Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

A word from the President Newsletter #329

June 2018
Rose and I very much enjoyed our time with the OFFMA group in Ireland back in Volume 34, Number 4

April. I am sure you will be hearing more about the excellent and informative trip
from some of the rest of our members but I would like to take this opportunity to
talk about what I saw as one of the main takeaways from our trip.
To me perhaps the highlight of the tour was the people themselves. The Irish Inside this issue:
are truly a wonderful part of the human race.
First impressions are important and ours started already on the flight over. We
Membership News 2
chose to fly Aer Lingus mainly due to the fact that we got a very good price from
them. In my many years of flying I have never really had a bad experience Ideas from New 3
Zealand
when it comes to airline service. However there have been numerous times
where I have felt that the only reason I got service was because to do anything Study Tour to 4
Ireland
less would have cost them their job. In some cases I felt like just another lump
in a seat. Not with Aer Lingus. In spite of the fact that we waited almost three What Comes After 6
a Millennial?
hours for take-off due to a very nasty ice storm which I am sure was even more
of a pain for the staff than it was for us, I really felt like we were treated as Upcoming Events 8
though there was nothing more they would rather be doing right then. They
were very friendly and helpful but still extremely professional. It still gives me
the warm fuzzies just thinking about it.
And that was just the beginning. The service, the friendliness, the almost con-
stant dry humour was so refreshing. Numerous times I had people actually turn
down an offered tip. Imagine that.
And then there was their driving. I think I heard 3 car horns in my whole 12 days
in Ireland. I heard 4 times that many in my first minute back at Pearson. And it
was not that we did not give them opportunity. Trust me, learning to drive on the
other side of the road was an adjustment. Numerous times I could see what
they were thinking. ”Stupid Americans.” But rather than expressing it they simp-
ly smiled, waved and let me in. Unbelievable!
My takeaway was this: be nicer to people. It really costs almost nothing. A
smile, a cheery word, a helping hand. Why don’t we all bring a piece of Ireland
to our farms?
Oh and how have I been doing you ask? Well I have only honked my
horn once since I have been back. Just a bit of a toot, it was. At the
food terminal. Some of you will understand.

Steve Martin
OFFMA President
Page 2 Fresh Facts
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Classifieds
FOR SALE
Our own grown & pressed ciders &
fruit blends as well as jams.
No preservatives, pure, natural,
great shelf life & delicious.
Please contact Bayfield Berry Farm
for more information 519-482-1666
or salesberryfarm@tcc.on.ca
FOR SALE
Pie Master Model MT-20E Electri-
cally Operated Turnover Ma-
chine
Asking $3000; Contact
Smithsapplemarket@gmail.com or
519-832-3051 for more infor-
mation.
Mapleton's Organic Dairy
Looking to scoop ice cream?
Bulk ice cream and soft serve fro-
zen yogurt available.
info@mapletonsorganic.ca
FOR SALE
Frozen pitted sour cherries available
for wholesale and retail from
Delhaven Orchards, 519-676-4475
or delhaven@ciaccess.com
FOR SALE
2L and 4L plastic baskets, made in
Canada, sturdy handles, strong dura-
ble plastic, weatherproof, reliable de-
livery. www.shouldicefarm.com
Contact: shouldice1@bell.net,
613-838-4203
FOR SALE
“The Amazing Book of Mazes” by
Adrian Fisher. Hardcover, 2006 edi-
tion, 264 pages in excellent condi-
tion. Asking $20, contact Cathy at the
OFFMA office, 905-841-9278 or
cathy@ontariofarmfresh.com
Ads are free to OFFMA membership, send to the
office and we will make sure they are included in
the next newsletter.
Stop focusing on how stressed
you are and remember how
blessed you are.
Welcome to our new members, so glad
you found us. Looking forward to getting
to know you and your business a whole
lot better this year.
Lisa & Mike Merry
Merry Farms
Lynden, ON 519-647-2648
www.merryfarms.ca
The Merry family went from being hobby
farmers to purchasing a Christmas tree
farm in 2013. They have continued the
tradition of selling and growing more
Christmas trees. In 2015 they opened up
to the public for their first ever Pumpkin-
fest. It has now taken off and they are
super happy to see so many families cre-
ating awesome memories at the farm
and enjoying all the activities. Each year
they will continue to add new activities.
They are having fun and love it!
Krista & Kevin Ward
Fernwood Farms & Market
Stayner, ON 705-428-3171
www.ruralroutes.com/fernwoodfarms
Fernwood Farms & Market are doing a
lot of things right. You just have to read
the reviews.
“Always the best tasting berries!!!! And
the pie in the bag amazing!!!” “Just a fun
time – the maze, hayride, and pumpkin
find - wow.” You quickly get the picture.
Krista & Kevin grow a lot - strawberries,
blueberries, sweet corn, pumpkins, rasp-
berries - and have a lot to offer their cus-
tomers in a well-run on-farm market.
Dave & Christine Klyn-Hesselink
Fenwick Berry Farm
Fenwick, ON 905-892-8231
www.fenwickberryfarm.ca
Fenwick Berry Farm is a new vendor at
Nathan Phillips Square this year. Most of
their berries are planted on raised beds
with an agricultural mulch to eliminate
or reduce the use of herbicides on the
plants. Straw is also used to keep the
plants clean and control the
weeds. Although they do not have a re-
tail store on the farm, they do offer pick
your own strawberries during the peak
strawberry season.
 Newsletter #329 Page 3

Ideas from New Zealand - Managing line ups at events.

By Carl Fletcher, Direct Farm Marketing Enthusiast
In January 2017 my wife Kathryn and I travelled to New
Zealand to visit our daughter who is a student there.
Queenstown is like the Banff of New Zealand. A beauti-
ful lake at the bottom of snow topped mountain peaks.
Skiing in the winter and boating in the summer makes
Queenstown a year round tourist town.
Our daughter had been to Queenstown before and in-
sisted that we must have a burger at the famous Fer-
gburger restaurant. So when in Rome do like the Ro-
mans. When we arrived there was a line up out the door
and down the sidewalk. Wait times can be up to one
hour! So how did Fergburger manage this?
First staff handed out menus to people in the line and
gave current estimated wait times
allowing you to decide to stay or
not. Providing menus as soon as
we stepped in line said we were
valued. When staff came back to
take your order you were given a
number similar to having an order
number card placed on your ta-
ble. Taking our order further com-
mitted us to the purchase. When
an order was ready the corre-
sponding order number appeared
on the screen of a monitor that we
could see from the sidewalk. We
could find things to do to fill in the
time and still check to see if our
number was up on the monitor.
Our wait was 45 minutes but the variety on the menu was creative and exten-
sive and the burgers were delicious. I had the Bambi Burger –New Zealand has
a farm raised deer industry and a venison meal was on my trip list.
Figuring out ways to minimize lineups is an ongoing customer service goal but
when they do occur engaging your customers in the lineup and providing realis-
tic serving times says we care.

Wise words from a bus tour newbie; Tiffany Drong

As a first timer attending the international study tour with OFFMA and not knowing anyone I was welcomed with
big smiles and attentive ears. The first day we got on the coach bus and we did an ice breaker activity. Now I must
admit as confident as I am, I was a bit nervous/jetlagged to get up there to explain who I was, where I’m from and
what the heck I do. As we went through everybody’s introductions, I became at ease and interested in getting to
know my fellow travelling peers. The 5 days came and went quickly but I’d like to highlight what I was able to take
away from this experience.
The land of the Irish is lush and green, with beautiful rolling hills and perfectly manicured hedge rows. The people
are truly lovely; despite hardships, recessions, government failures, poor crops, limited funds and resources. The
entrepreneurial Irish men and women we got to meet seem to rise above. They all were innovative, hard working,
passionate people that continue to flourish and keep going. They certainly don’t keep all their eggs in one basket;
they align themselves with multiple revenue streams to help cash flow their enterprises. The Irish inspiration al-
lowed me to reflect on my own businesses, look at some ideas in a different perspective, remind myself to keep on
going, be happy and don’t give up!
Page 4 Fresh Facts

Visiting the Bailey ladies at the

Orchard Centre. The secret to
the creamy milk from these
cows that is used to make Bai-
ley’s Irish Cream is the grass
that they are fed. They try to
have their cows on pasture for
10 months of the year. The
owner is very serious about
protecting that pasture, hence
the plastic boots we all needed
to wear for the visit.

OFFMA’s
At Causey Farm,
they offer work-
shops that high-
light Irish tradi-
tions. Duncan led
all 54 of us through
Study
the bread baking
process, making it
simple and enter-
Tour
taining. Next on
the agenda was to
Ireland
the learning how to
do the Irish jig.
Picture it a busload
of Canadians do-
ing a jig.

The Avoca stores were inspirational to anyone

who has tried to do creative merchandising in
their market. They have 8 stores across Ire-
land and each one is different and unqiue, but
they each invoke a feeling of belonging, calm-
ness and awe. They just have certain way of
displaying their products that makes you want
to take one of each of them home with you.
They are also not afraid of trying new things.
Several of the stores had a mini florist by their
entrance, this particular one had a pizza van
outside their café as well.
 Newsletter #329 Page 5

Ernie Muzyklowsky from Apple

Land Station looks right at
home. BallyMaloe is a cooking
school and farm as well as a
B&B, restaurant and café. They
started promoting local and or-
ganic decades ago and contin-
ue to this day. Many of Ireland’s
top chefs have attended the
BallyMaloe Cookery School.

One of the walls in the barn where the highly

popular Hen Parties are usually held. There
was also a table with paints and brushes. Every
few weeks they whitewash the wall and start all
over again. Such a simple idea and so well re-
ceived.

It is always hard to pick a few pho-

The food was fabulous every-
where in Ireland. This display was
from a convenience store in Dub-
lin. There was a similar display at
the gas station we stopped at.
Hotel dinners were five star, out-
standing.
tos to showcase the examples of
everything we saw on our study
tour, but it seems it was even
harder to do so for this Irish trip.
Everyone was so welcoming and
generous. The biggest frustration
was that we didn’t have enough
time to spend at all the farms,
shops, and markets. That just
means we will have to plan anoth-
er tour in the near future.
Page 6 Fresh Facts
What Comes After a Millennial?
Generational difference seems to be a
perennial conversation topic among
direct marketers. Perhaps it’s be-
cause so many farms are inter-
generational family businesses, or
perhaps it’s because of the seasonal
nature that results in the hiring of
many youth. Whatever the reason, we
know that successful teams thrive
when they can understand, respect,
and perhaps even appreciate their dif-
ferences when it comes to communi-
cation styles and motivations around
work.
Over the past few years, both OFFMA
and NAFDMA events have had
presentations about generational dif-
ferences, often with a strong focus on
working with Millennials. Yet, interest-
ingly, if you are hiring high school or
post-secondary students this season,
there’s a very real possibility that they
actually belong to Generation Z
(roughly born 1995 or later), the gen-
eration following the Millennials.
If you find it difficult to relate to your
Gen Z employees, you may take sol-
ace in the fact that even Michael Litt,
Millennial co-founder and CEO of vid-
eo platform Vidyard (based in Water-
loo), has had to adapt to differences
with this cohort. He chronicles these
difference in a fascinating article in
Forbes called “How Millennial CEOS
are Adapting to Generation Z.” Below
is a summary of the key distinguishing
characteristics that he identifies of
Generation Z.
Gen Z grew up on mobile……While
Millennials were the first generation to
grow up with the internet. You may be
surprised to discover that many Gen
Zs, view email as “an archaic form of
communication.” As a result, some will
need training on how to use email ap-
propriately for work. They much prefer
communication mediums that are in-
stant, such as Messenger, WhatsApp,
Snapchat or Instagram. Since some of
these platforms also have some degree
of anonymity, it may be important to
remind Gen Z staff that “instant doesn’t
equal private or inconsequential.”
Gen Z is not camera shy.
Growing up on in the mobile era means
that they’ve always had a phone in their
pocket and are accustomed to using it.
Litt suggests that their affinity for visual
content (video in particular), can be a
distraction from work if managers don’t
channel it into something valuable. “A
lifetime of selfies has taught them the
power of image, and they’ve internal-
ized the art of branding and self-
presentation” – sounds like a great
foundational skill set for your farm’s
marketing or consumer-facing team!
Gen Z is ambitious, but……They may
not have realistic expectations about
what it takes to reach their goals. Yet,
these unrealistic expectations make
sense within the context of their gener-
ation – they grew up watching peoples’
lives through the carefully curated gal-
leries of social media. For Gen Z staff,
you may need to have a frank conver-
sation about how to advance within
your team and what measures of suc-
cess are reasonable. It’s important to
approach these conversations with re-
spect rather than a view that young
staff are looking for shortcuts to the top.
Even Litt, a successful tech entrepre-
neur reminds us “as a Millennial, I’ve
heard that accusation more times than I
can count. Trust me, it’s frustrating and
demoralizing, and it doesn’t inspire loy-
alty or hard work.”
 Newsletter #329 Page 7

Source: https://source.colostate.edu/movein-2017-generation-z-csu-welcomes-
supports-youngest-students/

Recently found on the Internet…….Agritourismideas.com

This website was started by two brothers, Jamie and Mike
Stuenzi. They both currently reside in the state of Pennsyl-
vania, but have lived in many states over the course of their
lives. Both brothers find that they have many of the same
interests that revolve around the outdoors. They discovered
that ‘Agritourism’ is a natural fit for their love of the outdoors
and their entrepreneurial nature. Like many business own-
ers, they learned and developed their skills, often through
trial and error, as their business grew. In the process, they
discovered valuable tools that, when properly implemented, can bring you
great success in the Agritourism industry.
Their website is a collection of insights, ideas, and wisdom that they’ve
gained along the way, combined with the experience and resources of
other Agritourism experts from all over the world. It is their hope to help
farmers be successful in their agritourism endeavors. They share your
passion to introduce people to their roots and to provide an unforgettable
country experience!
Definitely worth a look…..www.agritourismideas.com
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
July 30 OFFMA’s Annual Potluck at Brantview Apples and Cider, St. George

Aug 12-15 Toronto Gift Fair, International Centre & Toronto Congress Centre

Early Nov. Rural Retreat—Opportunity for OFFMA members to network, re-charge

Ontario Farm Fresh
Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director
2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9 Relevant Resources on the OFFMA Website
Phone: 905-841-9278
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com There are several hardcopy resources, podcasts and webinars in the
2018-19 OFFMA Board of Directors ‘Members Only’ section of the OFFMA website. If you can’t remember
Steve Martin, President your username, just contact the OFFMA office and we can help you
Martin’s Family Fruit Farm
Kristin Ego MacPhail, Vice President out.
Ego Nurseries Ltd.
Leslie Forsythe, Past President
Forsythe Family Farms
Something to consider watching in June is the Outstanding Customer
Paul Baxter, Associate Member Service Webinar with Angela Leach. Not only is there a webinar but al-
Baxter’s Kitchen
Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
so a guide for you, the employer, as well as handouts and worksheets
Erin McLean, McLean Berry Farm for the your employees. The documents are all created in Word so you
Colleen McKay, Your Farm Market can modify and brand to you own businesses.
Jordan McKay, Willowtree Farm
Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms
Karen Whitty, Whitty Farms You will also find a Sample Employee Manual and Sample Employee
Jessica Kelly, OMAFRA Advisor
Application form courtesy of Strom’s Farm. Take a minute to check it
out.