Starting a Local Organic Food Delivery Service

I am starting a local organic food delivery business. The idea and incentive is pretty basic and straight forward when you go to my site. The idea is "orgaincs and going green" and the incentive is, get the same price as the staore and delivered to your door for free(first time customers and all customers that order over $200)

Basically I have a deal set up with the owner of a popular store here in town and he said I could set up a stand just outside of his store so when customers are leaving they can come and check me out.

My only problem is I'm a young college student and have never done this kind of thing before. I am looking to spend at most 3-400 dollars on this stand set up.

I am going to have one of those long rectangular card tables set up with some sheeting around the bottom and top. Above the table I will have a big print out of my logo.(I went to kinkos and they said that would be around 50 bucks)

Now all that sounds dandy, right? But the part I am struggling with is the whole flyer part. Should I go cheap and get plain paper flyers, or should I go with the Glossy flyers? The glossy ones are way more expensive but I am sure they will look nicer. I don't have any good concept for making a flyer either, should I list some "popular organic products" and state my free delivery policy?

Should I not go with flyers but rather trifold brochures? Should I have nutritional information? This is where and why I'm stuck and I thought some of you people here might have some good advice as to what might work when marketing a flyer at a stand. All the traffic would be targetted, but I dont want to screw this up because my flyer looks like a piece of shit, you know?


This is my site if you guys want to look at it for reference
Thanks guys
~fattyjack

I've seen a similar service here in Melbourne but they did things a little different.

I'm not sure if this applies to you, but here in Melbourne we have a wholesale fruit and vegetable market where you can purchase good quality fruit & veg very cheap, which is where this guy sources his stuff.

To borrow a line from blow, you're doing all the legwork and getting fucked in the middle because at the end of the day, you're still paying retail.

Fruit shops etc already have a huge mark up. I'm not sure what sort of deal you have with the shop owner, but if it's possible for you, find out where he gets his stuff or drive a couple of hours once a week to a growers market and load up.

It's great you're going with the organic label but lets take it a step further. Include a flyer in your box of fruit/veg about how great organic food is and how it's better for the environment. You don't have to say you're food is organic, just that organic food is better!

Source some cheap straw, chuck line the base of a cardboard box and toss in your fruit/veg on top. Looks country farm style and those eco friendly people love that shit.

My girlfriend actually subscribed to a service like this too so it's bound to work. She's early 30's and had been paying a monthly fee for the fruit/veg service until i told her it was marked up by like 1000% and that i would get her fruit/veg from the markets when i went there instead.

I think the paid monthly option is better than charging per delivery. You get the money up front for the month, so you will have cash to source the products.

I don't know how much it costs, but maybe call a pamphlet distributor in your area and find out how much it would cost to do a drop with your supplied flyers. Maybe even a local newspaper insert.

I like the straw Idea at the bottom of the boxes and I like the Idea of buying from the source but right now I dont have enough customers to get wholesale just yet. That is why I am getting raped for now in hopes to build some capital and customers, and then I can buy wholesale. I like the pay mothly for delivery option, that is pretty cool but my delivery charge is only 6.50 if you buy 100 bucks worth of stuff, and then if you buy 150 the delivery fee GOES DOWN to 4.50. So its kind of an incentive to buy more product which is what I really want. Now Im trying to think of a good catchy design for my flyer that is simple and to the point. Anyone got any ideas based off my site:
Thanks
~fattyjack

Why not add the delivery fee into your price and just tell them it's free delivery. You get paid and they think they're getting something for nothing.

Hello Fattyjack

Congrats on your idea and your courage to Take Action!

Your question screams for the answer, "it depends...". *)

Seriously, would need more information as to exactly what you're delivering? Raw Milk, Free Range Chickens, Venison, Fruits, Vegetables, etc... None? All?

I'll make some assumptions and hopefully something will be of assistance.

*Go for full color 1/2 or 1/3 sheets on front
(Full page cut in half or into thirds)
*Policies and terms on the back in the form of a short and friendly note with your photo
(Note should explain what you're doing and why -- tell your story)
*Have photos of your most profitable items only which are currently in season
*You'll want a professional graphic designer/artist to do this for you -- don't do it yourself
(Will cost your about $20)
*Your letter should have a headline with your offer, subhead, explain offer and deadline


In addition to your flyer you will also want magnetic business cards so they can place on their refrigerator. Don't waste your money on just business cards. You need to go the extra mile and purchase the magnetic cards -- this goes on the refrigerator as a reminder to call and use your service.

I assume you're going to have a clipboard with a signup sheet for follow up and it will include their cellphone and email address along with permission to call or email them with reminders at least once a week?

If your contact is cooperative you might ask them to have their cashiers either drop your magnetic card into the grocery bag or have them handy for customers standing in line to pick them up and take them home. This way you get customers who may be too busy to stop at your stand but will go to your website instead.

Good luck!
Citadel Media Solutions

Did you have a freelancer create that site? Looks good man! Good Luck

Dynastic said:

Did you have a freelancer create that site? Looks good man! Good Luck

Click to expand...

Yep man, the site looks great - (..organic "videos",great! ..Hammy the Hamster )

Should I not go with flyers but rather trifold brochures? Should I have nutritional information? This is where and why I'm stuck and I thought some of you people here might have some good advice as to what might work when marketing a flyer at a stand. All the traffic would be targetted, but I dont want to screw this up because my flyer looks like a piece of shit, you know?

Click to expand...

Hey, you have a great website, a shopsystem, etc...why you want the burden of a "marketstand" ??

Just pick one of the hundreds of flyer-on-demand-companies to print you the flyers, then flyer locally or even pay people for door2door-sales (like the "ice-man"? ..frozen-foods) and do just your deliveries! It will spread the word fast between "tree-huggers"...!

As for the flyers situation, I think you know the deal... Would you rather use a generic picture that your AM gave you, or a customized pretty one that noones seen before? I mean obviously ones gonna take more time (money) but it's gonna be a lot more efficient.

EDIT: and if you do glossy, don't put them at random places, shoot for target markets. With shitty fliers, who cares just throw them in the air and wherever they land will be just fine

The "offer" is the most important part of any flyer. Look at it in terms of getting leads - people thay may buy from you month after month. Make your offer so good that your target market would be idiots not to at least try it.

Have a laptop and get them to sign up there

Best of luck, like I said...great lookin' site!
-Joe