After having been a social selling coach at Tricycle Europe for about two years, Amaury decided to change things around and find hard core social sellers in our world; small scale organic farmers. Amaury and his girlfriend Jasmijn will visit organic farmers in Europe to become better aware of what it takes to produce good and healthy food, and why we need to become more organic and respectful towards our planet. Amaury also realized that small scale farmers actually are 100% professional social sellers. They produce and sell locally, creating a direct 1-on-1 relationship with their customers, which of course increases their trustworthiness, as the customers now know the producers of what they eat. Amaury will write us a blog post per farmer visited, with a special focus on social selling, and will make in-depth interviews with the farmers (which you can find here).
The Flemish farm ‘PurFruit’
is a very good example of a social selling concept. The farm is literally open for the customer and their business is focused on fruits from perennials. They have a few hectares of land in between villages in the Flemish overbuilt landscape, which makes this farm easily accessible. As a customer, you can come and pick your own fruits at PurFruit’s farm; as much as you want! This gives the consumer a higher satisfaction because you contribute to a local farm and you can feel and see what you buy! The ‘pick your own fruit’ philosophy is based on a confidential bound between the producer and the consumer.
At ‘PurFruit’s’ farm, they welcome you with
a map of the farm and an overview of all the fruits they grow and where they can be found. A list of the fruit’s names is added. It gives the consumer the possibility to recognize all the available fruits. When you enter the farm, a chalkboard indicates which specific fruits you can pick this day and how much it costs per kilo. You are personally welcomed, which creates a stronger relationship as you can interact in a personal and more familiar way with the producer. This personal contact gives the consumer more confidence about the products they buy. ‘PurFruit’ creates a full experience of ‘buying’ by giving the consumer the opportunity to participate in their food chain.
A big part of our population lives in cities, which creates an alienation from nature. We don’t know any more how things come about before we buy them in the supermarket, by sort of speaking. Families go with their kids at ‘PurFruit’s’ farm and show them how things grow, how all these fruits look like and how they taste as they are not yet packed in a plastic bag. It’s a single chain selling concept and this creates the possibility to connect personally with the farmer and the products you buy. From the plant to your hand! Next to the social advantages, buying locally also has a big impact on our ecological footprint!
