The Rural Voice, 1995-09, Page 62a change and a simple fad. A fad is
something that doesn't make sense
(think of pet rocks), that is driven by
the product, not a real need. "You
have to make sure the trend is
something that makes sense, that it is
likely to appeal and that people will
buy it."
One trend, he said, is the fact that
our population is aging. There will be
opportunities from this trend, but
they will be defined by the nature of
the change. As people get older, for
instance, they become more
conservative, so if you're designing a
new food product geared to this
trend, don't be too radical. "You
have to define the needs and wants of
the target group," he said. There may
be opportunities, for instance, for
more ready-made meals delivered to
the home besides current
organizations like Meals on Wheels.
The trend to less animal fats in foods
would mean it probably isn't a good
idea to introduce a new product high
in animal fats.
But hitting a niche can make the
difference between success and
failure, Baxter said. He related the
story of a vegetable grower of
Japanese heritage in the Leamington
area. He wasn't doing well until he
began concentrating on growing
vegetables of special interest to
Japanese people. He figured he knew
what they wanted, knew their culture,
knew where they lived in significant
populations. He began delivering
directly to the Japanese population
centres in New York and Chicago by
truck, and business prospered.
"The best way to catch a trend
early is to keep your eyes open," he
said. Watch what's happening in
your local marketplace, walk through
supermarkets and look for new
products they're stocking and "if you
see something unusual, ac( dumb.
Ask 'does that stuff really
Check Statistics Canada figures
(remembering they're always two
years old) and tally to social service
agencies to ask about changes in the
population.
John Needham, case counsellor
with the Federal Business
Development Bank gave tips on
serving the hospitality industry.
58 THE RURAL VOICE
News/Advice
"Marketing (to this sector)," he said,
"is finding out what the customer
needs for his or her own product" and
asking what you have that they want.
Put it all on paper, he advised.
Make a market analysis, listing all
the potential customers, getting
names from sources such as chefs'
associations and restaurant
associations. Make a list of all your
competitors. You'll have to be price
competitive.
Test market your product. Don't
be afraid to give out samples and tell
chefs why your food is special. You
need to know as much about your
own product as possible. What can it
be used for? Are their other uses than
the obvious (vegetables might have
decorative uses in restaurants).
Generally you'll deal with the
chef at fine dining establishments, he
said. Chefs are well educated because
it takes years of training to become a
chef. Don't insult them by. trying to
educate them about your product. "If
they think there is something that you
know that they don't know, they'll
try to find out."
Never make the mistake of
ignoring or mistreating the kitchen
help, even the dishwasher or the
person mopping the floor, because
one day they may work their way up
to the chef's position.
Appearance means a lot, he said,
even the appearance of your delivery
vehicle. If you have a dirty, cluttered
vehicle and the chef sees it, it may
plant seeds of doubt about the quality
of your product.
Always use your name, address
and phone number when dealing with
a chef. They'll need that information
to reorder and if something should go
wrong and a food product you
supplied may have been involved,
they're required by law to know
where it came from. Use business
cards, order forms and invoices with
your name and address.
Have a product list of what you
have to offer. Let them know how
often you can deliver. Make sure they
know the payment terms. Do you
have a fax machine or answering
machine to take orders when you're
out? If someone is answering, have
you instructed them on how to
answer the phone in a professional
manner and what questions to ask the
customers?
Respect the customer's rules.
Many restaurants won't accept
deliveries between 11 a.m. and 2
p.m. because they're too busy with
lunch. Don't try to push that rule.
Honour your commitments and don't
promise things you can't deliver. Be
honest. If it's the end of the season
and your quality isn't up to the usual
tell them and apologise.
Bob Worsell of the Huron County
Health Unit gave information on
meeting the regulations for food
preparation. There are new rules
coming but they haven't been
approved yet, he said.
Sanitary food preparation is
important, he said, because every
year there are 2.2 million cases of
food poisoning, putting a huge
burden on the medical facilities of
the country.
While it is possible to produce
food for sale in your regular kitchen
it's better to create a kitchen work
area to call your own. "If you process
in your (family) kitchen,.you can't
control the environment." You may
not know what your children might
wash in the sink while your back is
turned.
A food preparation kitchen should
have smooth walls and ceiling and a
smooth floor using materials that are
water resistant and won't provide an
inviting environment for bacterial
growth. It should be equipped with
two sinks for dish washing, allowing
a three-step washing process. The
first sink is filled with water ad
detergent for washing. After the
dishes are washed they are rinsed
under the tap over the same sink. The
rinsed dishes are then put in the
second sink which contains water and
bleach to kill any remaining bacteria.
The dishes are then air dried.
There must be a separate hand -
washing sink. "You have to wash
you hands after you've handled raw
product or you can transfer bacteria
from one product to another,"
Worsell said. If you're working in the
home kitchen and have a lot of
distractions you may forget proper
hand washing and increase the