Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud!

Market Assessment & Analysis

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

SWOT ANALYSIS

•It’s important that when you do a SWOT analysis, that you are honest in how you assess your business. Having friends, family, peers, or anyone else who knows your business well can be very valuable.

•You can use SWOT to assess your business, your marketplace, your workforce, or any other aspect of your business.

•What is a strength in one community may not be in another. This is snapshot of market strengths across the country.

•If there is a strength from your community we've missed, please share when we get to the feedback section.

StrengthsStrengths

StrengthsStrengths

History and Tradition

Growing Public Awareness

Unmatched Growth

Quality

Creativity

Cool Factor

•History and Tradition

• holidays

• celebrations

• ethnic diets

StrengthsStrengths

StrengthsStrengths

•Growing Public Awareness

• 75% of specialty food retailers say “local” is the most influential food claim.

• www.bealocalist.org

StrengthsStrengths

• Unmatched Growth

• Buying locally has moved from a trend or a fad, into a full-blown movement.

StrengthsStrengths

•Quality

• Food picked at the peak of ripeness is better. It tastes better and it’s more nutritionally dense.

StrengthsStrengths

•Creativity

• Creative people are drawn to the local food movement. Find ways to put them to work for you.

StrengthsStrengths

•Cool Factor

•Weaknesses can also represent opportunity, especially if you're able to overcome it in a creative or collaborative way.

•If there is a weakness from your community that you've been able to overcome, please share when we get to the feedback section.

WeaknessesWeaknesses

WeaknessesWeaknesses

Price is still King

Seasonality

Traditional wholesale accounts are built for the big guys

Lack of Collaboration

Technology barriers

Some less polished business skills

WeaknessesWeaknesses

•Price is still King

• Some consumers will always value the lowest price over anything else. Small scale production tends to be more expensive.

WeaknessesWeaknesses

•Seasonality

• People are not in tune with seasonality the way your farm is! They want what they want, when they want it.

WeaknessesWeaknesses

•Traditional wholesale accounts are built for the big guys

• Retailers and restaurants prefer being able to buy everything they need on the back of one truck.

WeaknessesWeaknesses

•Lack of Collaboration

• Some farmers and food producers see the other farmers in their community as the competition, rather than as a partner. A rising tide raises all boats.

WeaknessesWeaknesses

•Technology barriers

• Shoppers are buying online more than ever. And local food shoppers are learning about local products and farms online as well.

WeaknessesWeaknesses

•Smaller infrastructures and support networks.

•Threats are usually things you can't control. That doesn't mean you shouldn't recognize them. You need to know thereout there, and be prepared in case they affect you.

ThreatsThreats

Localwashing

Catastrophic weather events

Lack of succession Planning

Changing Regulations

Environmental Degradation

ThreatsThreats

•Localwashing

• Big companies have already started advertising campaigns to leverage the idea of buying locally.

ThreatsThreats

•Catastrophic weather events

• Floods

• Droughts

• Hurricanes

• Tornadoes

ThreatsThreats

•Lack of succession planning

• Farms are being lost to changing generations.

ThreatsThreats

•Changing Regulations

While some states are changing regulations to make it easier to produce food, some agencies are doing the opposite.

ThreatsThreats

•Environmental Degradation

Keep in touch with what environmental concerns are being raised in your community.

Some of you out there will be affected by these issues.

ThreatsThreats

•The local food system right now is a world of opportunity. This list is in no way all encompassing.

•Please share places you've seen opportunity!

OpportunitiesOpportunities

Facilitated Market Places

Places People Gather

Emerging Demographics

Value Added Products

Social Media

Allergen Communities

SNAP

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Facilitated Market Places

Examples in New York State

• www.wholeshare.com

• www.farmiemarket.com

• www.field-goods.com

• www.foodshedbuyingclub.com

• www.thegoodfoodcollective.com

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Places People Gather

• large workplaces

• community centers

• hospitals

• schools & universities

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Emerging Demographics

• new parents

• Latino

• Southeast Asian

• African

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Value Added Products

• your own line

• selling ingredients to other producers

• co-branded

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Social Media

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

• Pinterest

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Allergen Communities

• Gluten Free

• Soy-Free

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•Changing Regulations

• Check with your state Agriculture & Markets office to find out about cottage food laws.

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•SNAP

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

OpportunitiesOpportunities

•@SmallPotatoes42

•www.iamsmallpotatoes.com

•facebook.com/SmallPotatoes42

@NYFarmersMarketwww.nyfarmersmarket.comwww.facebook.com/FMFNY

www.nyfvi.orgfacebook.com/NewYorkFarmViabilityInstitute