The current supply chain is built to promote volume sales. The opportunities for producers to market their value-added agricultural products are few and far between. The only way to encourage the development of value-added agricultural products is by increasing their sales, profitability and consumption. The challenge in increasing consumption is lack of consumer awareness of local products and how to access them. Consumers are interested in buying value-added agricultural products, but they are usually not aware of their availability even if the producer is in the neighborhood. The challenge in marketing is not only to make the consumer aware of the product, but also its value-added proposition, in a manner that reaches a broader regional consumer base. Traditionally, producers of such products create their own marketing channels and use local marketing opportunities. However, the problem remains in reaching consumers and increasing traffic to their websites or to their outlets. Mapping the availability of these products, along with the relevant value-added information on a “modernized online platform”, where consumers visiting for other reasons can discover value-added products and engage directly with the producers will enhance their consumption and sales. Integration of social media channels will further create a helpful resource for consumers to share information and enhance consumption. Giving producers direct access to online tools where they can provide this relevant information broadly to their targeted consumers is critical. We built TerreLocal with this in mind. I hope we can make an impact in significantly improving producer to consumer connectivity without added burden to the producer.
