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Episode Summary
Farmer’s markets are a great way to get local food fresh from the farmers, but let’s face it—not everyone can spare the time to go to farmer’s markets every week. Well, what if there was a hub for local produce that’s open and operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?
In this episode of Carrot Cashflow, Bill Brinkerhoff of Argus Farmstop talks about their business model that not only stimulates their local food system, but also allows the farmers to set their prices, and also serves as a center for community-building.
Today’s Guest: Bill Brinkerhoff
Bill Brinkerhoff is the owner and co-founder of Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After seeing the challenges of the local food system, he, his wife, and a third partner decided they wanted to address the issue and bridge the gap between local farmers and customers who wanted local food. Argus Farm Stop has since been a place not just for getting a local food fix, but also a center for community building.
Relevant Links
Argus Farm Stop – Website | Instagram | Facebook
In this episode of Carrot Cashflow
- Diego introduces the episode’s guest, Bill Brinkerhoff (00:37)
- The resounding Why behind starting the Argus Farm stop (01:50)
- Why don’t we see more local food shops? (03:23)
- How much goes back to the farmer? (04:59)
- Is a local food shop model conducive to making a livelihood? (06:02)
- Argus Farm stop’s breakdown of customers and converting customers into locavores (07:31)
- Success based on a heightened experience (11:09)
- A shopping experience where everyone is welcome (14:40)
- The different logistics of a farm stop (17:32)
- What Argus Farm stop does to maximize customer experience (19:26)
- The signage balance: just the right amount of information (22:07)
- Filling the shelves with local food (24:25)
- Argus Farm stop’s consignment model (29:02)
- Improved food waste with going local (30:29)
- Some initial reservations as a storeowner (32:33)
- The catalyst to offering local produce online (34:10)
- The additional work that comes with selling goods online (39:54)
- Managing the images and descriptions for the online store (43:31)
- Going beyond selling: Argus Farm stop as a center for building community (44:47)
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