Offering your vegetables through the organic basket model means taking on the challenge of managing a diverse and continuous production, spread out over several weeks of deliveries.
Our Production and Marketing Model
The farms in the Family Farmers Network take on the challenge each season of producing a diverse range of organic vegetables to feed their local communities sustainably. They deliver weekly harvests throughout the growing season.
Family Farmers offer baskets containing 6 to 14 items—mainly vegetables, but also fruits and fresh herbs—delivered weekly or every other week. Main farms can also source products from partner farms in the Network to enrich their baskets with a wider variety of certified organic goods such as microgreens, fruits, eggs, or processed products.
Following the principles of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), subscribers pay for their share of the harvest upfront, either in a single payment or in installments. This subscription demonstrates their commitment to the farm and helps ensure a more secure income for the farmers. In return, the farm commits to providing sufficient quantity, quality, and diversity of produce for its group of subscribers.
Being a Family Farmer also means maintaining freedom in how you produce and market your crops.
You decide the price and size of your baskets, the vegetable varieties you grow, and how many weeks you deliver. Other marketing channels can complement your basket sales, such as selling to restaurants or at farmers’ markets.
Marketing Approach
Each farm has the freedom to choose:
- the number of subscribers;
- basket sizes;
- basket format (pre-packed, farmers’ market style, etc.);
- basket pricing;
- the crop varieties grown;
- the number of delivery weeks.
Delivery Points (PDLs)
The Network spans all the agricultural regions of the province, with over 600 delivery points (PDLs) serving local communities. While the Network supports the development of new PDLs in strategic areas through partnerships, it’s the farm’s responsibility to identify and secure locations for its PDLs. To ensure balanced growth of PDLs across the territory, the farm and the Network work together to establish new locations.
Finally, by joining the Network, you'll gain the right to officially promote yourself as a Family Farmer—a registered trademark—and proudly show your connection to this vibrant farming community!