I'm coming in kind of late to this thread, but Market Basket is a local grocery chain in my area that contracts with local growers for some of the fruits and vegetables they sell in their stores. What I recall seeing there that was locally produced is okra, butterbeans, corn, peas. They sell local honey, also. I've heard they also sell locally grown citrus. Market Basket has 34 stores in east Texas and Louisiana. I don't know what it takes to get a contract with them, but it might be worth checking into. A prime opportunity would be for someone who has something special, or something that isn't a commercial commodity because of short shelf life or viability of shipping. Fresh figs would be a good example...they are delicate and don't last long enough to be shipped across the country, plus they can't be picked before they are ripe.
I looked into our local farmers' market. Our orchard is young, but we are going to have some specialty items, mostly for our own use, but it would be nice to make some income from the excess. Things aren't as simple as they used to be! Depending on what you are selling or providing, different types of licenses are required. Your area may have completely different restrictions from mine, but as an example...growers' license, nursery/floral license, food handlers license, commerical kitchen, mobile vending license, etc. My understanding of the local farmers market is that ungraded eggs, whole fruits and vegetables, and in-shell pecans can be sold with no specialty licenses, except for your vendor's permit and fee. If you sell any baked goods or jams or jellies, you need a special license. You might need a grower's license or floral/nursery license if you are selling plants or flowers. I don't know the costs of these licenses or difficulty/hoops to obtain them. For example, from the Texas Department of Agriculture: "Who needs a Nursery Floral License? Any business that grows or distributes plants with the intent to sell in one or more permanent locations needs a Nursery Floral License for each location. Any business that grows or distributes plants with the intent to sell in temporary markets needs a Nursery Floral License and an Event Permit for each event."
I'm all for food safety and taking responsibility for handling food and food crops in a safe manner, but I get kind of cranky when I start thinking about how much control the Big Guys have over the Little People.
Jill
