From: Shonie Schlotzhauer [mailto:shonie@sconnect.org]
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 3:00 PM
To: shonie@sconnect.org
Subject: FARM FINDER listing time!
Hello Whatcom food & agricultural producers,
It’s the season to update the Whatcom Food & Farm Finder (formerly known as the Farm Map). The Finder is THE comprehensive guide to local food in Whatcom Co, listing all the places for Whatcom consumers and visitors to find the best and freshest food & agricultural products the county has to offer. The 132 businesses listed in 2009 included:
● farms & ranches
● local processors
● fishers
● dairies
● nurseries
● restaurants
● cafés
● caterers
● grocery stores
● farmers markets
● and more!
Businesses listed in 2009 reported an average estimate of 29 new customers generated by the Food & Farm Finder, with each spending an average of about $95 throughout the year, for an average of $2755 per business. We can’t guarantee these results, but participants are telling us that this publication WORKS!
30,000 copies will be distributed to over 200 locations throughout the County and beyond throughout the year.
Listings are $65 for Whatcom Farm Friends & Sustainable Connections members (information about membership at the very bottom of this email), and $105 for non-members. If you reply to this email requesting to be listed, we will send you an invoice.
TO BE LISTED:
1) REPLY to shonie@sconnect.org by February 12th and fill out the following questions carefully, responding fully to each prompt that appears in orange.
2) pay your invoice when it arrives
And that’s all!
Many thanks from the Food & Farm Finder production team,
Laura Leigh Ridenour, Eva Agudelo and Shonie Schlotzhauer, Sustainable Connections
Cheryl DeHaan, Whatcom Farm Friends
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DEADLINE FOR LISTINGS & ADS: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12TH
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If you would like to refer to the 2009 Food & Farm Finder to create your listing, you can download it HERE.
CATEGORY
Businesses in the Food & Farm Finder are grouped by category. You will have a full listing in your primary category, and if applicable, an abbreviated listing in your secondary category. (If you would like to purchase a full listing in a second category, you may do so for half the cost of your first listing—just let us know.) Here are the producer categories to choose from:
● Vegetables, Herbs & Mushrooms
● Fruit, Berries & Nuts
● Dairy & Eggs
● Meat & Seafood
● Trees, Flowers & Garden
● Locally-Crafted Products
YOUR PRIMARY CATEGORY:
SECONDARY CATEGORY (if needed):
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DESCRIPTION
Now, this is how your listing will read. Feel free to leave out any information from your entry if you don’t want to share it, i.e. address, email, owner names etc. Your business description is important. Make sure it’s accurate while keeping it at 60 words or less. We reserve the right to edit for length. Be sure to let people know if you do not want visitors.
YOUR BUSINESS NAME:
OWNERS:
ADDRESS:
PHONE NUMBER:
EMAIL:
WEBSITE:
DESCRIPTION (up to 60 words):
_________________________________________________________________
SALES METHODS
Tell readers how to find your products. Below is the full list of sales methods we recognize. Please tell us which methods your business uses:
● Farmers Markets
● Farm Stand
● Dock-Side
● Community Supported Agriculture shares
● U-Pick
● Phone Orders
● Restaurants & Retailers
● Website Orders
● Agritourism
YOUR SALES METHODS:
__________________________________________________________________
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES & CERTIFICATIONS
We give special recognition to businesses that are going the extra mile for the health of our community. Below is the full list of sustainable practices we recognize with icons appearing alongside business listings. Please tell us which practices/certifications apply to your business (and contact us with any questions about participation in these programs):
● Toward Zero Waste
● Food Alliance Certified
● USDA Certified Organic
● Salmon Safe Certified
● Green Power Purchaser
● Watershed Business Pledge
● Smart Trips Program Participant
● Community Energy Challenge Participant
YOUR SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES/CERTIFICATIONS:
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MAP LOCATOR DOT
PHYSICAL Address to use to locate your dot on the map:
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FOOD & AG EVENT CALENDAR
Do you have a food or agriculture-related event you want considered for listing in the Food & Farm Finder’s Event Calendar? Just tell us the date and title of the event.
Event to list:
Date:
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ADVERTISEMENTS
Are you interested in running an ad in the Food & Farm Finder? Food & Farm Finder ad space is a great deal for marketing, and targeted towards exactly the people who are interested in your business. Consider that we will print 30,000 copies in 2009, and they will be in use all year long! (Comparable ad space in the Cascadia Weekly is $172 for just one week and 20,000 copies, while a similar ad in the Bellingham Herald is $178 for a single day.)
$300 = 1.75 x 3.5 inch space (business card size)
$500 = 3.5 x 3.5 inch space (double business card)
$750 = 3.5 x 8.5 inch space (full page)
Specifications: single-color (black & white) digital file in high-resolution .eps, .jpg, .pdf, or .tif
Press-ready, digital ads are due to shonie@sconnect.org by Friday February 12th. We can also create an ad for you for an additional $100 design fee based on your business info or a business card.
WILL YOU RUN AN ADVERTISEMENT? IF SO, WHAT SIZE?
DO YOU NEED DESIGN ASSISTANCE?
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SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS MEMBERSHIP
Sustainable Connections is a member organization of nearly 700 locally-owned businesses. It’s more important than ever for our community to “think local first,” and our members tell us that they value their membership in SC more than ever. There are currently 83 food & ag producers in our membership. Please join us!
We are offering farm members joining or renewing in January or February a 20% discount on your membership! (The cost of membership varies according to business size, visit http://sustainableconnections.org/membership/application/ or contact us for more information.)
There are many benefits to becoming an SC member, including steep discounts on your Farm Finder listing and many other events and services. You can see a few more member benefits here: http://sconnect.org/membership/benefits, or contact us directly for more information or to join. We are also happy to arrange a payment schedule if that would be helpful to you.
WOULD YOU LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MEMBERSHIP?
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FEEDBACK
Any feedback on the 2009 Food & Farm Finder or input for the 2010 version that you’d like us to take into consideration?
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THANK YOU for your careful attention, and we hope you have a smooth & successful 2010 season! Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with any questions, shonie@sconnect.org or (360) 647-7093 x130.
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Shonie Schlotzhauer
Sustainable Connections Development Assistant
360.647.7093 x130
www.sustainableconnections.org
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