HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED OPENING UP A FARM SHOP? 🧺🥚 🍅 🍞 🍖 🍾

Farm shops have become increasingly popular in recent years, as consumers become more interested in buying fresh, organic, locally produced food. For some West Country farmers, a farm shop could be a great way to sell their products directly to consumers, while also supporting the local economy. In this article, Pulman's Weekly News explores how our farmers could launch their own farm shop and make it a success.

Step 1: Identify Your Products and Market

The first step in launching a successful farm shop is to identify the products you want to sell and the market you want to target. You may already have a good idea of what products you want to sell, but it's worth doing some market research to ensure that there is demand for your products in your local area.

In addition to the products you grow or raise on your farm, you may also want to consider selling other locally produced goods, such as cheese, bread, or honey. This can help you to offer a wider range of products and attract more customers.

Step 2: Choose a Location

The next step is to choose a location for your farm shop. Ideally, you want a location that is easily accessible for customers and has plenty of parking. You may also want to consider a location that is visible from the road, as this can help to attract passing trade.

If you have an existing farm building that you can convert into a shop, this can be a good option. Alternatively, you may want to consider seeking planning permission and building a new shop on your farm or renting a space in a nearby town or village.

Step 3: Develop a Business Plan

Before you launch your farm shop, it's important to develop a business plan. This should include details on your products, your target market, your pricing strategy, and your marketing plan.

We are very fortunate in East Devon, South Somerset and West Dorset to have a ready supply of visitors during the holiday seasons. These tourists can make very good customers. But outside of these potential boom months, will the number of local shoppers be enough to keep the business afloat? Remember to bear this in mind when doing your business plan.

You'll also need to consider your other costs, such as rent, utilities, and staff wages, as well as your projected revenue. This will help you to determine whether your farm shop is financially viable and identify any potential challenges or risks.

Step 4: Obtain the Necessary Permits and Licenses

Once you have a business plan in place, you'll need to obtain the necessary permits and licenses to operate your farm shop. This may include a food handler's permit, a retail license, insurance and necessary safety certificates.

You'll also need to ensure that your products comply with any relevant food safety regulations and labelling requirements.

Step 5: Set Up Your Shop

With your permits and licenses in place, you can start setting up your farm shop. This may include purchasing equipment, such as refrigerators and display cases, as well as shelving, signage, and other decor to make your shop attractive and welcoming to customers.

When setting up your shop, it's important to consider the layout and flow of the space. You want to make sure that customers can easily navigate the shop and find what they're looking for. You may also want to consider offering samples of your products to encourage customers to try them.

Step 6: Market Your Farm Shop

Finally, you'll need to market your farm shop to attract customers. This may include advertising in local newspapers, websites or on social media, hosting events or tastings, and reaching out to local businesses and organisations to offer your products.

You may also want to consider offering loyalty programmes or discounts to encourage repeat customers, as well as online ordering and delivery to reach customers who may not be able to visit your shop in person.

All in all, launching a farm shop could be a great way for West Country farmers to sell their products directly to consumers and support the local economy. By following these steps and developing a clear plan, farmers can start thinking about ways to create a successful and profitable farm shop that meets the needs of their target market and provides a unique and valuable rural shopping experience for customers.

WHY I AM WARY OF BECOMING TOO WOKE - 😳

As a former tabloid journalist and now editor of Pulman's Weekly News, I have always been mindful of the impact my words and actions might have on others. However, in today's "woke" culture, it sometimes feels like the goalposts are constantly shifting, and it can be hard to know what is considered acceptable.

One potential risk is the phenomenon of "cancel culture," where individuals are publicly shamed and ostracised for expressing views or engaging in behaviours deemed offensive or harmful by certain groups. While I believe it's important to call out genuine instances of harm or discrimination, cancel culture can also be a blunt instrument that shuts down debate and stifles free expression.

So how might I find myself on the wrong side of woke culture? It could be as simple as expressing a controversial opinion on social media, or using humour or irony that is misinterpreted by some as offensive. It could be participating in an event or organisation that others deem problematic, or even associating with individuals who have been "cancelled" themselves.

Of course, the tricky thing about cancel culture is that it often operates in a highly subjective and unpredictable way. What one person considers a harmless joke, another might see as deeply offensive. What one group deems a legitimate expression of free speech, another might label as hate speech.

All of this can be daunting, but I believe the key is to stay true to one's own values and principles, while also being receptive to feedback and willing to learn from others. It's important to engage in thoughtful dialogue and debate, rather than simply writing off anyone who disagrees with us.

At the end of the day, we all have a responsibility to be mindful of the impact our words and actions have on others, and to strive for a more inclusive and just society. But we also need to be careful not to let cancel culture become a form of censorship that shuts down important conversations and stifles the diversity of viewpoints that are essential to a healthy democracy.

Report by Duncan Williams @PulmansWeekly

Free Media Studies Courses

PULMAN’S WEEKLY NEWS & ADVERTISER SERIES is an award winning media group founded in 1857 by West Country publisher George Philip Rigney Pulman.

In keeping with our founder's original aim to best serve the people, businesses and communities of Devon, Dorset & Somerset, we are please to be able to offer our readers and employees a wide range of free online learning opportunities.

In recent years, digital publishing and news outreach has proved highly successful for all our titles.

Pulman's has always been amongst the first to move with publishing innovations.

We feel confident that an online platform, such as this, which provides access to career enhancing education and skills training - both for our own staff and our readers - is a progressive step forward for a newspaper industry that long ago abandoned its confines to paper only outreach.

After all, news has always sought to enlighten and communicate facts. So too does good education and learning.

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Pulman's Award sponsors online learning

We have always been so much more than just a community media brand... During the age of the internet, particularly during covid lock-downs, we have been delighted to introduce more people to online learning.

GEORGE PULMAN - VICTORIAN MEDIA MAN

- Remembering a rural publishing pioneer who was also a committed Christian.

Many West Country communities know the name George Pulman well. He is considered something of a Victorian media mogul who founded Pulman's Weekly News way back in 1857.

His media brands continued to be a prolific news source for over 150 years throughout the prime agricultural counties of Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

Pulman's news was always renowned for its reliability and trustworthiness. What was published by Pulman's journalists could be considered as being true.

What people may not know is that George Pulman was also a lifelong committed Christian who worshipped regularly at his local town church in Axminster, Devon.

To help rouse local attendance, George would enthusiastically play the church organ on a Sunday morning. There he went on to meet and marry his young wife, who was likewise drawn to become a regular member of the same Axminster congregation.

Throughout his life he believed in the importance of building community: through Church, rural life and local news. He always upheld values of truth and helped give voice to many West Country causes and concerns that might otherwise have been cast aside and forgotten.

Journalism was a task that required the utmost responsibility and was a profession treated with great respect.

So in today's era of fake news and political propaganda, perhaps it is time to remember the values of one of the news media's earliest pioneers.

A man of faith who built a regional media empire in the wake of the industrial revolution which lasted through multiple generations.

The 'Pulman's Award' and bursary continues to uphold the same values of George Pulman and is open for nominations throughout the year.

George Philip Rigney Pulman: 1819 - 1880