Why Consumers Count So Much With Produce Growers [Opinion]
November 25, 2020 A conversation I had recently made me realize we all have access to the best tools for surviving a crazy year like 2020. Even the smallest operation can use the same strategy as multi-billion-dollar conglomerates.
I spoke with Gilles Galliou, the new Head of Bayer Vegetable Seed for the Americas. He started his position earlier this year, in February — right before all heck broke loose with COVID-19.
I asked him how he was managing, and he spoke about an advisory board he consults regularly. It keeps him grounded, he says.
When I asked if he had learned anything he could pass on to growers, he had a great response.
“The advice I would have is, we should all stay strongly connected with the consumer’s needs. The market might turn on all of us without much warning, and I would like all of us to stay very much connected with what consumers want.”
Galliou says you should pay attention to everything, from how consumers are cooking to how they buy food. Then take a step back and see if you can see how all these lifestyle choices may lead to a future trend you can capitalize on.
The brilliant thing about this is anyone can start a conversation. It doesn’t cost money to do that, although it does require time effort to do well.
Ideas to Help You Stay Connected
Here are three basics to collecting feedback:
1. Decide who you want to hear from. Each operation has its own market. For some of you, that may include schools and local distributors. Others have your own farm markets. You can see how the advisors would change for each group.
2. Consider how you will get feedback. There’s no one perfect way to gather information. Your options range from setting up taste tests when you’re trying to decide which new varieties to grow to hanging out at a grocery store to observe how people select vegetables.
3. Report back to your suppliers. Communicate what you learn to your supplier reps. It will help them make decisions for their own company and keep the industry as a whole healthier.
The biggest tip? Make sure you apply what you learn. Evolve with your customers. That’s vital in times like these.
Oh, One More Thing
You don’t need an MBA to gain access to solid business practices. If you need well-researched idea on how conduct consumer research or structure your operation, you have a vast supply of ideas available to you.
Here are a couple resources to get you started:
- Harvard Business Review. Harvard publishes articles online focusing on all sorts of business techniques.
- Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal has a Small Business How-To Guide that offers solid advice from stellar sources. It includes advice on how to shop for a bank and how to create a disaster plan.
- AllBusiness.com. This site may not be as well-known as the previous two, but it’s packed with accessible, easy-to-follow advice that’s constantly updated. It focuses more on tips rather than business philosophy.
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