMorgan

FeasibilityofSnailFarmingasaModelforSmall
UrbanFarmstoExpandintoNicheMarketsfor
IncreasedProfitability

AnInteractiveQualifyingProject
SubmittedtotheFacultyof
WORCESTERPOLYTECHNICINSTITUTE
inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthe
DegreeofBachelorofScience

by:
AlenaGrilla
ChloeLaJeunesse
DerekMcMaster
DavidMorgan

Date:
March23rd,2016

ReportSubmittedto:

LaureenElgert,AssistantProfessor,SocialScience&PolicyStudy,WPI

ElisabethStoddard,AssistantTeachingProfessor,SocialScience&PolicyStudy,WPI

JohnStoddard,OwnerandHeadFarmerofHigherGroundRooftopFarm

ExecutiveSummary
Themostsignificantchallengeformanysmall,urbancommercialfarmsisbecoming
profitableaftertheirinitialinvestmentandongoingcosts(Moyer,2015).Manyarguethatthis
lackofprofitabilitythreatensthefutureofurbanagricultureintheUnitedStates:thelackofa
steadyandconsistentstreamofoutsidefundingmaybethesinglebiggestproceduralobstacleto
thecontinuedadvancementofurbanagriculture(Kaufman,2000,p.59).
The2013FarmBill(a
$9billionfederallysubsidizedcropinsuranceprogram)highlyfavorslargescalecommodity
farmsintheUnitedStates(Teppert2015).
TheFarmBilldoesnottypicallybenefitninety
percentoffarmerswhoownsmallorintermediatesizedfarms(farmswhoseannualprofitranges
from$10,000$250,000).Asaresult,thesefarmersmustmakethemajorityoftheirincomefrom
asourceotherthanfarming(Moyer,2015).Onesuchbusinessstrugglingwithfinancialsuccess
isHigherGroundFarminBoston,Massachusetts.
LocatedintheSeaportDistrictontopoftheBostonDesignCenter,HigherGroundFarm
(HGF)isasmall,urban,rooftopfarmconceivedandcreatedbyJohnStoddard.Stoddardsvision
forthefarmistoprovideagreenspaceinBostonsurbanenvironmentinorderto:1)produce
healthy,local,seasonalfoodtosellatrestaurantsandfarmersmarkets,2)providean
opportunityforthelocalcommunitytoengageandlearnabouturbanagriculturethrough
volunteeringandworkshops,3)provideenvironmentalbenefitstoBostonsurbanecosystem,
and4)makeaprofitfromurbanagriculture,whileensuringthefarmmeetsquality,
environmental,andanimalwelfarestandards.HGFwaslaunchedinthespringof2013after
Stoddarddevelopedabusinessplanandblueprintforthefarm(Kahn,2013).HigherGround
Farmhasaconsistentdemandforitsproduceandflowersbysomeofthebest,highend
restaurantsinBoston,includingNeptuneOyster,TresGatos,andCoppa.HGFsproduceisin
demand,andthefarmhasreceivedmuchpraiseandacclaimfromthecommunity,cityofficials
(likeformerMayorThomasMenino),andlocalrestaurants.However,HGFiscurrentlynot
makingaprofit(Metro,2013BostonGlobeEditorial,2013).Assuch,Stoddard,like90%of
smallfarmers,hastoworkafulltimejobinadditiontothe20hoursofunpaidworkatthefarm

eachweek.
HigherGroundFarmisexploringnewopportunitiesforgeneratingincomeinorderto
expandthefarmandbecomemoreprofitable.OneoptionthatinterestsStoddardisraisingsnails
forescargot.Haveyoueverthoughtaboutcommerciallyraisingsnailsonarooftop?Neitherhas
anyotherurbanfarmintheUnitedStates.WhatStoddardisattemptingtodoisanewinnovation
toboththeurbanandsnailfarmingindustries.Snailsareanichemarketproductthatiscurrently
producedmostlyoutsideoftheUS,typicallyinFranceandItaly.However,thereareahandfulof
snailgrowersintheUS,includingLittleGreyFarmsinWashington,anemergingsnailfarmin
upstateNewYork,andthreesnailfarmsinCalifornia,thoughtheseareallgroundlevel,rural
operations.Snailfarminghasthepotentialtogenerate$50/pound,asignificantlygreaterprofit
thanStoddardscrops,whichsellforwellbelowthat.
ProjectGoalandObjectives
ThegoalofourprojectwastoadviseHigherGroundFarmonthefeasibilityofsnail
farmingasamodelforsmallurbanfarmstoexpandintonichemarketsforincreased
profitability.Inordertoattainthisgoalwesetouttoaccomplishthreemainobjects.
Objective1:ResearchBestPracticesforHelicicultureinNewEngland
ThefirstobjectiveistoresearchbestpracticesforhelicicultureinNewEngland.Inorder
toanswerthequestionofwhatconstitutesbestpractices,weinterviewedsnailfarmersinthe
UnitedStatesandresearchedsnailindustryliterature,primarilyinItaly.Onceweidentifiedkey
participantsintheU.S.snailindustry,weusedsnowballsamplinginordertoidentifyadditional
participants.Thegoalofourinterviewswastogaininformationaboutthefollowingcategories
ofbestpracticesinheliciculture:snailfeeding,mating,processing,andcleaning.
Wealsoanalyzedsecondarysourcesinordertoresearchbestpracticesinheliciculture.
Snailfarmingisanindustry,albeitasmalloneintheUnitedStates,andassuchithasdeveloped
itsownliterature.TheindustryiswelldevelopedinEurope,whereprospectivesnailranchers
haveaccesstotheresourcesoftheInternationalHeliciculturalInstitute,locatedinCherasco,
3

Italy(Instituto2015).TheInstituteisanauthorityonthesubject,conductingresearchin
methodologyandmarkets,andhostingannualconferences.
Essentialtofarmingsnailscommerciallyisconductingtheoperationinaccordancewith
relevantlawsandregulations.Therefore,wehaveincludedtheselawsandregulationsinthe
resultssectionofthisreport,underBestPracticesforHelicicultureinNewEngland.Snailsare
regulatedasagriculturalpestsbytheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA),andas
such,theyfallunderaspecificsetofrestrictions.ForHGF,relevantlawsandregulationspertain
totransportingthesnailsacrossstatelines,processingthesnailsforsale,andsellingthesnails
liveordeadtoadiversecustomerbase.
Objective2:SnailFarmingintheContextofHigherGroundFarm
OursecondobjectivewasassessingtheviabilityofsnailfarminginthecontextofHGF,
takingintoaccounttheuniqueattributesofthefarmincluding:1)thelocationofthefarm,2)
environmentalsustainability,and3)ethicalandanimalwelfare.
HigherGroundFarmslocationasanopenrooftopbytheseabroughtseagullstoour
attentionasauniquepredatortothesnailsofHGF.Predationbyseagullshasthepotentialto
resultinthelossofaportionofthesnailcrop,leadingtolossesforoursponsor.Toaddressthis
issue,weengagedinparticipantobservationofthesite,aswellasconductedinterviewswith
Stoddardonthesubject.WedeterminedthatStoddardsexistingpracticeofhumanelyremoving
thegullsnests,coupledwithameshorwirecoveringoverthesnailenclosures,wouldbe
sufficienttominimizetherisksofpredationimposedbythefarmslocation.
StoddardfoundedHGFonprinciplesofenvironmentalresponsibilityandsustainability,
valuesthatwestrovetoincorporateinourrecommendations.Inordertoinvestigateethically
responsiblemethodsoffarmingastheyrelatetosnailranching,weresearchedexistingliterature
onanimalwelfare,aswellasthefarmingofsnailsandotheranimals.Toinvestigatethe
environmentalimpactonthefarm,andtomitigatetheimpactsofaddingheliciculturewe
conductedsecondaryresearchintothisarea.Wedeterminedthatfarmingsnailswouldhave
environmentalbenefitsandthattominimizetheimpactStoddardcouldmakeuseofrecycled
4

materialsintheconstructionofthesnailenclosures.Wecomplementedthissecondaryresearch
withsemistructuredinterviewswithtwolocalexpertsonanimalwelfareandethics.Thefirst
expertweinterviewedwasProfessorJohnSanbonmatsu,asocialtheoristwithexperiencein
animalrightsinthePhilosophyDepartmentatWPI,andthesecondexpertwasDr.William
Lynn,aResearchScientistattheGeorgePerkinsMarshInstituteofClarkUniversity.Wealso
askedoursnailfarminginterviewparticipantsaboutethicalconsiderationsinsnailfarming,
focusingonethicsinbestpractices.
Oursponsorisinterestedinfarmingsnailsasameanstogrowananimalproteinwitha
smallenvironmentalfootprintinthecity.Inordertoinvestigatethis,wecollecteddataonsnail
farmingandenvironmentalsustainabilityduringourinterviewswithethicistsandsnailfarmers
andfromresearchingsecondarysources.
Objective3:Gaugemarketconditionsandlogisticstoassessfinancialviability
Ourthirdobjectivewastogaugemarketconditionsandlogisticstoassessfinancial
viability.Tomeetourthirdobjective,weresearchedproductbranding,pricing,andtheBoston
escargotsmarket.WecollectedthisdataviainterviewswithbusinessprofessorsatWPI,snail
farmerentrepreneurs,elevenBostonrestaurants,andwithsecondarysourcesonbusinessand
farming.
Throughsemistructuredexpertinterviews,wedeterminedthatdemand,pricing,and
marketabilitywerethemostimportantfactorstoconsiderwhenevaluatingthepotentialfor
economicsuccess.ThebusinessconnectionsandbrandingthatStoddardhascreatedforHGF
provideafoundationhisexpansionintothismarket.WeidentifiedDr.FrancisHoyofWPIs
FoisieSchoolofBusinessasanexpertcontactduetohisspecializationinsmallbusiness
developmentandentrepreneurship.WeconductedasemistructuredinterviewwithHoy,during
whichherecommendedweproceedwithaBusinessModelCanvas,whichorganizespertinent
informationofthebusinessasawaytoplanforthefuture.
Wealsoconductedaseriesofstandardizedinterviewsoverthephonewithtwocategories
ofBostonrestaurantownersandchefs:1)threechefswhoarealreadybuyingproducefrom
5

HGF,and2)eightrestaurantsthatcurrentlyhaveescargotsonthemenu,butdonotcurrently
purchaseproductsfromHGF.Throughtheseinterviewsweinvestigatedwhethercustomer
demandcansupportthesupplyproducedbyHGF,andiftheywouldpreferlocallyandethically
producedsnailsovercanned,factoryfarmedsnails.Wealsocollecteddataonpricepointsand
thedesirabilityofabrandbasedonfreshness,sustainability,andthelocalfoodmovement.
Recommendations
1.

WerecommendthatStoddarduse
HelixAspersa

inhisfarm.
Thesesnailsarefound
throughouttheUnitedStates,includingNewEnglandsoforagingshouldbepossible,
howeverwesuggestStoddardbeginhisfarmwithsnailspurchasedfromareputable
dealerthroughlegalchannels,followingallcontainmentguidelines.Thiswillallowa
morerapidstarttohisfarmandreducethechanceofthesnailsbeingdiseasedoraffected
bypesticides.

2.

WerecommendStoddardsenclosurescontainliveplantsforthesnailstofeedon,as
wellasshallowwaterdishesandsupplementalvegetablematter.
Thiswillprovidethe
snailswithadequatenutrition.WefoundthatoverwinteringsnailsinNewEngland
shouldposenoproblem,providedthatthesnailsbeallowedtoundergonormal
hibernationandburrowintothesoilapproximately3inches.Inordertoslaughtersnails
inthemostethicallysoundmanner,werecommendthatthesnailsbeplacedinalow
temperatureenvironment,suchasarefrigerator,priortoprocessing.

3.

WesuggestthatStoddardapplyforthePPQ526permitregardingplantpest
transportinordertobeginhissnailfarmingoperation(USDAAPHIS,2015).
This
isbecausesnailsareconsideredplantpests,aclassificationthatprohibitstransportation
ofpotentiallydetrimentalorganismstootherwiseuncontaminatedenvironments(USDA
APHIS,2015).ThePPQ526permitwillallowhimtotransportlivesnailsacrossstate
borders,whichwillbegreatlyutilizedduringthegrowthperiodofthesnailfarm.He
shouldbeabletopurchaselivesnailsfromsnailprovidersanywhereintheU.S.,given
thatthepermitiscompletebythetimehewishestomakeatransaction.Asforhousing
6

thesnails,thefarmerisresponsibleformaintainingaquarantinedareaforthesnailsto
liveintoensurethattheywontcontaminatethesurroundingenvironment.Stoddard
wantsthesnailstolivethemostnaturallifepossible,sowesuggestusingasolidwooden
enclosurecoveredwithfinemeshnettingasacontainmentunit.Thiswouldprovide
naturallightingandclimateintheenclosureswhilestillpreventingbothyoungandadult
snailsfrombreachingthecontainmentunit.

4.

BostonarearestaurantswillbeanopportunemarketforStoddard.
Althoughwe
onlyidentifiedtenBoston
arearestaurantsashavingsnailsontheirmenus,thedatawe
receivedfromthemprovedtheretobeasubstantialmarketforsnails.Theamountof
snailsservedintheorderstheserestaurantsfilledeachweekwouldbeenoughofa
market demandforStoddardtoprofit.Fromthedatawecollected,theserestaurants
averagedbetween50250weeklyordersofahalfdozensnails,dependingonthesizeof
therestaurant.Thisequatesto3001500snailsperweekperrestaurantat$50/poundof
snails.Withtheabilitytoraise150200snailspersquaremeterofspace(Avagnina,
2012),andapoundofsnailsbeingroughly100snails,Stoddardwouldbeabletoseea
returnof$50$100persquaremeterofspace.WithHGFencompassingalmostthearea
ofafootballfield(55,000squarefeet/~5,110squaremeters),ifallofthatspacewas
designatedtosnails,snailfarmingcouldgeneraterevenueintheballparkof$250,000,the
upperboundwhenclassifyingintermediatefarms.Inanattempttoconservatively
estimateprofits,designatingonlyhalfofthetotalspacewouldstillgeneratearound
$125,000ofrevenueandleavehalfofafootballfieldsareaforwhateverStoddard
decidestofillthatspace.Stoddarddoesnotcurrentlysellanyproductstothese
restaurants,whichspanfromseafoodrestaurantstoItalianStyledbistros.Theinterest
theserestaurantshaveinStoddardsfreshlocalsnailsdemonstratesthediversityandsize
ofthemarketStoddardcouldbranchoutinto.

5.

Thestronginterestinfreshlocalsnailsfromrestaurants,coupledwithStoddards
extensivebrandingandbusinessrelationshipswillmaketheadditionofsnail
farmingverylikelytosucceed.
Threelocalrestaurantswhopurchaseproducefrom
7

StoddardhaveagreedtopurchasesnailsfromStoddardasheexploresthisnewventure.
Tenothersrestaurantswhosellsnails,butdonthaveanexistingrelationshipwith
Stoddard,saytheyareinterestedinpurchasingfresh,localsnailsfromStoddardinorder
toreplacetheirexistingcannedsnailsfromFranceandItaly.Withthisinterest,the
extensivebrandingandthelowcostinvestmentrequiredinheliciculture,thereislittle
riskforStoddardinfarmingsnailsforsaleinrestaurants.Intheeventthatthereisnota
sustainedinterestinsnailsfromrestaurants,Stoddardhasmultipleotherpotentialmarkets
inzoos,universities,andfarmersmarketsthatourresearchhasshowntobeconsistently
interestedinpurchasingsnails.
6.

TheaveragepriceforsnailsproducedbydomesticsnailfarmsholdsforStoddards
snailsandmarket.
AfterinterviewswithsnailfarmslocatedintheUnitedStatesand
England,weobservedtheaveragepriceofonepoundoflocallyproducedsnailstobe
fiftydollarsperpound.Thisisbetween164
250%morethanBostonarearestaurants
currentlypayperpoundofcannedsnails.Althoughthisismuchhigherthanrestaurants
presentlypay,60%oftherestaurantswecontacteddidnotshyawayfromthisnumber.
Therestoftherestaurantscontactedeitherrespondedasbeingagainstthepriceorthat
theywouldconsiderit,butwouldneedmoreinformation.Therefore,alargergroupthan
thosewhorespondedaffirmativelyremarkedthat$50perpoundseemedlikeareasonable
priceforthedifferencesintheproduct.Witheachpoundofsnailssellingaround$50per
pound,heliciculturewouldbecomethemostprofitablebranchofHigherGroundFarms
businessandthedecisivecroptomaximizetheprofitabilityofanyavailablespaceatthe
farm.

Abstract
Urbanfarmerseverywhereareexperiencingdifficultybecomingprofitableandsustaining
theirbusinesses.SponsoredbyJohnStoddard,ownerofHigherGroundFarminBoston,
Massachusetts,thisprojectaimstoassessthefeasibilityofaddingheliciculture,orsnailfarming,
tohisfarmasawaytoexpandandincreaseprofitability.WritteninthecontextofHigher
GroundFarm,thisprojectalsointendstoserveasamoregeneralmodelforurbanfarmers
exploringhelicicultureorothernichemarkets.

TableofContents
ExecutiveSummary

ProjectGoalsandObjectives

...

....

..

Recommendations
Abstract

Chapter1:Introduction....

12

Chapter2:LiteratureReview ...

17

SiteDescription.....

17

Stakeholders ...

19

UrbanFarming:AnIntroduction

20

...

EnvironmentalEffectsofUrbanFarms
EscargotsandSnailFarming

.......

23
23

LawsandRegulations.

26

EthicalFarmingTechniques ...

27

SelectedRegionalCaseStudies.

28

1. WashingtonState,U.S.A..

29

2. SouthernCalifornia,U.S.A...

30

3. Kent,England,U.K....

31

4. Australia......

3
3

Summary

...

Chapter3:Methodology

33

...

35

Objective1:ResearchBestPracticesforhelicicultureinNewEngland..

35

Objective2:SnailFarmingintheContextofHigherGroundFarms...

37

Objective3:GaugeMarketConditionsandLogisticstoAssessFinancial

Viability..

38

DataManagement...

39

Chapter4:Results...

41

BestPracticesinHeliciculture...

41

SnailSpecies

42
10

ForagingvsPurchasing

43

Enclosures

43

Overwintering..

44

FeedingSupplementsandSoilConditions...

44

PackagingandPurging

45

LawsandRegulations.

46

TransportationRegulations..

46

ContainmentGuidelines..

47

EthicsofSnailFarming

48

MarketResearchandLogisticalAnalysis

50

PotentialMarketsforHigherGroundFarmSnails..

50

LocalInterestinHigherGroundFarmSnails..

51

MarketingandBranding

52

PricePointandFoodCostinBoston.

53

BusinessModelCanvas.

54

Chapter5:ConclusionandRecommendations.......

56

Recommendations

..

56

...

60

AppendixA:
Surveyquestionsforrestaurateurs
...

66

AppendixB:
SampleInterviewQuestionsforSnailRanchers
..

6
7

AppendixC:SampleInterviewQuestionsforInDepthRestaurantInterviews.....

69

AppendixD:
ExpertInterviewHighlights
..

70

AppendixE:
ExampleofBusinessModelCanvasforHigherGroundFarm

72

AppendixF:
IntroductoryPamphletforSnailFarminginNewEngland

73

References

11

Chapter1:Introduction
Urbanagricultureisfarfromanewconcept.FoundincitiesallovertheUnitedStates,
thesegreenspaceshavebeenimplementedformanydecades,callingbacktoatimewhenmany
Americansgrewtheirownfood(Pollan,2007).Today,urbanagricultureismorepopularthan
everbeforeassupportandenthusiasmforenvironmentallyfriendlyandethicallyproducedfood
steadilyincreases(Ackerman,2011).Thecommunitysupportforthesefarmsstemfromthe
manysocietalandeconomicbenefitstothecitiesinwhichtheyarefound,includingabatement
oftheurbanheatislandeffect,volunteeringandeducationopportunities,andasupplyoffresh
food.Inadditiontothesebenefits,urbanagricultureprovidesanopportunitytorethinktheway
weproduce,consume,andengagewithourfood.Asoneresearchernotes:

Urbanagriculturerepresents atangible,accessibleopportunityforcityresidentstobecome
involved in issues of food provenance and food security and to reconnect with a food
systemthatmanyfeelissomehowoutoftheirgrasp(Ackerman,2011).

Despiteresoundingsupportfortheurbanfoodmovement,therearestillmanychallenges
thatthesefarmshavetoovercomeinordertosustainandthrive.Whilesomeurbanfarms
operateasnonprofitorganizations,suchascommunitygardens,thisreportfocusesonforprofit,
urbanfarms.Thesebusinessesfacemanyuniqueobstacles,oneofwhichisfinancial
sustainability.Themostsignificantchallengeformanysmall,urbanforprofitfarmsisto
becomeprofitableaftertheirinitialinvestmentandongoingcosts(Moyer,2015).Formany
urban,forprofitfarms,thelackofasteadyandconsistentstreamofoutsidefundingmaybethe
singlebiggestproceduralobstacletothecontinuedadvancementofurbanagriculture(Kaufman,
2000,p.59).OnesuchbusinessstrugglingwithfinancialsuccessisHigherGroundFarm.
LocatedinBoston,Massachusetts,HigherGroundFarm(HGF)isasmall,urban,
rooftopfarmconceivedandcreatedbyJohnStoddard,whosupportsandembracesthelocalfood
movement.Beforefoundingthefarm,Stoddardrecognizedthedifficultiesandobstaclesfacing
hisendeavorandcompiledalistofcriterianecessaryforfeasiblyinstallingandmaintainingan
urbanfarmonabuildingrooftop.Amongthesecriteriaweretheneedforastablerooftop,at
12

least25,000squarefeetoffarmableroofspace,andaccesstoawatersupplyontheroof.Shortly
afterStoddarddevelopedabusinessplanandblueprintfor
thefarm,hefoundhiscurrentlocationontherooftopofthe
BostonDesignCenter.Hisvisionforthefarmistoprovide
agreenspaceinBostonsurbanenvironmentinorderto:1)
producehealthy,localfoodtoselltorestaurantsand
farmersmarkets,2)forpeopleinthelocalcommunityto
engageandlearnabouturbanagriculturethrough
volunteeringandworkshops,3)provideenvironmental
benefitstotheBostoncommunity,and4)workonthefarm
andexpandthefarminanethicalmannerthat,inturn,
separatesStoddardandhisproductsfromcompetition.HGF
waslaunchedinthespringof2013andcontinuestosupply
farmgoodstolocalfoodmarketsandrestaurants.
Inadditiontoitscommitmenttoqualityconsumer
products,thefarmoffersmanyenvironmentalbenefitsto
thecitysuchastheplantbedsreducingrainrunofffromtheroof,cuttingdownonsewage
overflowandsavingthecityfrommaintenanceexpenses(Landry,2013).Theplantlifeonthe
roofalsoaidsinmitigatingtheaforementionedurbanheatislandeffect.Thiseffectrevolves
aroundtheincreaseofatmospherictemperatureinsurroundingurbanareasduetoahighamount
ofreflectedsunlight(BostonGlobeEditorial,2013).InadditiontoStoddardsmindfulnessofthe
environment,hehighlyvaluesethicsandtheethicaltreatmentoflivingthings.
Theethicsofthefarmnotonlyencompassthefarmingtechniquesandbusinesspractices
butalsothehumanetreatmentofanimals.Thispertainstoallaspectsofheliciculture1,assnails
wouldbethefirstlivecropofHGF,inadditiontotheanimalsStoddardalreadyinteractswith
suchasseagullsandotherbirds.Humanetreatmentofanimalshasbeenaprioritysincethe
foundingofthefarmandalsoplayedakeyroleinStoddardsdecisiontoexploresnailfarming.
JohnStoddardisbothawareofandproudofalloftheenvironmentalservicesHigherGround

heliciculturesnailfarming

13

FarmsprovidestoBoston.However,withonlytheprofithemakesfromthesaleofproduce,he
doesnotcurrentlyhaveanincomethatwouldallowthefarmtoexpandoropenextensionsofthe
farminotherspaces.Whiletheenvironmentalservicesofurbanlandputtoagriculturaluseare
valuableinandofthemselves,theincorporationofmultiplesiteswouldallowfortheseeffectsto
compound,producingagreaterbeneficialeffectonthecity.

Stoddardfacesaproblemcommontosmallscalefarms:alackofprofitability(Ikerd,
2011).Producehaslimitedprofitmarginandalsobringsrisksthefarmermusttakeintoaccount
suchascroplossorwastageiftheyarenotabletosellallofthecrop.Thereislimitedresearch
onprofitmarginsoffruitsandvegetablesatthefarmersmarketlevel,butanexpertreports,
...anordinarysupermarketwouldneed12to14%[profitmargin],andacounterservicegrocer
wouldwantperhaps20%.(Bowbrick2,1976).Thisexpertgoesfurthertoreport,Most
greengrocersknowtheiroverallpercentageandabsolutemarginbecausetheyoperateacash
businessandhavelittlecarryoverfromweektoweek.Theirweeklyrevenueminustheirweekly
purchasesistheirmargin.(Bowbrick,1976).ThisquoteparallelssignificantlywithStoddard
andHGFashisproducepricingalsoaccountsfortheworkandresourcesthatwentintogrowing
thefood,notsimplyfluctuationswithwholesaleandretailpricing.Stoddardhasfoundthathe
mustfindawaytomakehisbusinessmoreprofitableifhewantstoachievefurthergoalsforthe
farm.

Asameansofdealingwiththisproblem,manysmallfarmershaveexpandedordiversified
intonichemarkets(Fraas,2015).Large,commercialagriculturaloperationshaveanadvantage
oversmallfarmsinquantityofproduce,whichdrawsallofthemarketforbusinesseswithahigh

Ourresearchshowsthistobearelevantandindustrystandardreportdespiteitspublicationdateof1976

14

enoughdemand.Thisseemingadvantageofsize,however,allowssmallfarmstofocuson
smallerandnichemarkets.Thesemarketsencompassthosetoosmalltobeservedonanational
orglobalindustrialscaleincludingrestaurants,localmarkets,andpopulationswithlimited
accesstobigsupermarkets.Aneffectivewaytoincreasetheprofitmarginofafarmisto
introduceahighprofitproductintothefarmsportfolio(Drury,etal.,1996).
Tothisend,Stoddardhasbeeninvestigatingthepossibilityofincorporatingsnailfarming
intoHGF.Overthecourseofthisproject,wehaveresearchedthebestpracticesofheliciculture
(specifictoinNewEnglandandonarooftop)inordertoadviseHGFonhowtoachieve
financialviabilityusingenvironmentallyandethicallyresponsiblesnailfarmingtechniques.
Withtheinformationweprovide,HGFwillbeabletodeterminethebestcourseofactionin
incorporatingsnailfarmingintotheirbusinessinordertomaketheurbanfarmaprofitable
venture.

Additionally,ourstudyresultedingeneralfindingsthatcanalsobeusedasaguideline
forothersmall,independentfarmerstoremaincompetitiveandfinanciallyviablebyexpanding
intoanichemarket.InNewEngland,therearecurrentlynosnailfarmsestablishedandour
reportwillbeparticularlyusefultoprospectivesnailfarmers.Weconsultedestablishedsnail

15

farmersandexpertsinthefieldofheliciculturetoinvestigatetheviabilityofsnailranching3in
theNewEnglandclimateandthebestandmostethicalpracticesforraisingsnails.Usingall
gatheredinformation,wehavedesignedaninformationalpamphletthatprovidessnailfarming
recommendationsfortheNewEnglandareaspecificallytoserveasanamendmenttoextant
sourcesofinformationregardingthewiderfieldofheliciculture.TofurtherassistHGFand
otherprospectivesnailornicheproductfarms,weinvestigatedtheconditionsandlogisticsofthe
Bostonarearestaurantmarketregardinglocallysourcedsnailstodeterminetheinterestand
opennesstowardsthisnewproduct.Ultimately,thisprojectnotonlyassistsHigherGround
Farminbecomingmoreprofitable,butalsoservestosupportanovelbusinessmodelexpanding
intoanichemarkettosupportstrugglingsmallscale,forprofitfarms.

SnailRancher:
Thejobtitleofafarmerwhoraisesandsellssnails,SnailRanching:thejobofasnailrancher

16

Chapter2:LiteratureReview
Urbanfarmsarebecomingincreasinglyprevalentacrossthecountryastheappealof
fresh,locallygrownfoodandenvironmentallyfriendlyorganizationsdevelopinurbanareas
(CLF,2012).However,manyurbanfarmsstrugglewithprofitability,whichresultsinfarm
ownerslookingtodiversifyandexpandintonichemarkets(Druryet.al,1996).Stoddard,an
urbanfarmentrepreneur,hasaskedourteamtoresearchthepossibilityofraisingsnailsfor
escargot(cookedsnails)asanadditionalsourceofincomeforHGF.Weconductedathorough
literaturereviewoneconomicandenvironmentalbenefitsofurbanagriculture,bestpracticesof
snailfarming,thesnailfarmingindustryasitcurrentlyoperatesacrosstheworld,andthelaws
andregulationsaffectingsnailfarmersintheUnitedStates.Here,ourreviewofrelevant
literatureconsistslargelyofpeerreviewedarticlesandcasestudiesofsuccessfulsnailfarms.
Podcastsandmagazinearticlesalsoprovedusefulforprofilingkeyfiguresinthesnailfarming
industry.Beforewereviewtheliterature,wewillintroduceHigherGroundFarm,thesiteand
sponsorofourproject,anddiscusstherelevantstakeholdersinthefarm.

SiteDescription:HigherGroundFarm

HigherGroundFarmisanurbanfarmingoperationinBoston,Massachusetts.The
founderofthefarm,JohnStoddard,puttheideaofHigherGroundFarmintorealityinthespring
of2013.Afterovertwoyearsofsearching,Stoddardfoundtheidealspaceontherooftopofthe
BostonDesignCenterinBostonsSeaportDistrict(Landry,2013).ThisspaceprovidesHGF
withwateraccess,electricalaccess,perimeterwalls,andsufficientstructuralintegritythatcan
17

managetheloadsassociatedwiththefarm.Ideally,StoddardwantstoeventuallydevelopHGF
intoafullyfunctioningfarmingenterprisewithagreenhouse,CSAprogram,andapresenceat
Bostonsfarmersmarkets(Landry,2013).HigherGroundFarmiscurrentlygrowingcropson
aboutahalfanacreofspace,buthasthepotentialtogrowtocovertheentireroof,whichisover
anacreinsize.Asnotedinanarticle,spreadoutoversome55,000squarefeet,itwillbethe
secondlargestopenairrooftopfarmintheworld,andthefirstcommercialoneinBoston.(For
someperspective,afootballfieldis57,600squarefeet.)(Kahn,2013).

HGFgrowsavarietyofvegetables,fruits,herbs,andflowerstosellinmanydifferent

outlets,includingafarmersmarketwithintheDesignCenter,aswellaslocalrestaurantsrunby
someofthebestchefsinBoston.DuringaninterviewStoddardsaysthatheplanstogrow
50,000orsopoundsoffruitsandvegetableseachyear,inagrowingseasonthatwilllastfrom
MaythroughNovember(Kahn2013).Apartfromthebenefitsofasupplyoffreshfood
becomingavailabletothecommunity,thepresenceofHigherGroundFarmprovidesmany
benefitsoftenassociatedwith
establishingurbanagricultural
operations,includingreducingthe
heatislandeffect,reducingrainwater
runoff,andincreasingthecitys
aesthetics(de
Zeeuw2011
).
HigherGroundFarmis
exploringnewopportunitiesfor
generatingincomeinorderto
expandthefarmandbecomemore
profitable.Oneoptionthatinterests
Stoddardisraisingsnailsfor
escargot.Nocurrentlyestablishedfarmshaveimplementedacommercialsnailfarmingbusiness
onarooftopmakingwhatStoddardisattemptingtodoanewinnovationtoboththeurbanand
snailfarmingindustries.Snailsareanichemarketproductthatarecurrentlyproducedmostly
outsideoftheUS,typicallyinFrance.However,thereareahandfulofsnailgrowersintheUS,

18

includingLittleGreyFarmsinWashington,aswellasanemergingfarminNewYorkandthree
inCalifornia,thoughtheseareallgroundleveloperations.Snailfarminghasthepotentialto
generateagreaterprofitthanStoddardscrops.Forexample,whileStoddardsellshisarugulafor
about$12/lb,freshsnailsintheUShavebeenknowntosellforupto$50/lbmakingsnailsa
valuedadditiontoHGFsportfolio.

Stakeholders
Inassessingourprojectsimpactwehaveidentifiedanumberofimportantstakeholders,
namelyStoddard,restaurantsinBoston,Bostonsurbanenvironment,andothersmallscale
farmsinNewEnglandlookingtoincreasetheirprofitmakingopportunities.

HGFisownedand
operatedbyStoddard,withhelpfromacadreofvolunteerfarmhands.CurrentlyHGFis
operatingat,ornear,abreakevenprofitmarginmeaningallprofitfromproducesalesare
barelysufficienttocoverthebusinesssexpenses.InStoddardscase,theseexpensesdonot
includehislabor,andasaresult,hemustmaintainadayjobaswellashisjobasafarmer.In
orderforHGF,Stoddardspassion,tobecomeaprimarysourceofincomeandexpand,
somethinghastochange.

19


Restaurantscanbenefitfromlocal,smallscalefarmersastheyprovidefresh,nichefood
productsthatcangivetherestaurantanedgeoveritscompetitors.Fresheringredientsmake
bettertastingfood,andlocallygrownisinvoguenow,makingdealingwithsmallscalelocal
farmersthatmuchmoreappetizingtorestaurants.HGFiscurrentlyservicinganumberof
restaurantsinBoston,someofwhichhaveexpressedinterestinescargots,andaroundthecity
thereareseveralrestaurantswithescargotsalreadyonthemenu.Althoughtherewouldbean
increasedpricedifferentialswitchingfromcannedsnails,theaforementionedappealforlocal
snailswoulddrawinnewandrecurringcustomersmakingtherestaurantmoreprofitable,inturn
creatingmoredemandforStoddardsproducts.
Otherlocal,urbanfarmswouldalsobenefitgreatlyfromHGFbecomingmoreprofitable
inthisventure.Withtheinterestgrowingforlocallyproducedsnails,otherlocalgoodswouldbe
lookeduponwithgreaterdesireasthelocalfoodmovementpersists.Thisincreasingpresenceof
small,urbanfarmswouldencourageotherstoexploreabusinessinfarmingoverotherpossible
areasandfurthergrowthecommunityofurbanfarmersintheGreaterBostonArea.
Bostonandthesurroundingcommunityisastakeholderthatwouldbenefitgreatlyfrom
urbanfarmsexpandingandbecomingmoreprofitable.Ontheeconomicside,new,urbanfarms
andexpanding,establishedfarmswouldprovidenewandincreasingjobopportunitiesinthe
community(CLF,2012).Growingbusinessalsospendmoreintheircommunitiesonsupplies
andresources,paymoreintaxesandrent,andsupplytheirrespectivecommunitieswithgoods
andservicesthatwerenotavailablebeforethebusinessestablishment.

UrbanFarming:AnIntroduction
AccordingtoastudyconductedbyKaufmanandBailkeyin2000,urbanagricultureis
aninnovativeurbaninitiative,onethatcombinesavaluedproduct(fresh,nutritiousfood)witha
processpotentiallyrichinsocialbenefits.Thesefarmsappearinmanydifferentvenues
includingdesertedlots,oldshippingcontainers,andonunusedbuildingrooftops,making
productiveuseofspacethatwouldotherwisebeunoccupied.Withvariousvehiclesoffarming
alsocomesavarietyofstylesforgrowingproduceinanurbansetting.AlthoughHigherGround

20

Farmwasfoundedrecentlyin2013,Stoddardisnotnewtotheurbanagricultureindustrythanks
tohisworkwith
HealthCareWithoutHarm
,anorganizationdevotedtoprovidinglocaland
sustainablefoodtohospitals.Assuch,heiswellversed,notonlyincurrentmethodsof
productionoflocalfood,butalsointhewiderangeofbenefitsaffordedbyurbanfarms.
Traditionalsoilgrowingisawidelyusedmethodduetoitseaseofsetupandawealthof
referencematerialsonthesetechniques,but
moremodernmethodssuchashydroponics4
andaquaponics5arebecomingmorecommonas
well,especiallysincethesemethodsallowfor
theproductionofadditionalproducts,suchas
fish(Kaufman&Bailkey,2000,p.26).Urban
farmsareestablishedforamultitudeofreasons,
uniquetotheneedsofthecommunityinwhich
theyreside.Manyofthemaddressaneed
providingfreshproduceincommunitieswhere
itishardtocomeby(Matson2012).Urban
agriculturecanalsoprovidelocaljobs
(Kaufman&Bailkey,2000,p.6).Unique
urbanfarmsaresproutingupacrossthe
country,Nowscatteredacrosscitiesin
differentregions,the
raisond'etre
ofeach
projectcanbetracedtothemotivation,drive
andcreativevisionofitsparticularsponsoror
groupofsponsors(Kaufman&Bailkey,2000,p.10).
Withtheadventofmasstransitsystems,refrigeratedtrucking,andsupermarkets,citizens
ofthecityhaveenjoyedmorediversefood,availabletothemfromallovertheworld.However,
despiterefrigerationandefficienttransportationmethods,produceexperiencesalossofquality
bythetimeitreachesthemarketsinurbanareas(
Vigneaultetal.2009).Small,urbanfarms
4
5

hydroponicsamethodofgrowingplantswithoutsoil

aquaponicsincorporatedfarmedfishintohydroponics

21

benefittheircommunitiesbyprovidingurbanareaswithfreshlyproducedlocalfoods,and,ina
lessobviousway,bystimulatingthelocaleconomy.Manypeoplefindtheideaoflocally
producedfoodappealingasitsuggestsabetterqualityproduct(Brain2012).Inaddition,buying
localproducemeansthatthebuyerknowsexactlywheretheirfoodisbeingproducedasopposed
tobuyingcommerciallyatsupermarketchains.Bybuyinglocal,buyersarealsogivingmoney
backtothecommunity,whichishighlyappealinginthecurrentmarketclimate(Brain2012).
Whilesupportfromurbanitesisencouragingforsmall,urbanfarmowners,itshardto
makeaprofit.Infact,mostsmallfarmownersmakeessentiallyalloftheirincomefrommeans
otherthantheirfarm(Moyer2015).Onlycommercialfarms,whichmakeuponly10%ofall
farmsintheUS,makealivableincomeoffoftheproductstheirfarmssell(Moyer2015).That
said,theFarmBillpassedin2013,whichisafederallysubsidizedcropinsuranceprogramworth
atleast$9billion,highlyfavorscommercialfarms(Teppert2015).Manysmallandmidsize
farmsgowithoutassistancefromthefederalgovernment(Teppert2015).Despitethishurdle,
manyentrepreneurscontinuetotrytobringlocallyproducedfoodstothetablesofcitydwellers
ininnovativeways,namelybyutilizingnichemarkets.Stoddardsideatobringlocalproteinto
urbanareasintheformofsnailscouldbeaviableapproachtobecomingprofitablebyfillinga
uniqueneed.
Whileurbanfarminginitiativeshavebeensuccessfulinraisingproduceintheconcrete
jungle,urbanproteinsourcesposemoreofaproblem.Traditionalmeatanimalslikecowsand
pigshavenothadaplaceinthecityfordecades,thoughchickencoopsandaquaponicssystems
havehadsomesuccess.Accesstolocallysourcedproteinremainsaproblem,andsnailscanbe
partofthesolution.Snailmeatis13.4%proteinbymass,onparwitheggs(13.0%)andnotmuch
lessthanthatofbeef(18.8%),andcontainsnineofthetenessentialaminoacids(Instituto,2015
Murphy,2001).Snailscanberaisedonmostvegetablematterandinverylittlespacerelativeto
othermeatanimals.Farmingsnailsinthecitycouldbeonewayofmitigatingthefooddesert
problemaswellasestablishingsuccessfulurbanproteinsources.

22

EnvironmentalEffectsofUrbanFarms
Inadditiontoprovidingurbanareaswithlocallygrown,farmfreshfood,urbanfarms
providebeneficialcontributionstotheenvironment.Onespecific,majorimpactofrooftopfarms
isthereductionofwhatisknownastheurbanheatislandeffect.Thisisaphenomenonin
whichurbanareasexperiencehigheraveragetemperaturescomparedtosuburbanorruralareas
(Yang,Wang,&Kaloush,2013).Blackordarkcoloredrooftops,thelargestcontributortothis
effect,absorbheatintheformofsunlightwhichinturnartificiallyincreasestheatmospheric
temperatureandinturn,thecitystemperature.RooftopfarmssuchasHigherGroundFarm
wouldpreventtherooftopstheyrelocatedonfromaddingtotheurbanheatislandeffect
mitigatingtheimpactsofthisphenomenonfromtheareasurroundingHGF.Assumingalarge
enoughpercentageofrooftopswereutilizedasfarmorgardenspace,theaveragetemperatureof
urbanareascouldbereduced,effectivelymollifyingtheeffectsofurbanheatislands(Lietal.,
2014).TheBostonDesignCentersrooftop,whereHigherGroundFarmislocated,iscoatedin
ablackmaterial,whichabsorbsandradiatesheat.Ifthefarmexpanded,utilizingtheentireacre
oftheroof,thebuildingandcitywouldreceivefurtherenvironmentalbenefits.
Inadditiontodiminishingtheurbanheatislandeffect,urbanfarmsreducewater
pollutionbyabsorbingstormwaterrunoff.Variouspollutantsfromrooftopsandpavementsare
movedintolargebodiesofwaterviarainwaterrunoff,oftenalteringthepHlevelsandinterfering
withtheunderwaterecosystem,contributingtowaterpollution(Berghage,2009).Withthe
establishmentofarooftopfarm,muchoftherainwaterisabsorbedbytheplantsandsoil.Thisis
especiallyapparentinthecaseofHigherGroundFarm,asitislocatedseveralmetersawayfrom
awaterway,whichdrainsintotheAtlanticOcean.Inadditiontocuttingdownonwater
pollution,reducedstormwaterrunofflowersthetotalsewagevolumeaswell,whichinturnsaves
thecitymoneybyreducingrisksassociatedwithsewageoverflow(
VanWoertetal.2005)
.

EscargotandSnailFarming
WhiletheescargotisstillrelativelynewtothecultureoftheUnitedStates,thehistoryof
snailconsumptionextendsrichlyintothepastinothercountries.Theearliestrecordofsnailsin
cuisinedatesbackto50BC,wheretheywereselectivelybredandeateninRome(Murphy,

23

2001).ItwaslikelytheRomansthatspreadtheconsumptionofsnailsthroughoutEuropeuntil
thepracticeeventuallyreachedearlyFrancethecountrythatismostcommonlyassociatedwith
escargot(Murphy,2001).
TothisdayItalyandFrancearethemajorworldwideproducersofescargots.The
principleorganizationassociatedwithsnailfarmingistheInternationalHeliciculturalInstitute,
basedinCherascoItaly.Alongwithitsmonthlypublication,inItalian,of
TheSnailBreeding
Journal
,theInstitutealsopublishesabook(inItalian,French,andEnglish)called
Snail
Breeding
byGiovanniAvagnina.Thisbookdetailsthebasicsrequiredfortheindustryofsnail
farmingasitexistsinItalyandFranceandistheauthoritativetextonthesubject.
Typically,escargotisproducedinEurope,wherethedemandismuchhigher,and
importedintotheUnitedStates.Inmostcases,snailsproducedoverseasarecannedforeaseof
transportandlongtermstorage.Mosteuropeansnailsareproducedatwhatisknownasan
industrialorcommercialscale,whichreferstolargeoperations,typicallyencompassingdozens
ofacresandproducingmanytonsofsnailsperyear(Avignina2012).IntheUnitedStatessnail
farmingremainsasmallandspecializedindustrywhichoperatesatacottagescale,smallerlevels
ofproductionandacreage,whichtypicallytakesplaceonlessthanfiveacresofland.This
meansthatthebarrierstoentryarehigherinEuropethantheyareintheUnitedStates,and
Americansnailrancherscanenterthemarketwithrelativeease.
Thereisalargevarietyofediblesnailspecies,someprizedfortheirsizeorflavor,and
somepreferredfortheireaseofcultivation.Themostcommonlyfarmedsnailis
Helixaspersa
.
Thisisbecause
H.aspersa
isahighlyadaptablespeciesthatisabletothriveinarangeof
temperaturesandhabitatsthatmostotherspeciescannot,makingthemlessriskytofarmthan
otherspecies.
H.aspersa
alsoholdsanadvantageotherotherspeciesofsnailinthatitisa
mediumsizedsnailthatgrowsquickly.Theyreachsexualmaturity(atwhichpointtheycanbe
harvested)attwoyearsofageinthewild,andhavebeenreportedtomatureinaslittleassix
monthsinanidealizedfarmsetting.(Thompson,2008).
Helixlactea
(alsoknownasthemilk
snail)and
Helixpomatia
(theRomansnail)arewidelyregardedtohaveabetterflavorthan
H.aspersa
.While
H.lactea
isnotoftenfarmed,
H.pomatia
arethesecondmostcommonly
grownsnailintheescargotindustrybecauseoftheirpreferredflavorandlargesize.Snailswith

24

stripedshells,suchas
Helixhortensis
andH
elixnemoralis,
areperfectlyedibleandreadily
availableinthewildintheNewEnglandregion,butarenotoftencultivated,becausethesesnails
growmoreslowly,aresmalleratmaturity,andareregardedbysometonottasteasgood
comparedtootherspeciesofsnail(Thompson,2008).
Snailscanbehousedinavarietyofenclosures,rangingfromspecializedindoorpens,to
largewoodencrates,andevenplastictubs.Legally,snailenclosuresarerequiredtobemadeofa
moistureresistantmaterialtoavoidcontaminationbymoldorpests(USDAAPHIS,2015).The
enclosuremusthaveasolidbottomthatthesnailscannotescapethrough,andshouldbelocated
awayfromcommercialagriculturalandenvironmentallysensitiveareas(USDA,2002).Itisalso
necessarytosecureapensuchthatthesnailscannotescape.Thiscanbedoneinanumberof
ways,includingcoveringthepenchickenwire,liningitwithcopper(snailswillnotcrosscopper
becausetheydonotlikethetastetheytastewiththeirentirebody),shapingthewallsofthe
enclosuresuchthatthesnailslargershellscannotpassthrough(forexample,averysharpbend),
oreveninstallinganelectricfence.Whilenotnecessaryforthesurvivalofthesnails,itis
recommendedtofillcontainerswithuncompactedsoilthatisfertilizerandpesticidefree,andhas
beenbakedtokilloffanyorganismsthatmaycompromisethehealthofthesnails(Thompson,
2008).
Snailsareherbivoresthatcaneatalargerangeoffruits,vegetables,andotherplants.
Theyprefersofter,moister,andyoungerleavestodryerorolderones,andareknowntoreject
foodthattheydeemunsavory.Itisrecommendedtofeedsnailsfruitandvegetables,likecarrots,
cucumbers,apples,orcabbage,thoughthepreferencesofaparticularherdmaybevariable.
Alternatively,snailscanbefedchickenfeedwithgoodresults,particularlymixesforbroiler
chickensorlayers.Mashforegglayinghensisparticularlyusefulforfeedinginthatitprovides
asourceofcalciumforthesnails.Snailsmustbegivenacalciumsupplementatleastoncea
week.Thiscanbeintheformofcrushedoystershells,cuttlebone,milkpowder,layingmash,
specializedcalciumsupplementpowders,orevenprovidedinthesoil.Calciumisnecessaryfor
shelldevelopment,butgreatcaremustbetakeninensuringthattherearenoharmfulsaltsor
chemicalsinthesupplement,asthesecanharmorkillsnails,whicharehighlysensitiveto
chemicalimbalances.Freshwatercanbeprovidedinashallowdish,butifthewateristoodeep,

25

thesnailsmaydrown.Aswithanyanimal,thefoodandwaterofthesnailsmustbechanged
frequentlytoavoidrotting(Thompson,2008).

LawsandRegulations
Snails,asidefrombeingdelectableescargots,areagriculturalpestsandassuchare
regulatedbythefederalgovernment.TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)
classifiessnailsandslugsasplantpestsandrequiresaPPQ526plantpestpermittomovesnails
acrossstatelinestheimportationoflivessnailsintotheUSisstrictlyprohibited(USDAAPHIS,
2015).Whiletheestablishmentofasnailfarmisconsideredalegitimatereasonfor
authorization,written"StateAgriculturalOfficialconcurrence"mustbeobtainedbeforeapermit
willbeissued(USDAAPHIS,2015).TheUSDAprovidesguidelinesforsnailcontainment,and
stipulatesthattheymustneverbereleasedintotheenvironment.Guidelinesincludecontainment
ofsnailsinescapeproofenclosures,thedisinfectionofsoilbeforeremovalfromthesite,aswell
asanumberofsuggestedprecautionsandmethodologies(PPQ,2002).Ifthesnailsarecanned
priortosaletheFDA(FoodandDrugAdministration)regulatesthemaslowacidcannedfoods,
requiringregistrationwiththeFDAandspecialprecautionstobetakenagainstbotulinum
infections(FDA,2014).
Atthestatelevelwewereunabletofindanyregulationspertainingtosnails.However,in
anefforttobecertainofthelawsgoverningsnailfarmingandsaleofsnailstorestaurantsand
consumerswecontactedanumberofofficialsattheMassachusettsDepartmentofAgriculture.
In2013,however,theCityofBostonpassedArticle89,azoningcodethatallowsforurban
agriculturewithinthecitylimits.Specifically,farmersarenowallowedtogrowandselltheir
products,includingthekeepingofanimalswithinspeciallyzonedareasofthecity(Smith,2013).
StoddardwillneedtoapplyforthePPQ526permitregardingplantpesttransportin
ordertobeginhisfarm.Beingabletotransportlivesnailswillbeimportantifhewantsto
increasethevolumeofsnailsonhisfarmefficiently.Besidesthat,thelargesthurdleStoddard
willencounterisconstructingacontainmentunitforthesnailsthatfollowstheUSDAguidelines
providedbytheAnimalandPlantInspectionService(APHIS).Essentially,hewillneedaunit
thatwilleffectivelypreventthesnailsfromcontaminatingthesurroundingenvironment.

26

Assumingthepermitisinorderandthecontainmentunitfitsallguidelines,Stoddardwillbeall
settostartfarmingthesnails.Formorethoroughexplanationsofthelawsandregulations
regardingsnailfarmingintheUSandhowtheyaffectoursponsor,consulttheLawsand
RegulationssectionofourResults.

EthicalFarmingTechniques
ThroughoutourinteractionswithStoddardfromHigherGroundFarm,Stoddardhas
continuedtoexpresstousthatoneofhisbiggestconcernsisraisingsnailsinahumanewaythat
allowsthemtolivehealthy,naturallives.Whileethicalfarmingtechniquesareoftenassociated
withthefarmingofchickensorlargelivestock,astheseareanimalsgenerallyregardedas
sentient,snailsarefarmoreambiguouswithregardstowhatisconsideredhappyandhealthy
living.Becauseofhisdedicationtotheideaofethicalfarmingtechniques,weinvestigatedwhat
mightconstituteanimalwelfareandresponsiblefarmingwhenitcomestothefarmingofsnails.
Inherarticleonsustainableandethicalsalmonfarming,IngridOlesendescribesanimal
welfareasbeingameasurementofhowwellananimalisabletoliveundertheconditions
providedtoitbyitsowners,encompassingemotional,mental,andphysicalaspectsofthe
animalswellbeing.Beyondkeepingtheanimalhealthy,theanimalmustnotbedeniedany
positiveexperiencesitwouldnormallygaininitsnaturallife(Olesenetal.,2011).Thedegreeto
whichtheseethicscanbeappliedtolivestockaredebatedandaregenerallyacceptedtobe
dependentonthetypeofanimalinquestionandthelevelofsentienceassociatedwiththat
animal.Additionally,ifananimalisdeterminedtohavetheabilitytofeelpain,itisthefarmers
moralresponsibilitytoensurethattheanimalheisresponsibleforisnotsuffering(Olesenetal.,
2011).
Thesensationofpainisconsideredtobebothaphysicalandamental/emotional
response.Whilenearlyallcreatureshavetheabilitytoperceivewhentheirbodilytissuesare
beingdamaged,itisdebatedwhetherornotcertainclassesofanimalstrulyfeeleitheremotional
orphysicalpain.Itiswidelyregardedthatallmammalsandmostvertebrateshavetheabilityto
experiencepainbasedonboththeiralteredbehaviorswhenexposedtoharmfulstimuliandtheir
complexbrainandnervestructures(NationalResearchCouncil,2009).However,whenitcomes

27

toinvertebrates,muchlessresearchhasbeenconducted.Withinthephylum
Mollusca
,alone,
thereiswidevariationinbraincomplexityandstructureforexample,thebrainofacephalopod
(asquid,forexample)isfardifferentthanthebrainofagastropod(likeasnail),despitethefact
thattheyarestillrelativelycloselyrelated.Furtherstill,thereisevenawidevarietyofbehavior
andneuralcompositionwithintheclass
Gastropoda
,whichrangesfromseaslugstoterrestrial
snails(
Crook&Walters,2011).
Therefore,toanswerthequestionofhowsnailsfeelinresponse
tostressfulandharmfulsituations,onlyliteraturedealingdirectlywiththestudyofterrestrial
snailscanbeconsideredvaluable.
OnestudyconductedbyBalabanandChase(1991)exploredwhetherornotediblesnails
couldfeelpositivelyornegativelywhendifferentregionsofthebrainwerestimulated.They
foundthatthesnailsintheirstudydidincreaseassociatedbehaviorswhenoneparticularregion
ofthebrainwasstimulatedandrefrainedfromrepeatingbehaviorswhenanotherregionofthe
brainwasstimulated,suggestingthatsnailsdohavetheabilitytofeelnegativelyabouta
situationorcondition.Whilethereisnowaytoknowfirsthandwhetherornotsnailsreallydo
feeltruepain,thisfindingdoessupportthenotionthatsnailscanfeeldiscomfortandchange
theirbehaviortoavoidunpleasantfeelings.Giventhis,itisthesponsorsethicalresponsibilityto
takeasmuchcareinraisingsnailsashewouldanyvertebratelivestockifhewishesthemtolead
anatural,comfortablelife.Assuch,hemustbecarefulnottoovercrowdthesnails,whichwould
provideasourceofstressandincreaseddiseaseinthepopulation,ortodenythemappropriate
food,water,orshelter.

SelectedRegionalCaseStudies
Wedelvedintothefollowingcasestudiesinordertounderstandbestpracticesof
helicicultureandtheirsuccessasentrepreneurialbusinesses.Twocasesweexamined,Little
GreyFarmandMaryStewartssnailfarm,werechosenbecausetheyaretheonlylargescale
escargotier

s 6intheUnitedStates.Theirextensiveknowledgeonthelogisticsofowningand
runningasnailfarmintheU.S.willbebeneficialtoHigherGroundFarmbecausethemarketfor
escargotintheUnitedStateshasnotyetbeenfullytapped.Theinformationtheycanprovidein

escargotier

thefrenchtermforasnailfarm

28

regardstoU.S.specificmarketingstrategies,Americandemand(andhowtokeepupwithit),
andnavigationoffederallawsregardingsnailproductionwillaidStoddardinbuildinga
successfulbusiness.WeanalyzedtwosnailsfarmsoutsideoftheU.S.,H&RHEscargotsin
EnglandandanAustraliansnailfarm,inordertogainsomeuniqueinsightintovarioussnail
farmingmethodsandbusinessstrategiesemployedoutsideoftheUnitedStates.Studying
H&RHEscargotswillbeusefulinthatitssystemmostcloselymatchestheproduction,
marketing,anddistributionmethodsthatHigherGroundFarmwishestoincorporateintotheir
buddingsnailfarmingbusiness.TheAustralianmodelallowsustostudyafarmthatisstillinits
pilotruntoseehowtheyareachievingsuccess,andwillprovideinsightintostrategiesfor
recognizingandovercomingobstaclesinstartingupanewsnailfarm.

1.StateofWashington,U.S.A.
LittleGreyFarms,inWashingtonState,istheresultofRicBrewersvisionand
determination.Akindredsnailsoul,
Brewerspassionforsnailsbeganwhenhe
triedescargotonadare(SlowBlog
2013Graber,2015).Hestudied
malacology,thestudyofmollusks,for
overadecade,duringwhichtimehespent
numerousyearsastheNorthAmerican
SpeciesSurvivalCoordinatorforan
endangeredspeciesofsnails,aswellas
workingattheSeattlezoo(Graber,2015).
Duringhisresearch,Brewerbeganto
wonderiftheUnitedStateshadany
officialescargotier

sand,uponfurther
inquiry,discoveredthatnoneexisted.
Brewersknowledgeofsnailscombined
withintensivestudyingofsuccessfulsnail

29

farmsinvariouspartsoftheworld,namelyAustralia,ledtotheconceptionofLittleGrayFarms
(Graber,2015).Brewersfarmingtechniquesshowapassionanddedicationforhavinghissnails
liveasnaturalalifeaspossible,whilestillmaintainingasuccessfulandorganizedbusiness,
muchlikehowStoddardhopestofarmhissnails.
Hisproductismassproduced,thoughinsteadofcanninghissnails,Brewer
vacuumpacksthem(Graber,2015).Thatprocessallowsthesnailstoremainasfreshaspossible
withoutbecomingrubbery,whichoftenoccursinsnailproductsshippedfromdistantlocations
aroundtheworld.Whilemuchofhissnailcropisestablishedoutdoorstomaintainasnaturalan
environmentaspossiblepartofthecropishousedinalargewarehouseinordertodiscourage
hibernationandallowforproliferationtwiceayear.Inthewild,snailshibernateinresponseto
incomingcoldorhotseasonsinordertokeepwarmormaintainmoisture,buryingthemselvesup
toonefootundergroundandsealingtheirshellwithathicklayerofmucous(Dees,1970).While
itisnaturalforthemtodoso,thisperiodofhibernationtakesasmalltollontheproductionof
escargot,asthesnailsdonotreproduceduringthistimeand,becausetheyslowlyburnoffwhat
littlefattheyhave,hibernatingsnailsareoflesserqualitythanactiveones.Theadditionalcrop,
createdbypreventinghibernation,generatesasignificantamountofrevenueforLittleGray
Farms,andcouldbesomethingtoconsiderforHigherGroundFarms.Brewermentionsthat
shouldonewanttostartuptheirownsnailfarm,commercialorotherwise,themostimportant
factoristo...
know[snails]insideandoutinorderfor[them]tobehappyandhealthyand
successfullyreproduce(TheSlowBlog,2013).

2.SouthernCalifornia,U.S.A.
MaryStewartisawomanwhorunsasnailfarmoutofherhomeinStrathmore,
California.Despitenothavingmuchofapresenceonline,sheisoneofthemostwellknown
Americansnailranchers,especiallyafteraNewYorkTimesArticlewaspublishedabouther
operationin2012.Whileheroperationissmall,sheraisesenoughsnailstoprovideescargottoa
numberofrestaurants,whobelievethathersnailsaremoretenderandtastythancanned,French
snails.Maryssnailofchoiceis
Helixaspersa
,acommonchoiceamongsnailranchersdueto
thespeedandsizeoftheirgrowth(Thompson,2008).Thisspeciesofsnailisextremelycommon

30

inCalifornia,soshewasabletofindherfirstbreedingstockinthewildaroundherhome.Her
businessgrewfromthere.
WhileMaryisabletogrowsnailsinrelativebulkcomparedtothesizeofherfarm,she
treatshersnailsdelicatelyandhasaninherentsenseforwhensomethingmightbewrongwith
herherds(
Gordinier,2012)
.According
toherinterviewwiththeNewYork
Timesin2012,ittookherfifteenyears
toteachherselfhowtoraisesnailsinthe
mostefficientandcorrectway.Shehas
learnedwhattofeedthem,what
temperaturetokeepthemat,andhowto
storethem,aswellashowtotellwhen
theyarestressedorovercrowded.
Anotherskillshehasdevelopedthatis
particularlyattractivetorestaurantsis
thoroughpurgingcleaningoutthe
snailspriortobeingcookedor
packaged.Whiletheseareallvery
usefulaspectstosuccessfullyfarmingsnails,becauseshehadtolearnallofthisthrough
experiencealone,Maryinsistsonkeepinghertradesecretstoherself.Becauseofthis,whilewe
feelthatheropinionsandsupportwouldhavebeenhighlyvaluabletothepurposesofthis
project,especiallysinceshehasbeeninthebusinessforsolong,wewereunfortunatelyunable
togetintocontactwithher.

3.Kent,England,U.K.
H&RHEscargotsisasnailfarmbasedinEngland.Selfdescribedasamotherand
daughterfarmbasedinruralEastKent,theGardenofEngland.(Howard,2015),thisfarm
producesandsellssnailsallovertheUnitedKingdom.H&RHwasstartedbytheduoin2006.
Theydidnotsetout,however,withdreamsofanescargotierebutwithhopesofstartingasmall,

31

traditionalEnglishfarmwhenHelenHoward,thefirstHinH&RH,retiredfromhercareerasa
biologyteacher.Realizing,Theydidn'thavetheamountoflandusuallynecessaryforthe
moretraditionalfarmyardanimals,itseemedthatsnailsweretheperfectanswer(Trianon,
2012).SimilartoHigherGroundFarm,H&RHexperimentedwithcrowdfundingandreceiveda
lotofsupportfromtheirlocalcommunities.Howardsellshersnailstolocalrestaurantsas
Stoddardplanstodo,withmuchoftheseordersof12kilograms(2.24.4lbs)atatime(Howard,
2015).Beyondlocal
restaurants,shealso
shipshersnailstosome
ofthetoprestaurantsin
theUnitedKingdom
and,drawingfromher
teachingbackground,
hasinitiatedmany
programsinlocal
schoolssurroundingall
aspectsofheliciculture.
Alessobvious
consumerofH&RHsescargotarelocalzoos,commentingtheslimyfood[is]devouredbya
rangeofanimalsincludingskinks,tegu,andmonitorlizards(McMichael,2014).
Likemanyotherheliciculturaloperations,TheHowardssnailsofchoicearethecommon
gardensnails,knownas
HelixAspersa.
Thoughthefarmparallelsmanyothersinthechoiceof
species,theyareuniqueinthepracticeofshippingtheirsnailstocustomersaliveandintheir
shells.ThispracticeisnotallowedundertheimportlawsoftheUnitedStatesandmostother
countrieswhereescargotier
s
arefound.Shenotesthatdespitesomeinterestfromimporters
acrosstheAtlantic,importlawspreventthetransportoflivesnails(Trianon,2012).Helenand
HigherGroundFarmalsosharephilosophicalsentimentswithrespecttohowtoraisethesnails.
Helenraiseshersnailsoutdoors,whichisamolluskequivalentoffreerangelivestock.This
practiceallowsamorenaturallifecycle,asopposedtospendingtheirwholelivesina

32

greenhouseorotherenclosure.AllofH&RHseducationalprogramsareusedtoraise
awarenessintheUKofsnailsasmorethanjustagardennuisance(Trianon,2012),whichis
somethingStoddardisgoingtohavetoimplementtohaveasuccessfulsnailoperationinaplace
likeBostonwheresnailsarenotallthatcommon.

4.Australia
SnailfarminginAustraliaisarelativelynewphenomenonthathasonlybegantogain
tractionwithinthelastfifteenyears.Snailfarmingoccursalongtwoeconomicmodels,the
cottagefarmandcommercialfarm,theprincipledifferencebeingthequantityproduced.
However,withincommercialsnailfarming,scalecanvarywidelyfromintermediatelysized
farmsoftensofthousandsofsnailsperyeartoindustrialscalefarmswithmillionsofsnails
(Murphy,2001).Australiansnailranchersaspiretoestablishavarietyofcommercialsnailfarms,
thoughtheindustryisstillinitsinfancyand,consequently,productionoflocallygrownsnailsin
Australiaisalmostexclusivelyproducedatthecottageindustrylevel(Murphy,2001,Begg,
2006).AconsciouseffortwasmadetomodeltheAustralianheliciculturalindustryafterthe
Italianmodel,wherelargeplotsoflandareplantedwithforagecropsandthesnailsarepennedin
withthem,alsoknownasthe"freerange"or"pastureproduction"method(Begg,2003pp.3,
13).Aftertwoyearsofoperation,apilotsnailfarmhasanoutputofapproximatelyonethousand
snails,whichwasviewedasasuccessfulprogramasitconfirmedtheviabilitytotheindustryin
Australia(Begg,2006).

Summary
Asshowninthisliteraturereview,snailfarmingandurbanfarmingaloneare
wellentrenchedconceptsincommunitiesallovertheworld.Thepossibilityofcombiningthe
two,however,wouldbearadicalnewinnovation.Snailfarmingtakesplaceinvaryingregions
andclimatesallovertheworld,provingthatitcouldbefeasibleoutdoorsonarooftopinthe
NewEnglandclimate.Bostonappearstohavecharacteristicsthatcouldsustainandgrowan
urbanfarmpracticingheliciculture,includingarelativelydensesourceofpotentialconsumers
andlittletonocompetition,assnailshavenotyetbeenproducedlocallyinthisarea.Boston,
beingalargecity,isalsoaprimecandidatetoreceiveallofthebenefitsurbanagriculturehasto
33

offertoitscommunities,suchastheabsorptionofexcessheatandstormwaterrunoff,reducing
boththeurbanheatislandeffectandfinancialcostsassociatedwithflooding.Urbanfarmsoften
struggletobreakevenbecausethetime,money,andmanpowerthatgoesintogrowingand
deliveringenoughproducetomeetdemandcaneasilyapproachtheprofitmarginsgainedfrom
thosecrops.Snailsareanicheproductthatcanyieldalargeprofittofarmersatlittleexpenseof
upkeep.IncorporatingescargotintotheproductionrepertoireofHGFwillhelpStoddardachieve
ameansofmakingastableprofitandcanhelpotherurbanfarmersinasimilarway.

34

Chapter3:Methodology
ThegoalofourprojectwastoadviseHigherGroundFarmonthefeasibilityofsnail
farmingasamodelforsmallurbanfarmstoexpandintonichemarketsforincreased
profitability.Threemainobjectiveswereusedtoachievethisgoal:
ResearchbestpracticesforhelicicultureinNewEngland
AssessviabilityofsnailfarminginthecontextofHGF
Gaugemarketconditionsandlogisticstoassessfinancialviability
Weexploreeachoftheseobjectivesandthemethodologicalstrategiesfordatacollectionin
greaterdepthbelow.

Objective1:ResearchBestPracticesforHelicicultureinNewEngland
Inordertoanswerthequestionofwhatconstitutesbestpractices,weinterviewedsnail
farmersandresearchedsnailindustryliterature.Expertswereidentifiedbyperforminginternet
searchesforsnailfarmsintheUnitedStates.OnceweidentifiedsomekeyparticipantsintheUS
snailindustry,weusedsnowballsamplinginordertoidentifyadditionalsnailranchersas
potentialparticipants.Snowballsamplingisamethodbywhichknownindividualsindicateto
theresearchersotherswhomightbeusefulintheresearch.Wefoundtheretobeveryfew
industrialscaleoperationsintheUnitedStates,whereasinEuropethatscaleisthenorm.Those
escargotiereswefoundintheUnitedStatesexistatthescaleofcottageindustry.Therearea
totalofsixsnailfarmsintheUS.BecauseofthesmallnumberofsnailfarmsintheU.S,wewere
abletoachievetotalpopulationsampling,whichisameansofsamplingthatcapturestheentire
population,madepossibleinthiscasebecausethenumberofAmericanSnailRanchersis
relativelysmall(Lund2012).Werequestedsemistructuredphoneinterviewswithallofour
snailfarmerparticipantsthatagreedtobeinterviewedparticipantsthatagreedtobeinterviewed.
Thegoalofourinterviewsweretogaininformationaboutthefollowingcategories:feeding,
purging,mating,cleaning,inordertounderstandbestpracticesinheliciculture.
Forthosewhodidnotagreetoaninterview,wedevelopedasurvey(AppendixB),which
wesenttothemviaemail.Thesurveywasdevelopedusingourinterviewsasaguide,with
additionaladditionalquestionsdevelopedtofillinthegapsinourunderstandingofthesnail
35

snailindustry,andtoprovidecurrentinformationonmarkettrends.Thesurveycoveredthe
followingtopics:basicsnailrearingtechniques,overwintering,marketing,anddifficultiesin
snailfarming.Wesentthesurveytosixparticipants,andweachieveda100%responserate.
Wealsoanalyzedsecondarysourcesinordertoresearchbestpracticesinheliciculture.
Snailfarmingisanindustry,albeitasmalloneintheUnitedStates,andassuchithasdeveloped
itsownliterature.TheindustryiswelldevelopedinEurope,whereprospectivesnailranchers
haveaccesstotheresourcesoftheInternationalHeliciculturalInstitute,locatedinCherasco,
Italy(Instituto2015).TheInstituteisanauthorityonthesubject,conductingresearchin
methodologyandmarkets,andhostingannualconferences.TheInstitutepublishesanannual
journalonsnailfarming,howeveronlythelatestissueisavailabletononmembers,anditisin
Italian.Therefore,wewereunabletousethisasasecondarysource.However,wecontactedthe
instituteviaemail,andbecauseoneoftheirprimarygoalsoftheInstituteistoeducate
prospectivesnailranchers,theyprovideduswithresourcesonsnailfarming,includingthebook
SnailBreeding
,byGiovanniAvagnina.Weusedtheseresourcestounderstandthebestpractices
primarilyutilizedinEurope.
Whilemodelsofsnailranchinghaveprovensuccessfulinwarmerstates,suchas
CaliforniaandWashington,thecold,snowyNewEnglandclimatewasthoughtbyoursponsorto
potentiallyposeachallengetofarmshopingtoharvestescargot.Toaddresstheseconcerns
aboutaclimatedifferentfromthatofthetypicalescargotiereinFranceorItaly,wecollected
informationfromsnailfarmersandliteratureontherangeoftemperaturesandgeneralhabitat
suitableforsnailproduction.
Essentialtotheabilitytofarmsnailsisconductingtheoperationinaccordancewith
relevantlawsandregulations,thereforewehaveincludedtheseinourBestPracticesfor
HelicicultureinNewEngland,foundintheresultssection.ForHGFthispertainstotransporting
thesnailsacrossstatelines,processingthesnailsforsale,andsellingthesnailstoadiverse
customerbase.SnailsareregulatedasagriculturalpestsbytheUnitedStatesDepartmentof
Agriculture(USDA)andbecauseofthistheyfallunderaspecificsetofrestrictions.Duetothe
classificationofsnailsbytheUSDA,theliteraturetheypublishandthefederalregulationsthat
existpredominantlyconcernsthedealingwithinfestationsandstoppingthespreadofinvasive

36

speciesratherthantheirtreatmentasanagriculturalproduct.WecontactedtheMassachusetts
DepartmentofAgriculturalResources(MDAR)todetermineifanystatelawsexistthatapplyto
snailfarming.Gaininganunderstandingofthelawsandregulationssurroundingsnailfarmingis
crucialtoStoddardbecauseitallowshimtogetabroaderideaofhowtoconductthebusiness
wellwithintheboundsofthelaw.

Objective2:SnailFarmingintheContextofHigherGroundFarm
Oursecondobjectiveistoidentifybestpracticesofsnailfarmingconsideringtheunique
attributesofHGF,includingthelocationofthefarm,sustainability,andethicalconsiderations.
HGFsforemostdistinctionandconsiderationisitslocationonarooftopinanurbanspace.
BecauseHGFislocatedonarooftopinBostonthispresentsaspecificsetofconditions,which
differwidelyfromthoseofthetraditionalsnailfarm,whicharetypicallyonthegroundinmore
ruralspaces.BeinglocatedonarooftopinBostonallowsHGFtominimizethefarmtotable
distance,butitalsomeansthatnonaturalresourcesexistwhichareconducivetofarming,andas
such,theymustbeprovidedartificially.Inordertounderstandthechallengesofrooftopfarming,
andhowtheyareadvantageousorprovidechallengesforaheliciculturebusiness,we
interviewedoursponsoronthreedifferentoccasions,coveringthefollowingtopics:Stoddards
visionforthefutureofhisfarm,hisdesiredoutcomesfromworkingwithus,whathesawasthe
challengesandroadblockstorunningasuccessfulsnailfarm,andwhattopicsandinformationhe
wantedustofocusoninourresearch.
StoddardfoundedHGFonprinciplesofenvironmentalresponsibilityandsustainability,
valueswhichwestrovetoincorporateinourrecommendations.Inordertoinvestigateethically
responsiblemethodsoffarmingastheyrelatetosnailranching,weresearchedexistingliterature
onethicalfarmingandethicalsnailfarming,whichwecomplementedwithunstructured
interviewswithtwolocalexpertsonanimalwelfareandethics.Thefirstexpertweinterviewed
isProfessorJohnSanbonmatsu,asocialtheoristwithexperienceinanimalrights,inthe
PhilosophyDepartmentatWPI.Theopenendednatureoftheinterviewallowedustoexplore
importantaspectsofanimalwelfareastheyrelatetoourproject.Theinterviewinformedour
secondinterview,bothintermsofbothcontentandintermsofthetypeofethicistwechoseto

37

speakto.ThesecondexpertweinterviewedwasDr.WilliamLynn,aResearchScientistatthe
GeorgePerkinsMarshInstituteofClarkUniversity.Dr.Lynnsresearchfocusesontheethicsof
publicpolicyasitrelatestoanimals,theenvironment,andsustainability.Dr.Lynnprovidedus
withadifferingviewofanimalethicsthatsupplementedandroundedoutourresearch.
Wealsoaskedoursnailfarminginterviewparticipantsaboutethicalconsiderationsin
snailfarming,focusingonethicsinbestpractices.Whileweresearchedissuesofanimalwelfare,
snailwelfare,ethicsandbestpractices,wecannotcategoricallydescribeasetofbestpractices
forethicaltreatmentofsnails,aswhatisdeemedtobeethicalwilldependgreatlyonethicsof
theindividualsnailfarmer.However,wehaveprovidedaguidethatcanhelpfarmersbest
practicesofsnailfarming,includingtheethicsofsnailfarming.
Environmentalsustainabilityisseenasabenefitofproducingandconsumingsnailsover
otherproteinsources,particularlyanimalsources,byoursponsor.Inordertoconfirmthisand
investigatetheextenttowhichthebenefitsextendwecollecteddataonthisduringour
interviewswithethicistsandsnailfarmersandfromsecondarysources.Thesustainabilityof
raisingsnailsisanimportantcharacteristictooursponsorandoneofthereasonshehaschosen
topursuesnailfarming.

Objective3:GaugeMarketConditionsandLogisticstoAssessFinancialViability
AllofthecontextualissuessurroundinghelicicultureatHGFplayuniquerolesinto
Stoddardsabilitytomarketandsellhisproducts.Tomeetourthirdobjective,weresearched
productbranding,pricing,andtheBostonescargotsmarket.Wecollectedthisdataviainterviews
withbusinessprofessorsandsnailfarmerentrepreneursandwithsecondarysourcesonbusiness
andfarming.
Theresultsoftheprevioustwoobjectiveshingeontheoutcomeofgaugingthemarket
andassessingStoddardsabilitytoenterandthriveinit.Throughsemistructuredexpert
interviewswedeterminedthatdemand,pricing,andmarketabilitywerethemostimportant
factorstoconsiderwhenevaluatingthepotentialforeconomicsuccess.Thebusiness
connectionsandbrandingthatJohnhascreatedforHGFprovideafoundationhisexpansioninto
thismarket.WeidentifiedDr.FrancisHoyofWPIsFoisieSchoolofBusinessasanexpert

38

contactduetohisspecializationinsmallbusinessdevelopmentandentrepreneurship.Dr.Hoyis
aProfessorofEntrepreneurshipandInnovationandDirectoroftheCollaborativefor
EntrepreneurshipandInnovationatWPI.WeconductedastructuredinterviewwithHoy,during
whichherecommendedweproceedwithaBusinessModelCanvas.
Weconductedaseriesofstandardizedinterviewsoverthephonewithtwocategoriesof
Bostonrestaurantownersandchefs:1)threechefswhoarealreadybuyingproducefromHGF,
and2)eightrestaurantsthatcurrentlyhaveescargotsonthemenu,butdonotcurrentlypurchase
productsfromHGF.Astandardizedinterviewisoneinwhichthequestionshavebeen
formulatedaheadoftime,formingascriptfortheinterview(Berg2012).Thethreechefsthat
haveanexistingrelationshipwithHGFwereselectedusingpurposivesampling,asStoddard
pointedthesechefsandrestaurantsoutashavingpotentialinterestinfreshsnails.Theeight
restaurantsthatcurrentlyhaveescargotsonthemenuwerealsoselectedusingpurposive
samplinginordertotodeterminetheinterestintheproductfromconsumersandrestaurateurs.
Throughtheseinterviewsweinvestigatedwhethercustomerdemandcansupportthesupply
producedbyHGF,andiftheywouldpreferlocallyandethicallyproducedsnailsovercanned,
factoryfarmedsnails.Wealsocollecteddataonpricepointsandthedesirabilityofabrand
basedonfreshness,sustainability,andthelocalfoodmovement.Inordertoidentifyrestaurants
thatcurrentlyserveescargots,weresearchedBostonRestaurantswithescargotsontheirmenus,
foundthroughinternetsearches.Phoneinterviews,andnotinpersoninterviews,werechosen
becausetheymoreconvenientforchefsandrestaurantmanagers.SeeAppendixAforour
surveywithrestaurantswhocurrentlyservesnails.

DataManagement
Datamanagementisimportanttoprotecttheintegrityofourresearchfindings.Thedata
wasstoredonasharedteamdrive.Thesurveysdistributedtorestaurantownersandchefswere
handledprofessionallyanddiscretely.Weaskedonlyfortheirbasicinformationandwithheld
theinformationfromtheresultsiftheydidnotwantustomentionthem.Theinterviewdatafrom
restaurantshasbeenkeptasitmaybehelpfultoStoddardforfuturereferencewhenHGFssnail
productionincreasesandheisabletoservicemorerestaurants.Iftheywantedtobekept

39

anonymouswerecordedtheanswersfromthesurveyandremoveidentifyingmarkers.To
maintainthemostaccurateinterpretationandrecollectionofanswersanddatafromthe
interviews,wedebriefedanddiscussedfollowingalloftheinterviews.Weuseddirectquotes
onlyiftheintervieweealloweditandcitedtheminthewriting.Wedidnotallowanyoneaccess
tothedatabesidesthegroupmembers.

40

Chapter4:Results
Throughassessmentandinterpretationofallofourcollecteddata,wemadediscoveries
andobservationspertainingtoallofourmethodologicalobjectives.Webeginthepresentationof
ourfindingsbyexploringthebestpracticesofheliciculture.Wethenusethesebestpracticesas
thebackgroundtoassesssnailfarminginthecontextofHGFanddelveindepthintotheethics
andlawsregardingheliciculture.Afterevaluatingbestpracticesofhelicicultureingeneralandin
thecontextofHigherGroundFarm,weappraisethepotentialmarketandgaugemarketlogistics
Stoddardwillhavetonavigateaftertheadditionofsnailfarming.Inconcludingthelogistical
marketanalysis,wewrapupwithourresearchandexperiencewiththeBusinessCanvasModel,
whichwedevelopedtoeaseHGFsexpansionintothisnichemarket.Presentingthese
considerationsanddiscoveriestoStoddardwillallowhimtomakethemostinformeddecisions
possibleinhisexplorationofheliciculture.

BestPracticesinHeliciculture
Wedefinebestpracticesasthosemethodsofconductingheliciculturethatourresearch
wefoundtobethemosthighlyregarded,effective,andtimetested.Thebestpracticespresented
herealsoreflecttheparticularneedsofoursponsor,includingthelocationofhisfarm,the
noveltyofhisenterprise,andthemarkethewillbeentering.Thereforethebestpracticesinthis
casemaybedifferentthanoverallbestpracticesforeachaspectofsnailfarming,dependingon
thelocality,needs,andphilosophyofthefarmer.HigherGroundFarmslocationonarooftopin
Boston,MApresentsaspecificsetofchallenges,someofwhichareuniqueandthushavebeen
addressedinauniquemanner.Potentialsnailfarmersseekingtousethisreportasaguide
shouldkeepthisinmindandcarefullyconsiderthedifferencesbetweentheirsituationandthat
ofoursponsor.Manyoftheresourcescitedthroughoutthisreportmaybeofhelpinthosecases
wheretheneedsofthereaderdifferfromtheneedsofthesponsor.
Theresearchdetailedinearliersectionsofthisreporthaveguidedthecreationofthis
outlineforwhatweconsiderBestPractices.Asweconsiderthem,thepertinentBestPractices
arelistedbelow,andthenexplainedindetailinthissection.
SnailSpecies:
H.aspersa
41

Foragingvs.Purchasing
Enclosures:KeepingtheSnailsContained
Overwintering:NaturalHibernation
FeedingSupplementsandSoilConditions:CalciumandPlants
PurgingandPackaging:Clean,Contained,andFresh

SnailSpecies
Manysnailspeciesaresuitableforhelicicultureandmakeexcellentescargots,choosinga
specificvarietyreliesonanumberoffactors,includinglifecycle,climaticadaptability,and
commercialconsiderations.Alltheseconsiderationswereresearched,andalongwiththat
informationandadvicefromexperts,haveleadustoconcludethat
Helixaspersa
istheideal
snailforHigherGroundFarm.Ofthesnailvarietiescommonlyusedinheliciculture
H.aspersa
ismostsuitableforcommercialproduction,havinganadvantageouslifecyclerate,taste,
reproductivecapacity,andmarketability(Avignina2012).
H.aspersa
iscapableoflayingeggs
uptofourtimesayear,dependentonwarmclimates,inclutchesofapproximately80eggs.This
highreproductivecapacityandratemakeitappealingtosnailfarmers.Asthepredominantsnail
onthemarket,
H.aspersa
iswidelyrecognizedasastandardandstapleoftheindustry,andmost
customersareattunedtoitsflavor,whichmaydifferfromthatofothersnailspecies.Thishas
causedittobethemostpopularspeciesamongsnailfarmers(Avignina2012).Thisspeciesis
alsoversatileinitshabitatchoice,capableofsurvivinginmanypartsofEuropeandinNew
England(Thompson2008).Concernsthatitcouldescapeandspreadarevalid,howeverthis
invasivespecieswasintroducedtothisareapreviously,andcannowbefoundthroughoutthe
continentalUnitedStates(Thompson2008).Asacroppest
H.aspersa
isnotwelcomein
agriculturalsettings,andthisisthereasonforthelawsandregulationssurroundingitaswellas
thecontainmentguidelinessuggestedlaterinthisreport.Becausethisspecieshasalreadybeen
introducedtothisareaandproventheabilitytosurvive,andbecauseitisthemostpopularsnail
forescargots,werecommendusingitforsnailfarming.

42

Foragingvs.Purchasing
Stoddardspilotsnailfarmconsistingofseveralsnailswasimplementedusingsnails
foragedfromthesurroundingBostonarea.Foragingthesnailsratherthanpurchasingthemfor
startingthefarmcouldbedangerousaswildsnailsmayharborparasites,pathogens,andother
contaminants(USDAAPHIS,2002).Onesuchparasiteistheslugmite,or
Riccardoella
limacum
,whichinfectsavarietyofsnailandslugspeciesincluding
H.aspersa
(Graham,etal.
1996).Thoughthemitesarentdeadly,theyareveryeasilytransmitted,canlivetheirwholelives
insideasinglehost,andcanboreintothebodiesofthegastropods,makingthemmore
susceptibletosecondaryinfectionsandillnesses(Graham,etal.1996).Ingeneral,thecommon
snailfarmerwouldhavenowayofknowingwhethertheselocallyforagedsnailscontaindiseases
thatcouldinfecttherestofthesnailcroporpotentiallypeoplethatconsumethesnails.Itwould
beinStoddardsandhismarketsbestintereststopopulatehissnailfarmusingpurchasedsnails
ratherthanforagedsnails.However,purchasingsnailsposesachallengeastherearestrict
regulationsinregardstothetransportationofsnails,whicharediscussedintheLawsand
RegulationssectionunderTransportationRegulations.

Enclosures
Containingthesnailstotheirgrowingbedswillensuretheydonotescapeandthat
predationcanbechallenging.Ontherooftopasystemofenclosedbedshasbeenestablishedfor
crops.Withsomemodifications,thissystemcanbeidealforsnailsaswell.Snailenclosuresare
designedtokeepthesnailsinandthepredatorsout,whileallowingidealconditionsforthe
snails,includingshadeandmoisturelevels.OntheBostonrooftopthemainpredatorsarebirds,
thereforetheenclosuresmustbecoveredfromabove.Stoddardhasexperimentedwithatestbed
ofsnails,whichhasalidcoveredinchickenwire.Thishasbeendemonstratedtoworkwell
againstbirdsandtheholesaretoolargeforadultsnails,howeveryoungsnailscouldescape.We
suggestusingfinenettinginconjunctionwiththechickenwire.Finemeshnetting,ormist
netting,iscommonlyusedinsnailfarmingtoprovideshadetosnails(Avagnina2012).Inthis
caseitwouldserveasaprotectiveagainstpredators,thesun,andescape.Snailsrequireamoist

43

environment,thusinadditiontoasprinklersystemorothermeansofmistingthebedswithwater
thenettingwillhelpprovideamorehumidenvironment.

Overwintering
Snailshibernateinthewinter,aprocessessentialintheirlifecycle(Murphy2000).They
areabletosurvivetheNewEnglandwinterbydiggingseveralcentimetersintothesoiland
producinganoperculum,acoveringovertheopeningoftheirshells,amechanismwhichprotects
themfromthecold,effectivelysealingthemaway(Murphy2000).Solongasthesnailshave
sufficientsoiltodigintowhilestillbeinginsulatedonallsides,theNewEnglandwintershould
providenohindrancetoraisingsnails.However,thisdoesmeaninNewEnglandproducing
snailswillbeaseasonalactivityforfarmers,andthereforeaseasonalitemonmenus.

FeedingSupplementsandSoilConditions
Oursponsorspreferedmethodoffeedingthesnailsistogrowplantsintheirenclosures,
providingasclosetoanaturalenvironmentaspossible.Vegetablescrapsfromotherpartsofhis
farmcanbeaddedtosupplementthesnailsdiets,theywilleatmostfruitsandvegetablesbutnot
thestalksorleaves,thoughsomeexperimentationanattentionarerequiredtodeterminewhich
foodstheyprefer(Avignina2012).Plantmattershouldberemovedbeforeitbeginstorotasthe
fungusthatthiscultivatesisunhygienicforsnailsandconsumersalike.Snailsrequirecalcium
fortheirshells.Therefore,inadditiontofreshvegetablematter,theyshouldbesuppliedwitha
calciumsourcetospeedgrowthanddevelopment,especiallyduringearlylifestages.Oneviable
sourceofcalcium(asidefromthatavailablenaturallyinthesoil,whichmaybeinsufficient,
standardsoiltestscanbeusedtodeterminethis)ischickenfeedformulatedforegglayinghens
(Thompson2008).Youngsnailsmaybenefitfrompowderedmilk,whichtheyhavebeenshown
toconsumereadilyandwhichcontainscalciumtohelptheirgrowingshells(Thompson2008).
ThecalciumsourceshouldbesuppliedonaplateandmaybemixedwithHigherGroundFarm
hasexperimentedwithgrowingvegetablesinwiththesnailswhilesupplementingwith
additionalvegetablematter,toensurethesnailshavesufficientfoodstuffsandadiversediet.
Thismethodworkswell,solongasdecayingmatterisremovedbeforerotsetsin,whichmay

44

causeconditionsconducivetodiseaseinthesnails,particularlyunhygienicconditionsthat
supportfungalgrowth.Ashallowwaterdishshouldbepresentineachenclosuretoalloweasy
accesstowater.Shallowbecausesnailscaneasilydrowninwaterdeeperthantheirheadsare
abletoreach(Avignina2012).

PurgingandPackaging
Thetransitionfromsnailtoescargotsbeginswiththepurgingprocess,wheresnailsare
keptwithoutfoodforatleasttendaystoemptytheirstomachs,acrucialstepinproducingan
appealingproductbecausethiscleansundigestedfoodfromthesnail'sgut,analogoustocleaning
thesandfromclamsandmussels(Avagnina2012).Thiscanbedoneinanenclosedstructure,
separatefromtheregularbedstopreventthemfromfeeding.Snailswillrequirewateratthis
time,andthepurgingcontainermusthaveadequatedrainagetofacilitatetheremovalofwastes
(Thompson2008,Murphy2000).Snailsshouldbewashedseveraltimesduringthisprocessto
ensureadequatehygiene.Snailscanthenbeprocessedandpackagedthroughaprocessthat
beginswithabriefrefrigerationtoinducethehibernationstate,whichhasbeendeemedthemost
ethicalwaytoengageintheslaughterofthesnailsasitisbelievedthattheysufferlessinthis
state(Brewer2015).Oncethesnailshavehadsometimetobeginhibernation,dependentonthe
temperatureusedanddetectablebyaretractionofthesnailsintotheirshells,slaughtercanbegin.
Snailsmustbecleanedthoroughlytheneitherboiledorsteamed,thenremovedfromtheirshells.
Snailmeatcanbefrozenwithoutlossofquality,thoughthismaydetractfromthefresh
branding(Avignina2012).Packagingcanalsoincludecanning,howeverthisiscontrarytothe
freshnatureoftheproductHigherGroundFarmsdesirestoproduce,thereforeitissuggestedthat
afterboilingorsteamingthesnailsbeeithervacuumsealedforlongerstorageorimmediately
transportedtothepurchasingrestaurant.Ifdesiredbytherestaurant,andlegallypermissible,the
snailsmaybepackagedliveafterpurgingandtakendirectlytotherestauranttomaintain
maximumfreshness.

45

LawsandRegulations
WecontactedanumberofstateofficialsonthetopicofMassachusettsslawsand
regulationsregardingsnails.Asitappears,therearenosnailregulationsspecificto
Massachusetts.AftercontactingRoseArruda,theUrbanAgricultureCoordinatoratthe
MassachusettsDepartmentofAgriculturalResources,andbeingredirectedtoBobArini,an
officialattheMassachusettsDivisionofFisheriesandWildlife,itcametoourattentionthatthe
UnitedStatesfederalregulationsareusedacrossallstates.Theseuniversalregulationsmakeit
easiertosuggestbestmanagementpracticesaroundlegalconsiderations.Theyalsoallowusto
applyourdataonlawsandregulationscollectedfromvarioussnailranchersacrossUStolegal
considerationsforHGF.
Therearestrictlawsandregulationsregardingmultiplefacetsofsnailsfarming.Many
regulationsexistduetosnailsbeingdefinedasplantpestsbytheUnitedStatesDepartmentof
Agriculture(USDA)(USDAAPHIS,2015).Inordertobeginestablishingasnailfarm,the
farmermustapplyforapermittotransportsnails,especiallynonindigenousspecies.While
H.
aspersa
,thesnailspeciesthatwouldbeidealtouseatHGF,isnotnativetoNorthAmerica,itis
widespreadintheU.S.andisinfactfoundinNewEngland(Thompson2008).Thepermitis
titledasPPQ526ontheUSDAwebsite,andisdefinedasapermit
tomoveliveplantpests,
biologicalcontrolagents,ornoxiousweeds(USDAAPHIS,2015).Inaddition,peoplein
possessionofthatpermitmustnotreleaseanyoftheirsnailsintotheenvironment,asitwouldbe
abreachofthepermit.

TransportationRegulations
Sincethesnailspeciesthatwouldbeusedforsnailfarmingarepests,transportingthem
livewithoutapermitacrossstatelinesisnotallowed.WhenimportingsnailsintotheUSfrom
othercountriesforhumanconsumption,thesnailsmustbecooked,frozen,orotherwise
processedinordertotransportthemintotheUnitedStates(USDAAPHIS,2015).Anyonein
possessionofthePPQ526permitregardingthetransportofliveplantpestsisallowedtomove
livesnailsundernormalconditions.Certaincircumstancesthatmayaffectthepermitowners
abilitytomovelivesnailsincludes
theriskthespeciesposesifreleasedtotheenvironment,the
46

levelofcontainmentattheresearchfacilityandtheriskofcontaminantsduringimportation
(USDAAPHIS,2015).Theonlysnailspeciesthatisspecificallyprohibitedfromany
importationandinterstatetransportationistheGiantAfricanSnailasitposesathreattoboth
plantsandhumans(USDAAPHIS,2015).However,thesnailspecies
H.aspersa
haveno
specificprohibitionsagainsttransportingthemandthereforemaybe
usedforfarmingpurposes
atHGF.Stoddardshouldbeabletopurchaselivesnailsfromsnailprovidersanywhereinthe
U.S.,giventhatthepermitiscompletebythetimehewishestomakeatransaction.Withoutthe
permit,hecanpurchase
H.aspersa
onlyfromsnailprovidersinMassachusetts,howeveritsnot
clearifanycurrentlyexist.ItwouldbeinStoddardsbestintereststoobtainthePPQ526permit.

ContainmentGuidelines
Stoddardisresponsibleforkeepingthesnailscontainedonhisproperty.Becausethe
snailsareconsideredpests,theymustbequarantined(USDAAPHIS,2002).Stoddardalready
hasanadvantageashisfarmislocatedonarooftopinahighlyurbanarea,sothebiggestriskhe
facesissnailsescapingandeatinghisowncrops.TheUSDAputoutasetofguidelinesfor
buildingsnailcontainmentunits.Thecontainmentunitsmustbeimpenetrabletothesnails
becauseiftheyescapeditwouldbeconsideredareleaseofharmfulpestsintotheenvironment.
Theguidelineslistvariousaspectsofacontainmentunitthatwouldbemosteffectivein
preventingtheescapeofsnails.Theseguidelinesincludelocatinganareatobuildwherethereis
littleriskofcontaminatingagriculture(i.e.topreventthemfromeatingcommercialcrops),
buildingasturdystructuretohousethesnails,andpossiblyaddinganHVACandplumbing
system(USDAAPHIS,2002).TheHVACandplumbingsystemarerecommendationsnot
requirements:theHVACsystemwouldhelpinclimatecontrolandtheplumbingsystemwould
increasesanitationofthecontainmentunit.WhilethesemightnotbeinStoddardsbestinterests
toinstall,heshouldconsiderainstallingasprinklersystemasitcouldmaintainamoist
environmentbylightlymistingtheinterioroftheenclosures.AsStoddardhasmentioned,he
wantsthesnailstolivethemostnaturallifepossiblesowevemainlyconsideredasolidwooden
enclosurecoveredwithfinemeshnetting.Thiswouldprovidenaturallightingandclimateinthe

47

enclosureswhilestillpreventingbothyoungandadultsnailsfrombreachingthecontainment
unit.

EthicsofSnailFarming
InordertoalignasetoffarmingtechniqueswithStoddardspersonalphilosophy,we
conductedinterviewswithtwophilosophicalprofessionals:WPIsJohnSanbonmatsuandClark
UniversitysWilliamLynn.Responsesfrombothoftheseexpertsprovidedinsightintotwo
distinctschoolsofthoughtsforconsideringif,how,andwhyanimalsshouldbefarmed.Central
tothisdebateisthecontrastbetweentheconceptsofanimalrightsandanimalwelfare.
Sanbonmatsuisafirmbelieverinanimalrights.Accordingtohisowndefinition,animal
rightsisabeliefthatallanimalsareentitledtothesamerightsashumansbasedontheirstatusas
fellowlivingcreatures.Helikensanimalsraisedforfoodorotherproductstoindenturedservants
orslaves,suggestingthattofarmlivestockistoviolatetheirintrinsicrightsasalivingcreature.
Lynn,incontrast,subscribestothebeliefsystemofanimalwelfareoveranimalrights.Animal
welfareisthebeliefthat,whileitisokayforhumanstoholdpoweroveranimals,itisthe
responsibilityofhumancaretakerstoprovideforthewellbeingofanimals.Hebelievesthat
predatoryrelationshipsbetweenhumansandotheranimalsarenatural,butthatwiththeadvent
offactoryfarming,acarefulbalancemustbemaintainedinordertokeepanimalshealthy,allow
themtoleadfulfillinglives,andbekilledinthemostmercifulwaypossible.
OneexampleprovidedbyLynnisthemethodinwhichlivestockanimalsareslaughtered.
Itdoesnottakemuchefforttoslaughteracowcarelessly.Ifthefarmerwishes,theanimalcanbe
killedinaviolentmannerthatcausesitmuchsufferingbeforeitsdeath.However,itisthe
farmersethicalresponsibilitytoensurethatthecowdoesnotsuffer,asitisacreaturecapableof
feelingbothfearandpain.Afarmerthatchoosestokillhislivestockinawaythatmakesthe
animalascomfortableaspossiblebeforeitspassing,groupingthemwithotherherdinganimals
duringtheprocesstohelpeasetheirfearandendingtheirlivesasswiftlyaspossible,is
satisfyinghismoralresponsibilityasacaptor.Snailscanbedealtwithinananalogousmanner.
Bychillingthesnailspriortoprocessingtheyareputintoahibernationlikestate,thuswhenthe
timecomestoharvestthemtheyarenotconsciousandwillsufferless(Brewer2015).
48

Lynndescribesfourfeaturestoconsiderwhenitcomestohowtojudgeananimal:
sentience,sapience,sociality,andecology(Lynn1998).Sentiencedescribestheabilityofan
animaltoperceive,andexperiencephysicalsensationssuchaspain.Sapience,incontrast,
describescreaturesthatareselfawareandhavetheabilitytothinkandfeel.Lynndescribesthis
asnonhumanpersonhood.Anotheraspectofananimalthatmustbetakenintoaccountisthe
socialityofananimalthatis,iftheanimalexperiencesrelationshipsofcaring,andhowtheloss
ofonememberofagroupofanimalswouldaffectitscloserelatives.Finally,theecologicalrole
oftheanimalmustbeconsidered,aswell,sothatnaturalbalancesarenotdisturbedwhenthe
animalisfarmedandthenaturalenvironmentalconditionscanbereplicatedwhenraisingthe
animal.
AnanalysisofthesetwoviewpointssuggeststhatJohnStoddardspersonalbeliefsare
closelyalignedwithLynns.Basedoninformationgatheredpreviously,suchastheresultsofthe
studyconductedbyBalabanandChase(1991)thatshowsthatsnailsfeelpain,andthecriteria
providedbyLynn,wehavedeterminedthatsnailsaresentient,butnotsapient.Theyhavebeen
determinedtobeabletofeelpain,butnottobeselfaware.Additionally,snailsarenotsocial
creaturesthoughitispossibletoraisesnailsincloselivingquarterstogetherwithnosignificant
consequences,inthewild,snailsareawanderingspeciesthatexistwelldispersedanddonot
socializewithoneanother(Dalesman2011).Therefore,theharvestingofanyonesnailishighly
unlikelytohaveanyemotionalimpactonthesnailswithwhichitwasraised.Ecologically,snails
areaninvasivespeciesandcanexistinanextremelywiderangeofconditions,asdisplayedby
theirvastdispersalacrosstheUnitedStates.Becauseofthis,theydonotrequiremuch
specializedcare,andcanessentiallyberaisedinmixedsubstrateandvegetationalone.
Therefore,basedonthesimplicityoftheirenvironment,Stoddardwillcertainlybeableto
provideforthemonarooftopinawaythatmostcloselymimicstheirnaturallivingconditions.
Comparedtoanimalsthathavebeenshowntobesapient,social,andhavelargeorcomplex
habitatrequirementsthatStoddardwouldnotbeabletoprovideforgenerouslyinhislocation
(suchaschickensorcattle),snailsareanespeciallypromisingchoiceforincorporatingfarmed
proteinsourcesethicallyintoHigherGroundFarms.

49

MarketResearchandLogisticalAnalysis
PotentialMarketsforHGFSnails
Heliciculturehasbeenproventobeaprofitableventurebothinsmallscalefarmsandthe
persistentfactoryfarmingoperationsinEurope.WhilethemarketforEuropeanproduced,
cannedsnailshasbeenconsistentformanydecades,smallerescargotier

shavetoactivelyseek
outmarketsfortheirproducts.Marketscanbehardtofindandhardertogetinto.AsHelen
HowardofH&RHEscargotrespondedwhenaskedofthedifficultytofindamarketforher
snails,
Themarketisnotimmediatelyobviousyouhavetosearchforit.
Whilethisquote
maynotstresstheextentofhowdifficultitcanbe,thesentimentisunderscoredbythefactthat
manysnailfarmerswerenotwillingtoparticipateorhelpusinourresearch.
Theimmediateoutletforafarmersellingsnailsisrestaurants.HGFalreadysellsits
producetomanyrestaurants,yetTheBostonRestaurantGroupInc.reportedthereareover
14,000restaurantsinMassachusetts(BostonRestaurantGroupInc.,2011)and,withinexisting
lawsandregulations,allofthese14,000restaurantsarecandidatesthatHGFcouldshipproducts
andcreatebusinessrelationships.RicBrewermentionedthatabout90%ofmybusinessisto
restaurantswhichseemstoholdwithlittlediscrepancyinsimilarratiostoallofthesnailfarms
wewereincontactwith.RestaurantswillbetheinitialmarketthatStoddardwilltackleand,
throughexistingbusinessrelationships,Stoddardidentifiedthreerestaurantsthatarewillingto
workwithHGFtoexploreaddingsnailstotheirmenus.

50

AsecondaryoutletwithinwhichStoddardalreadyoperatesisfarmersmarkets.This
wouldentailsellingsnailsinsmallerquantities,suchasbythedozen,insteadofpounds,but
couldstillbeprofitablewithincreasinginterestinlocal,unique,andhealthyfoods.BothRic
BrewerandHelenHowardcitedtakingindividualsorderswhichwouldaligncloselyto
Stoddardscurrentoperationofsellingproduceatamarketstorefront,orhecouldexplore
offeringthemforsaleonline.

WewereunawareofanyotherpossiblechannelstosellsnailsbeforetalkingwithMs.
Howard,whomentionedthatH&RHEscargotalsosellsto
reptileowners,zoos,universitiesand
schools.
ThiscouldbesomethingtolookintoifHGFssupplysurpassestherestaurantand,
subsequently,individualconsumerdemand,astherearethreelargezoosandonehundredand
twentyfourcollegesanduniversitiesinMassachusetts(McSweeny,2009).

LocalInterestinHGFSnails
ThefirstrestaurantthatStoddardputusintouchwithwasMeiMeisRestaurantin
Boston,Massachusetts.MeiMeisisrunbysiblingsAndy,Margaret,andIreneLi.Apartfroma
traditional,sitdownstylerestaurant,theyalsoprocureafoodtruck,eventcatering,andalunch
spotmadefromashippingcontainer.Initiallyresearchingtherestaurantbeforecontactingthem,
51

wewerecertaintheywouldprovetobeawealthofinformationandperfectpartnerforStoddard
astheirmottofromtheirwebpagereads
LocallySourcedandMadeWithLove.(A.Liet.al.,
2016).IreneLiwasourprimarypointofcontactatMeiMeis.TheinterviewwithMs.Li
provideduswithmanyinsightsintothebusinessandculinarysidesofarestaurantderivedfrom
Ms.ListimemanagingandcookingatMeiMeis.Firstaskedaboutherinterestinlocalfood
andsnailsinparticular,Ms.Liaffirmedmuchofourresearchregardingthecropchoicesofmany
urbanfarmssaying,...
local[toBoston]proteinscanbehardtocomebyandtheycanalsobe
expensive,sobroadeningthekindsofproteinsweuseisdefinitelyveryexcitingtome.This
backedupmuchofourresearchinwhichweidentifiedtrendsinurbanfarmstoeithergrow
solelyproduceorasingle,uniqueproductsuchasSky8ShrimpFarminStoughton,
MassachusettswhichMs.Licitedlateronintheinterview.
WeidentifiedaroundadozenrestaurantsinBostonthatalreadyservedescargotorother
snaildishesontheirmenus.Outofthoseten,wewereabletogetincontactwitheight.Allof
thoseeightrestaurantsconfirmedthattheyusedcanned,importedsnails.Theresponsefromthe
majoritywasthattheywouldbeveryinterestedinbothexchangingtheircurrentproductfor
freshsnails,andputgreateremphasisonlocalbusinessesandproducts.Themajorityofthe
restaurantsalsoinformedusthattheirsnaildisheshaveaveryconsistentdemandwithone
restaurantsayingtheydidovertwohundredordersthatpastweekend.Theoverwhelming
interestcoupledwiththeapparentdemandbodeswelltowardsStoddardssuccessof
incorporatinghelicicultureintoHGF.

MarketingandBranding
Thenextbiggestchallengeafteridentifyingpotentialmarketsistheeducationprocess
fortheproduct.SnailsarenotastapleinNewEnglandrestaurantsandintroducinganew
productrequiressomeamountofeducationtointroducechefsanddinerstothisnewingredient.
Theeducatingprocesscanbeseeninthecontextofbrandingwhensaying...[brandingand
interest]willalsodependonknowledgeandexperienceofthebrandthatconsumerslivingin
differentculturalandcompetitivecontextshave.(International,2009).WeaskedMs.Liif
therewouldbelessofaneducatingprocessforbothchefsanddinerssincesnaildishedseemed

52

tobemorepopularthanwehadoriginallyimagined.Ms.Lirespondedwithwhatwefoundtobe
themostinterestinginsightofourinterviewssaying,

I would estimate that you would definitely have to do some educating.

Thereasonfor thatisthatmanyofthe chefswhohaveworkedwithsnails
are probably coming from higher end, more Frenchstyle kitchens.
[Therefore] I think that theres achancethat theyarechefswhowouldbe
more interested in continuing to work with snails like burgundy snails.
and so infilling that gapinthemarket you guys wouldbereallylooking
for chefs who haven't worked with snails before. Certainly there are
plenty of peoplewho havecooked with snailsbefore.Ideallyyouguys
would be opening up a completely new market not just replacing what
otherchefsaregetting.

Thiseducatinggoeshandinhandwithbrandingofthesnailsandthefarm.Brandingis
summedupasinvolvedassociatingtheproductuniquelywithaparticularconsumerbenefit,
andalsoagainstthecompetition(International,2009).Fortunatelyforthisnewventure,
StoddardhasalreadybuiltasolidfoundationinthebrandingofHGFandwillbeabletoputits
weightbehindthemarketingofthesnails.
StoddardsbrandingforsnailsparallelsRicBrewers
sentimentswhenhesaid
mymainmarketingpointandmymainsalepointisthatthey're
fresh...iftheywerecannedtheywouldjustbeanothercannedproductonashelf.

PricePointandFoodCostinBoston
Akeyintentinourinterviewswithrestaurantswasfieldingreactionsandopinionsonan
agreeablepricerangeforthesnailsinthecontextofBostondining.Ms.Liintroducedustothe
statisticalsideofpricingingredients,referredtoasthefoodcost,whichwouldlaterdetermine
thepriceofthedishonamenuandthereforeaffectthedecisionofrestaurantownersindeciding
tobuycertainproducts.Ms.Lisaidthat
Onaverage,thecostoftheingredientsonaplateata
restaurant,thefoodcost,wouldfallaround2030%oftheretailpriceofthedish.
She

53

emphasizedthatthiswasmoreofaruleofthumbthanaindustryprinciplebutitwouldbe
somethingtokeepinmindwhenwewerepricingoutthesnails.
Inourinterviewswiththerestaurantsthatalreadyservedsnails,welearnedthatallofthe
restaurantspayaround$12$18.50percanofsnails,withmostonthehigherendofthatrange.
Eachcanwastypicallyaround0.50.75poundofsnails(Basedontheagreedindustry
measurementthat1poundofsnailsisapproximately100snails(Avagnina,2012)).Thiswould
calculateouttoeachrestaurantpayingbetween$20$30.8perpoundofcannedsnails
(Averaging0.50.75poundscoasting$12dollarsandthatsameweightrangecosting$18.50).
BasingourpitchonpricingwereceivedfromMs.HowardandMr.Brewer,weaskedallofthese
restaurantsiftheywouldbewillingtopayaround$50forapoundoffreshsnailsiftheywere
available.Theoverwhelmingresponsetothisinquirywaspositive.Manymentionedthat
seemedlikeareasonablepriceforthequalityandimpactoftheproductwithonlytwo
restaurantsindisagreementwiththatpricerange.

BusinessModelCanvasasaToolforUrbanFarmsandHigherGroundFarm
Thebusinessmodelcanvas(BMC)wasdevelopedtobealivingdocument7,whichcould
provideuserswithanefficientmeansoforganizingkeyinformationpertinenttotheirbusiness.
Ataglancealltherelevantinformationcanbetakenin,viewedwholesaleinordertograspthe
bigpictureinanorganizedmanner.WechosetoproceedwithaBMCratherthanwitha
businessplanforanumberofreasons.AsAlexanderOsterwalder,thecoinventoroftheBMC,
remarks,Businessmodelingisawaytoexperimentandtestyourhypothesisforcreatingand
capturingvalue.Whendonewell,itisawaytoexperimentandreducerisk.(Osterwalder,
2010).
Althoughabusinessplancanbeusefulfordemonstratingaconcepttonewpartnersor
investors,ithasseverallimitations,whichareovercomeinaBMC.TheBMCisformattedasa
posterratherthanareportoflengthydocument,itismeanttobedisplayedandadjusted
constantly,whereasabusinessplanismorelikelytobecreatedandthenstoredoutofsightuntil
itisneeded.ABMCwilldisplaylessinformationthanisavailableinabusinessplan,however

adocumentthatiscontinuallyeditedandupdated
54

thisinformationismoreconciseandstillaimstomeetthesameneedsastheinformation
providedinabusinessplan.AnimportantfeatureoftheBMCisitsnatureasalivingdocument
itisdesignedtobeadaptabletosuittheneedsofanevolvingbusiness.Oursponsorwillbeable
toadapttheBMCashisbusinessgrowsandhisneedschangeovertime.Wewillbe
incorporatingHGFsbusinessgoalsintothecanvasinordertomaximizeitspotentialbenefits.A
copyoftheBMCforHigherGroundFarmsasitstoodatpublicationtimecanbefoundin
AppendixD.AnonlinetoolcalledCanvanizerwasusedtocreateititwaschosenbecauseit
isawebbasedplatformwhichwewereabletosharewithoursponsor,collaborateonefficiently,
anditcouldbetakenanywhereonacrossplatformbasis,allowingoursponsortomakethemost
useofit.

55

Chapter5:ConclusionandSponsorRecommendations

Overall,thisprojectservestoassisttheHigherGroundFarmindiversifyinginto

helicicultureasawaytoincreaseprofitability.Itwillalsohelptodevelopaframeworkforother
urbanfarmslookingintonicherevenuesources.Byresearchinganddevelopingbestpractices
forhelicicultureinNewEnglandwecancreateanessentialguideforprospectivesnailfarmers
andotherdevelopingnicheproductfarmerstobuildafoundationuponfortheirbusiness.
Throughourresearchanddatacollectionwebelievethisguidewillbeanencompassing
howtowithgeneralideasandrecommendationstoadapttoeachfarmsuniquesituation.
StoddardwillbethepioneerofthemarketinNewEnglandandwillthereforeneedthebest
recommendationsandtechniquesourresearchwilldetermine.Subsequently,buildingoffof
theseguidelineswedirectedthemfurthertoconformtoHGFspecificallyandmade
recommendationsforhelicicultureinthecontextofHGFsneeds.Thepurportedeffectiveness
ofthesetwoobjectivesiselevatedwiththeexplorationofamarketforthenewlycreatedsupply
inallmajoreconomicfactorsthatwouldaffectabusiness.Lookingfirsttorestaurantsbefore
individualsaleorwholesalewegaugedaninitialdemandwhichwebelievewillonlygrowwith
time.WhileStoddardhasfosteredmanyrelationshipswithchefsandrestaurantowners
throughoutthecity,thisnewofferingfromHigherGroundFarmcouldprocureanewfacetofthe
business.Concludingourproject,wepresentedtheresultsofourprojecttoHigherGroundFarm
andprovidedabasisofworkthatcaninformandbefollowedbyotherurbanfarmersaroundthe
globe.

Recommendations
1. WerecommendthatStoddarduse
HelixAspersa

inhisfarm.
Thesesnailsarefound
throughouttheUnitedStates,includingNewEnglandsoforagingshouldbepossible,
howeverwesuggestStoddardbeginhisfarmwithsnailspurchasedfromareputable
dealerthroughlegalchannels,followingallcontainmentguidelines.Thiswillallowa
morerapidstarttohisfarmandreducethechanceofthesnailsbeingdiseasedoraffected
bypesticides.

56


2. WerecommendStoddardsenclosurescontainliveplantsforthesnailstofeedon,as
wellasshallowwaterdishesandsupplementalvegetablematter.
Thiswillprovidethe
snailswithadequatenutrition.WefoundthatoverwinteringsnailsinNewEngland
shouldposenoproblem,providedthatthesnailsbeallowedtoundergonormal
hibernationandburrowintothesoilapproximately3inches.Inordertoslaughtersnails
inthemostethicallysoundmanner,werecommendthatthesnailsbeplacedinalow
temperatureenvironment,suchasarefrigerator,priortoprocessing.

3. WesuggestthatStoddardapplyforthePPQ526permitregardingplantpest
transportinordertobeginhissnailfarmingoperation(USDAAPHIS,2015).
This
isbecausesnailsareconsideredplantpests,aclassificationthatprohibitstransportation
ofpotentiallydetrimentalorganismstootherwiseuncontaminatedenvironments(USDA
APHIS,2015).ThePPQ526permitwillallowhimtotransportlivesnailsacrossstate
borders,whichwillbegreatlyutilizedduringthegrowthperiodofthesnailfarm.He
shouldbeabletopurchaselivesnailsfromsnailprovidersanywhereintheU.S.,given
thatthepermitiscompletebythetimehewishestomakeatransaction.Asforhousing
thesnails,thefarmerisresponsibleformaintainingaquarantinedareaforthesnailsto
liveintoensurethattheywontcontaminatethesurroundingenvironment.Stoddard
wantsthesnailstolivethemostnaturallifepossible,sowesuggestusingasolidwooden
enclosurecoveredwithfinemeshnettingasacontainmentunit.Thiswouldprovide
naturallightingandclimateintheenclosureswhilestillpreventingbothyoungandadult
snailsfrombreachingthecontainmentunit.

4. BostonarearestaurantswillbeanopportunemarketforStoddard.
Althoughwe
onlyidentifiedtenBoston
arearestaurantsashavingsnailsontheirmenus,thedatawe
receivedfromthemprovedtheretobeasubstantialmarketforsnails.Theamountof
snailsservedintheorderstheserestaurantsfilledeachweekwouldbeenoughofa
57

market demandforStoddardtoprofit.Fromthedatawecollected,theserestaurants
averagedbetween50250weeklyordersofahalfdozensnails,dependingonthesizeof
therestaurant.Thisequatesto3001500snailsperweekperrestaurantat$50/poundof
snails.Withtheabilitytoraise150200snailspersquaremeterofspace(Avagnina,
2012),andapoundofsnailsbeingroughly100snails,Stoddardwouldbeabletoseea
returnof$50$100persquaremeterofspace.WithHGFencompassingalmostthearea
ofafootballfield(55,000squarefeet/~5,110squaremeters),ifallofthatspacewas
designatedtosnails,snailfarmingcouldgeneraterevenueintheballparkof$250,000,the
upperboundwhenclassifyingintermediatefarms.Inanattempttoconservatively
estimateprofits,designatingonlyhalfofthetotalspacewouldstillgeneratearound
$125,000ofrevenueandleavehalfofafootballfieldsareaforwhateverStoddard
decidestofillthatspace.Stoddarddoesnotcurrentlysellanyproductstothese
restaurants,whichspanfromseafoodrestaurantstoItalianStyledbistros.Theinterest
theserestaurantshaveinStoddardsfreshlocalsnailsdemonstratesthediversityandsize
ofthemarketStoddardcouldbranchoutinto.

5. Thestronginterestinfreshlocalsnailsfromrestaurants,coupledwithStoddards
extensivebrandingandbusinessrelationshipswillmaketheadditionofsnail
farmingverylikelytosucceed.
Threelocalrestaurantswhopurchaseproducefrom
StoddardhaveagreedtopurchasesnailsfromStoddardasheexploresthisnewventure.
Tenothersrestaurantswhosellsnails,butdonthaveanexistingrelationshipwith
Stoddard,saytheyareinterestedinpurchasingfresh,localsnailsfromStoddardinorder
toreplacetheirexistingcannedsnailsfromFranceandItaly.Withthisinterest,the
extensivebrandingandthelowcostinvestmentrequiredinheliciculture,thereislittle
riskforStoddardinfarmingsnailsforsaleinrestaurants.Intheeventthatthereisnota
sustainedinterestinsnailsfromrestaurants,Stoddardhasmultipleotherpotentialmarkets
inzoos,universities,andfarmersmarketsthatourresearchhasshowntobeconsistently
interestedinpurchasingsnails.

58


6. TheaveragepriceforsnailsproducedbydomesticsnailfarmsholdsforStoddards
snailsandmarket.
AfterinterviewswithsnailfarmslocatedintheUnitedStatesand
England,weobservedtheaveragepriceofonepoundoflocallyproducedsnailstobe
fiftydollarsperpound.Thisisbetween164
250%morethanBostonarearestaurants
currentlypayperpoundofcannedsnails.Althoughthisismuchhigherthanrestaurants
presentlypay,60%oftherestaurantswecontacteddidnotshyawayfromthisnumber.
Therestoftherestaurantscontactedeitherrespondedasbeingagainstthepriceorthat
theywouldconsiderit,butwouldneedmoreinformation.Therefore,alargergroupthan
thosewhorespondedaffirmativelyremarkedthat$50perpoundseemedlikeareasonable
priceforthedifferencesintheproduct.Witheachpoundofsnailssellingaround$50per
pound,heliciculturewouldbecomethemostprofitablebranchofHigherGroundFarms
businessandthedecisivecroptomaximizetheprofitabilityofanyavailablespaceatthe
farm.

59

References
Ackermanetal.(2011).
Thepotentialforurbanagricultureinnewyorkcity:Growingcapacity,
foodsecurity,&greeninfrastructure.
Avagnina,Giovanni.(2012).
SnailBreeding
.Cherasco,Italy:TheInternationalSnailBreeding
Institute.Print.
Balaban,P.M.andChase,R.(1991
).
Interrelationshipsoftheemotionallypositiveandnegative
regionsofthebrainoftheediblesnail
.NeuroscienceandBehavioralPhysiology,21,
172180.
Begg,S.(2003).
FarmingSnailsLessonsfromItaly
.RetrievedfromRuralIndustriesResearch
andDevelopmentCorporation.
Begg,S.(2006).
FreerangeSnailFarminginAustralia
.RetrievedfromRuralIndustries
ResearchandDevelopmentCorporation.
Bellows,A.C.,Brown,K.,&Smit,J.(2003).Healthbenefitsofurbanagriculture.
Community
Food
.
Berg,B.&Lune,H.(2012).QualitativeResearchMethodsfortheSocialSciences.NewJersey:
PearsonEducationInc.
Berghage,R.D.,Beattie,D.,Jarrett,A.R.,Thuring,C.,Razaei,F.,&OConnor,T.P.(2009).
Greenroofsforstormwaterrunoffcontrol.Retrievedfrom
http://nepis.epa.gov/exe/zypurl.cgi?dockey=p1003704.txt.
BostonRestaurantGroup,I.(2011).
Restaurants:Industryupdate2011.
().Boston,MA
Bowbrick,P.(1976).Marketmargininvestigationsandpricecontroloffruitandvegetables.
IrishJournalofAgriculturalEconomicsandRuralSociology,6
(1),920.Retrievedfrom
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25556410
BrainR.2012.TheLocalFoodMovement:Definitions,Benefits&Resources.UtahState
University:ExtensionSustainability.Retrievedfrom
https://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Sustainability_201209pr.pdf
ConservationLawFoundation(CLF).(2012).
Growinggreen:Measuringbenefits,overcoming
barriers,andnurturingopportunitiesforurbanagricultureinboston
.

60

Crook,R.,andWalters,E.(2011).NociceptiveBehaviorandPhysiologyofMolluscs:Animal
WelfareImplications.
ILARJournal,56
.

Dalesman,S.&Lukowiak,K.(2011).Socialsnails:theeffectofsocialisolationoncognitionis
dependentonenvironmentalcontext.
JournalofExperimentalBiology
,214.
Dees,L.(1970).EdibleLandSnailsintheUnitedStates.USDepartmentoftheInterior.
Drury,K.A.,Farnsworth,R.L.,Thompson,S.,&Warner,R.E.(1996).Communitysupported
agriculture:Fillinganichemarket.
JournalofFoodDistributionResearch,27
Retrieved
from
http://econpapers.repec.org/article/agsjlofdr/27792.htm
EveryoneWinswithRoofGardens.(2013)
BostonGlobeEditorial
.BostonGlobe,Retrieved
from
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2013/09/03/highergroundfarmboston
designcentereveryonewinswithroofgardens/ea88NI6aZxoOaWAYZotURJ/story.htm
l
FDA.(2014).
GuidanceforCommercialProcessorsofAcidified&LowAcidCannedFoods
.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformati
on/AcidifiedLACF/default.html
Fraas,W.,&Bruckner,T.(2015).
Strategy#3:NicheMarketing
.www.cfra.org:CenterforRural
Affairs
Graber,C.,&Twilley,N.(2015).Gastropod.InC.Graber&N.Twilley(Eds.).In
Gastropodon
Gastropods
.Retrievedfromhttps://www.gastropod.com.
Gordinier,J.(2012).TheSnailWrangler.
TheNewYorkTimes
.Retrievedfrom
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/dining/raisingsoughtaftersnailsincalifornia.html
GrahamF.J.,RunhamN.W.,FordJ.B.(1996).Longtermeffectsof
Riccardoellalimacum
living
inthelungof
Helixaspersa.
BCPCSymp.Proc.,66,pp.359364
HeatIslandEffect.(2015).
UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.
Retrievedfrom
http://www2.epa.gov/heatislands
Howard,H.H&RHescargot.Retrievedfromhttp://www.hrhescargots.co.uk/#home
th
Ikerd,J.(2011).
SustainingtheProfitabilityofSmallFarms.
Paperpresentedatthe19
National

SmallFarmTradeShow&Conference,Columbia,MO.
61

Internationalandglobalbrandsandproducts.(2009).(pp.265293)McGrawHill.
InstitutoInternazionalediElicicoltura(InternationalHeliciculturalInstitute).Retrievedfrom
http://www.istitutodielicicoltura.com/en/
Kahn,M.(2013).Gettingfresh:Highergroundfarmtoopenatbostondesigncenter.
Boston
Magazine,
Retrievedfrom
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2013/04/30/highergroundfarmsouthbost
ondesigncenter/
Kaufman,J.,&Bailkey,M.(2000).
Farminginsidecities:Entrepreneurial

urbanagriculturein
theunitedstates.
Landry,C.(2013).Supplychain:Upontheroofwithhighergroundfarm.
BostonMagazine
Retrievedfrom
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/blog/2013/09/06/supplychainuponthero
ofwithhighergroundfarm/
LawsonHM,LawsonLR,andShowmanJ.(2013).TheExperienceofExisting:smallfamily
farmsintheNortheastUnitedStates.UniversityofPittsburgh.Retrievedfrom
http://dscholarship.pitt.edu/19937/
Li,A.,Li,I.&Margaret,L.Meimei'sstreetkitchen.Retrievedfrom
http://www.meimeiboston.com/about/
Li,D.BouZeid,E.Oppenheimer,M.(2014).Theeffectivenessofcoolandgreenroofsas
urbanheatislandmitigationstrategies
Environ.Res.Lett.
9,055002,DOI:
10.1088/17489326/9/5/055002
LundResearchLtd.(2012).TotalPopulationSampling.
Fundamentals,LaerdDissertation.
http://dissertation.laerd.com/totalpopulationsampling.php#what
Lynn,W.S.(1998).Animals,EthicsandGeography.InJ.Wolch&J.Emel(eds.),
Animal
Geographies:Place,PoliticsandIdentityintheNatureCultureBorderlands
(280298).
NewYork:Verso.
Matson,J.(2012).FoodDesertsLeaveManyAmericansHighandDry.
ScientificAmerican,
306
.

62

McMichael,B.(2014).Snailsforschoolsandreptilesfromeastkent.
Lemonaste,
Retrievedfrom
http://lemonaste.com/2014/10/11/snailsforschoolsandreptilesfromeastkent/
MetroUS.(2013).HigherGroundFarm:BostonsFirstRooftopFarmisCuttingitCloseon
Kickstarter.Retrievedfrom
http://www.metro.us/lifestyle/highergroundfarmmakingfinalpushonkickstarter/tmW
mby82eOrT2G4KH0A/
Murphy,B.(2001).
BreedingandGrowingSnailsCommerciallyinAustralia.Areportforthe
RuralIndustriesResearchandDevelopmentCorporation
.RetrievedfromRural
IndustriesResearchandDevelopmentCorporation.
McSweeney,D.M.,&Marshall,W.J.(2009).Theprominenceofbostonareacollegesand
universities.
MonthlyLaborReview,
,6468.Retrievedfrom
http://www.jstor.org/stable/monthlylaborrev.2009.06.064
Moyer,J.(2015).
Whatnobodytoldmeaboutsmallfarming:Icantmakealiving.
Salon.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.salon.com/2015/02/10/what_nobody_told_me_about_small_farming_i_cant_
make_a_living/
NationalResearchCouncil(US)CommitteeonRecognitionandAlleviationofPainin
LaboratoryAnimals.(2009).RecognitionandAlleviationofPaininLaboratoryAnimals.
Washington(DC):NationalAcademiesPress(US).1,
PaininResearchAnimals:
GeneralPrinciplesandConsiderations
.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK32655/
OlesenI,MyhrAI,RosendalGK.(2011).SustainableAquaculture:AreWeGettingThere?
EthicalPerspectivesonSalmonFarming.
JournalofAgriculturalandEnvironmental
Ethics
.24[4]:381408
Osterwalder,A.,&Pigneur,Y.(2010).Businessmodelcanvas.Retrievedfrom
https://strategyzer.com/canvas#!
PlantProtectionandQuarantine(PPQ),(2002).
ForNonindigenousSnails
.USDANational
AgriculturalLibrary.
Pollan,M.(2007).Youarewhatyougrow.
NewYorkTimes.
RicBrewer.(2015).TheSlowBlog.Retrievedfrom
http://littlegrayfarms.com/theslowblog/
63

Smith,J.,&Fowler,H.(2013).
UrbanAgriculture
.Retrievedfrom
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/bostonurbanagvisionfinal_tcm3527
91.pdf
TeppertD.2015.
FarmBill(2013).SmallFarmersCan'tMakeMoneyFromFarmingAnymore.
Policy.Mic.Retrievedfrom
http://mic.com/articles/49323/farmbill2013smallfarmerscantmakemoneyfromfarm
inganymore#.tGJMb0CoN
Thompson,R.I.C.B.,Cheney,S.R.S.,Agriculture,U.S.D.O.,Service,A.R.,Library,N.A.,
&Beltsville,M.(2008).
RaisingSnails
.NationalAgriculturalLibrary:Agricultural
ResearchService.
Trianon,V.(2012).
Feature:EscargotAsnailbyanyothername...
Retrievedfrom
http://www.vivetrianon.com/2012/10/featureescargotsnailbyanyothername.html
USDAAgriculturalMarketingService.(2015).
FoodDeserts
.USDAAgriculturalMarketing
Servicessite:AgriculturalMarketingService.Retrievedfrom
http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/foodDeserts.aspx
.
USDA
AnimalandPlantHealthInspectionService.(2015).SnailsandSlugs.Retrievedfrom
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/importinformation/permits/regul
atedorganismandsoilpermits/sa_snails_slugs/
USDA
AnimalandPlantHealthInspectionService.(2002).ContainmentGuidelinesfor
nonindigenoussnails.Retrievedfrom
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/downloads/snails_containment_guideli
nes.pdf
VanWoert,N.D.,Rowe,B.D.,Andresen,J.A.,Rugh,C.L.,Fernandez,T.R.,andXiao,L.
(2005).GreenRoofStormwaterRetention:EffectsofRoofSurface,Slope,andMedia
Depth.JEnvironQual.34[1]:10361044
Vigneault,C.,Thompson,J.,Wu,S.,Hui,C.K.P.,andLeBlanc,D.I.(2009).Transportationof
freshhorticulturalproduce.PostharvestTechnologiesforHorticulturalCrops.2[1]:124
Wichmann,J.,&Dorn,T.(2002).
Achievingsuccesswithabusiness.

64

YangJ,WangZ,andKaloushKE.(2013).Unintendedconsequences:Aresearchsynthesis
examiningtheuseofreflectivepavementstomitigatetheurbanheatislandeffect.Arizona
StateUniversityNationalCenterofExcellenceforSMARTInnovations,Tempe,AZ.
deZeeuw,H.(2011).Cities,ClimateChangeandUrbanAgriculture.

UrbanAgriculture,25,
3942.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ruaf.org/citiesclimatechangeandurbanagriculture

65

AppendixA
Surveyquestionsforrestaurateurs.
Doyoucurrentlyserveescargotatyourrestaurant?

Areyouinterestedinservingescargot?Whyorwhynot?

Wheredoyoupurchaseyourescargot?Howisitpackaged?

Howmuchescargotdoyougenerallypurchase?Howdoesthisrelatetothenumberofmenu
itemsfeaturingescargotonyourmenu?

Howmuchdoyoupayforyourescargot?

Areyourescargotdishespopular?Aretheyprofitable?

InSeattle,wheremanysnailfarmsarealreadyestablished,somerestaurantspayaround$50per
pound(roughly100snails)forfarmfreshsnails.Atthisprice,doyouthinktheycouldbea
profitableingredientforrestaurateursinNewEngland?

Iflocallygrownsnailswereonlyaseasonalproduct,wouldpurchasingthemstillinterestyou?
Whyorwhynot?

Mostsnailsarepurchasedcanned.However,ifsnailsaregrowninstate,theycanbepurchased
freshlyprocessed.Doesthisinterestyou?Whyorwhynot?
Additionally,locallygrownsnailscanbepurchasedalivesothatchefsmayprocessthem
inhouse.Wouldyoubeinterestedinpurchasinglivesnails?Whyorwhynot?

Howmuchdoyourescargotdishescost?

Ifyouwouldliketobecontactedwithfurtherinformationregardinglocallyproducedsnails
availableforpurchasebyrestaurantsintheBostonareapleaseleaveaname,email,and/orphone
numberbelow.

66

AppendixB
SampleInterviewQuestionsforSnailRanchers
Wouldyouallowustousequotesorideasfromyouranswersinthedatawepresentinourfinal
report?
Whatspeciesofsnaildoyoufarm?

Whatconditionsdoyougrowyoursnailsin(temperature,humidity,etc.)?

Whatkindofenclosuredoyoukeepyoursnailsinduringsummer/winter?

Didyouhaveanytroublefindingamarketforyoursnails?

Howmanysnailsdoyouproduce?Howmanysnailsdoclientstypicallyorder?

Whoisyourprimarymarket?Restaurants,individuals,farmersmarkets,etc.

Doyoufeelyouproduceenoughsnailstomeetthedemandyou'veencountered?

Howdoyoursnailsbehaveinwinter?

Whathaveyourexperienceswithsnailfarmingincoldweatherbeenlike?Anyadviceor
problemsyou'veruninto?

DoyouthinkitisfeasibleforoursponsortogrowsnailsinMassachusetts'winters?(ie.
temperatureswellbelowfreezingforseveralweeks)

67

Haveyoubeenincontactwithorworkedwithothersnailfarmers?

Yes

No

Ifyou"Yes",didyoufindthatitwashelpfultospeakwiththem,orviceversa?

If"No,"wouldyoulikeforustoputyouincontactwithothersnailfarmers?

Yes

No

Doyouhaveanytipsoradviceforsomeonehopingtostartsnailfarmingandentertheescargot
market?

Isthereanythingyouwishyouknewwhenyoustartedyourfarm?

Afterallyourexperiencewithsnailfarming,arethereanyquestionsyouhavethatarestill
unansweredandwouldlikeanswersto?Wewouldbecuriousandwillingtoincludetheminour
research.

Wouldyouliketostayupdatedontheresultsofourproject?

Wewillbeproducingareportencompassingmuchinformationpertainingtosnailfarmingand
researchforsmallandurbanfarmsandwouldwillinglysendacopyifyouwouldlikeandour
sponsorallows.

Yes

No
68

AppendixC
SampleInterviewQuestionsforInDepthRestaurantInterviews
Whatinterestsyouaboutlocalsnails?Aboutaddingthemtoyourmenu?

Aresnailsaningredientthatmanyculinaryprofessionalsarefamiliarwith?Doyouthinkthere
wouldbeamarketforthemimmediatelyorwouldwehavetoeducatediners/chefsaswewent?

Couldyouelaboratemoreonpricingandwhatyouthinkafairaveragepricerangewouldbein
termsofallrestaurantsinBostonthatmightbeinterested?

Howmanycustomersdoyouserveaweekandinturnhowmanypoundsofescargotwouldyou
seeyourrestaurantneedingeachweek?

Doyouhaveanyquestionsforus?

69

AppendixD
ExpertInterviewHighlights
Experts

Profession/Title

Business/Placeof
Employment
FrankHoy
Professor/Department WPIFoisieSchool
Head
ofBusiness
JohnSanbonmatsu Professor
WPIHumanities
andArts

Topic
Discussed
BusinessPlans

WilliamLynn

ResearchScientist

ClarkUniversity

Ethics

RicBrewer

SnailRancher

LittleGreyFarm

SnailRanching

HelenHoward

SnailRancher

H&RHEscargots

SnailRanching

Ethics

NotableTalkingPoints
Businesscanvasmodel
overbuisnessplan
Animalrights:farming
anyanimalisadirect
infringementofits
intrinsicrightsasaliving
creature
Therelationship
betweenanimalsand
humanscurrentlyis
similartoarelationship
betweenahumanslave
andmaster,andthisis
notethical
Farminganyanimal,
includingsnails,isnota
fairorjustthingtodo
Animalwelfare:power
imbalancesbetween
humansandanimalsare
natural,buttheanimals
mustberaisedand
handledinawaythat
minimizessufferingand
allowstheanimaltolead
ahealthy,happylife
Fourcriteriato
consider:sentience,
sapience,sociality,and
ecologicalrole
Snailsaresentient,but
notsapient
Establishan
understandingoflaws
andregulations
Thevolumeofsnails
solddetermines
profitability
Learnasmuchas
possibleaboutsnails
Remainrealisticand
havepatience
Doasmuchmarket
researchaspossible
Snailscanbe

70

IreneLi

Proprietor,Chef

MeiMeiStreet
Kitchen

Restaurantand
Market
Logistics

overwinteredifplacedin
anindoorenclosure
Localproteinscanbe
hardtocomebyand
expensive
Snailsareuncommon
butmoreapproachable
thanalotofother
uncommonfoods
Mostlikelymarketing
tochefsnotcurrently
workingwithsnails
thereforetherewouldbe
someeducationofchefs
anddiners
FoodCoststatistics
ingredientsonplateon
average2030%ofretail
pricethereforepriceper
poundwouldbetaken
intoaccountbasedon
restaurant

71

AppendixE
ExampleofBusinessModelCanvasforHigherGroundFarm

72

AppendixF
IntroductoryPamphletforSnailFarminginNewEngland

73

74