Atbang Farm inCabayugan, Calape, Bohol a permaculture farm and wildlife preserve that also calls itself a food forest.
Now, she shares some marketing tips that have helped in her success.
Growing excellent crops and developing quality value-added products is just the first part of running a successful farm. To make money, the farmer has to make sure that they have a consistent clientele. This is where marketing comes in. “Marketing is very important to put across your products and services offered to the right customers or consumers and in return you will have the edge to succeed as a farm enterprise,” Efrenia Holt, Atbang Farm’s founder and owner.
Atbang Farm reaches their clients in different ways: “We join local farmers markets and trade fairs by private and government institutions. We have an online presence in social media and we’re planning to open our own website. We have advocates who resell and distribute our local products in their own communities and networks. We are grateful to be supported by friends who have patronized and shared our products through word-of-mouth,” Holt shared.
Social media, in particular, has been highly instrumental in exposing the farm to clients that Holt otherwise would not have been able to reach. She advises that farmers not take this for granted. “ majority of the population are using social media these days. People are shopping online and being seen on social media helps us find buyers for our products,” she added.
Holt, in her own words, shares five tips that have helped Atbang Farm find steady clients and make a name for itself in the region. These, she says, were learned from personal experiences in their day-to-day operations:
We are consistent in the quality of products that we create. Quality in terms of taste, process, and even the packaging, it has to be presented well. We advocate natural farming so we source and grow naturally and organically grown produce.
We have identified our niche target markets. We target consumers who are concerned of their health and well-being, environmentally conscious, farm owners. We also target avid durian addicts and chocolate enthusiasts. We have a special market in the UK who are Filipino families and friends that are based there and who crave for Filipino food and drinks that they miss.
Have good, reliable, and strategically located distributors. Take good care of the relationships you have with them.
Be present on digital platforms like social media. During this time, we are grateful for the opportunity to be able to share our story through webinars and that has allowed us to expand our market.
Last and most important, invest in the right people. We continue to grow and learn together as one team knowing that we have big dreams for the communities we support.