Embracing Channel Diversity in your Food Business
Have you ever noticed that some of the most interesting local food brands you discover at grocery stores often still have their weekend market tents up? That’s no accident! Many food businesses maintain their farmers’ market presence even after expanding into grocery stores—and for good reason. The real success story isn’t about leaving farmers’ markets behind, as if they’re just a stepping stone on the journey. It’s about keeping that valuable market presence while adding new sales channels to the mix.
Smart food entrepreneurs recognize that farmers markets and retail can thrive together, each channel strengthening the other. What if the most successful business owners are actually the ones who keep their market roots strong even as they branch out in new directions?
The Unique Power of Market Connections
Every food business has its own unique story, and understanding that story is key to sustainable growth. But it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day rush of production schedules and delivery logistics, forgetting the bigger picture of how you connect with customers.
There’s something magical that happens at a market stall that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else. It’s that moment when someone tastes your new product and their eyes light up. Or when a regular customer stops by not just to stock-up, but to tell you how your product has become part of their family tradition.
Take the story of a kombucha producer who had recently landed their first significant grocery deal. With limited staff and time, they were planning to step away from the farmers’ market circuit that had been their starting point. “We just don’t have the resources to do both,” they explained.
Months later, they found themselves reconsidering.
"We lost touch with what our customers actually wanted. By the time the sales reports showed a problem, we were already months behind market trends. We're heading back to the markets—not for the sales, but for the conversations."
This story highlights something we see repeatedly: market stalls offer unique advantages that complement—rather than compete with—other sales channels. The conversations that happen across your market table provide insights you simply can’t get from retail sales reports.
A Garden of Sales Channels
Think of your sales channels like a garden rather than a ladder. Each element brings something different to the table, and the healthiest gardens celebrate variety.
Your market stall is your research lab and relationship hub. It’s where you have face-to-face conversations with the people who love your products. It’s where someone can taste your new salsa recipe and immediately tell you, “Hmm, needs more lime.” That feedback loop is pure gold. Markets also offer those higher margins that can fund growth in other areas and create the kind of loyal fans who will follow you anywhere.
Your specialty retail partners help you reach people who might never visit a farmers’ market but still care deeply about quality and story. These shops often have passionate staff who become extensions of your own team, sharing your story almost as authentically as you would yourself.
Your online store lets distant fans stay connected to your brand, and maintains those healthy direct-sale margins while giving you valuable data about who’s buying what and when. This digital presence works in perfect harmony with your farmers market booth—creating a seamless experience where customers can discover you in person and then continue shopping online, or pre-order products for market pickup when life gets busy. It’s not just convenience—it’s relationship continuity that transforms occasional shoppers into loyal fans.
And yes, those grocery partnerships bring volume and stability that can transform your business. They create broader awareness that actually brings new customers to your other channels.
The beauty is—you don’t have to choose just one.
Finding Your Balance
So what does this look like in practice? Consider a family-run maple syrup operation in Northern Ontario. They maintain this exact approach—selling at select seasonal markets, specialty food shops, and several grocery stores.
"Our market stalls are our secret weapon," the owner explained. "It's where we get honest feedback, test new products, and build the kind of customer loyalty you simply can't buy with marketing dollars."
They’ve found that their farmers market conversations directly inform what products they develop next. Their specialty retail partners help them understand regional taste preferences. And their grocery presence gives them the volume that makes their production facility viable year-round.
“It’s not always easy juggling everything,” they shared, “but we’re much more stable because we don’t have all our eggs in one basket.”
The Art of Saying Both/And
This approach isn’t about doing everything—it’s about thoughtfully choosing the mix that works for your business. Maybe you scale back farmers markets from weekly to monthly as your retail presence grows. Perhaps you focus on just a few key specialty partners rather than trying to be in every shop. The key is thinking in terms of “both/and” rather than “either/or.”
Ask yourself:
- Which channels give me the most valuable customer insights?
- Which channels provide higher profit margins? Higher capacity?
- Where do I find the most joy in selling my products?
- How might each channel actually support and strengthen the others?
Remember: Your journey as a food producer isn’t about graduating from markets to “bigger and better” things—it’s about building connections between channels in ways that make your entire business stronger and more resilient.
