It is quite a challenge for producers to match supply with demand in the independent food retailing sector, says Catherine Broomfield of marketing group Cornwall Quality Livestock Producers.
You would think that in a market where both demand and supply are strong, trade inevitably must flourish. However, ensuring there is enough supply to satisfy demand is easier said than done.
Over the past decade there has been a terrific resurgence of interest in West Country meat and the product now carries considerable cachet.
However, while many independent butchers and specialist food retailers know that West Country premium meat is good for business, they don’t always find it easy to source. The first problem they have is finding each other. Big players are easy to identify, but if you want to find the specialist outlets that really want your specialist product, it’s a bit like the proverbial needle in a haystack.
The second problem is continuity of supply. The best quality red meat, particularly beef, takes time to produce. Buying from one producer inevitably leads to gaps in supply. Achieving links with several producers may overcome that problem but causes other issues with logistics and admin. These problems too often thwart what would otherwise be very fruitful business relations.
So what can be done to resolve the problem? Well, as any self-respecting billy goat gruff will tell you, when you want to reach the other side simply find a bridge. CQLP is a livestock group with more than 300 farmer members based in the West Country, primarily Devon and Cornwall.
Many of its members are family farms producing just the kind of quality product that niche food retailers are seeking. We are now embarking on a new national initiative to link independent buyers with West Country producers.
Suddenly things look easier. If a specialist butcher in Berkshire can make one phone call to link into a supply chain comprising several hundred livestock producers, then sourcing, continuity of supply, and administration become achievable. This is not simply buying from a wholesaler, it is accessing the producing farm directly. It’s a lot less bother than, well, doing it any other way and another example of how the independent sector can score success over the big multiples by working together and working smart.
By going the extra mile to offer something distinctive and better, initiatives such as this may just prove to be the bridge that the independents need to get to where the grass is greener.
You would think that in a market where both demand and supply are strong, trade inevitably must flourish. However, ensuring there is enough supply to satisfy demand is easier said than done.
Over the past decade there has been a terrific resurgence of interest in West Country meat and the product now carries considerable cachet.
However, while many independent butchers and specialist food retailers know that West Country premium meat is good for business, they don’t always find it easy to source. The first problem they have is finding each other. Big players are easy to identify, but if you want to find the specialist outlets that really want your specialist product, it’s a bit like the proverbial needle in a haystack.
The second problem is continuity of supply. The best quality red meat, particularly beef, takes time to produce. Buying from one producer inevitably leads to gaps in supply. Achieving links with several producers may overcome that problem but causes other issues with logistics and admin. These problems too often thwart what would otherwise be very fruitful business relations.
So what can be done to resolve the problem? Well, as any self-respecting billy goat gruff will tell you, when you want to reach the other side simply find a bridge. CQLP is a livestock group with more than 300 farmer members based in the West Country, primarily Devon and Cornwall.
Many of its members are family farms producing just the kind of quality product that niche food retailers are seeking. We are now embarking on a new national initiative to link independent buyers with West Country producers.
Suddenly things look easier. If a specialist butcher in Berkshire can make one phone call to link into a supply chain comprising several hundred livestock producers, then sourcing, continuity of supply, and administration become achievable. This is not simply buying from a wholesaler, it is accessing the producing farm directly. It’s a lot less bother than, well, doing it any other way and another example of how the independent sector can score success over the big multiples by working together and working smart.
By going the extra mile to offer something distinctive and better, initiatives such as this may just prove to be the bridge that the independents need to get to where the grass is greener.
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