Last month, a discount grocery chain that is owned by Canada's largest grocery chain sent a text to customers encouraging them to shop at their stores instead of standing in line at farmers markets.
Unsurprisingly, that message hurt my heart as a small manufacturer. My chocolate company cannot afford $30K that it takes on average to get a product into a large grocery chain nor would it be easy for me because of the strict delivery rules and unfair pricing model.
However, I can attend as many farmer’s markets and maker markets as possible to share my sweet creations with the world. By talking directly to people, I can share my unique point of view on creating flavours, sourcing ingredients and the fun names we use to describe each product.
My mom used to take me to the Etobicoke farmers market when I was a wee Dawn to buy produce in the summer. When I was in my 20s I would spend every Saturday morning with my friend Arja in Kensington Market to do my weekly shop — we had our favourite bakery, cheese monger and vegetable stand. I was a regular at the Leslieville farmers market until I moved out of Toronto and now I shop at whatever farmer's market I am vending at that week. These experiences connected me with the food that I ate and was part of my routine.
As the owner of a small business, I hope this is the same type of experience that I can give my customers. I want DWN to stand out by creating products that live outside of the typical dark and milk chocolate world. If there is a lineup at my tent, it's probably because I am talking chocolate, offering samples or simply getting to know each other.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my last farmer's market for 2024 — I will be at Gull Lake for the Gravenhurst Farmer's Market and I hope to see you there.
Response from Ontario Small Business to the text message