One of my restaurants said they would prefer a online ordering system as opposed to email or text. Does anyone use a platform that they like?
I used to use my web CMS platform (jimdo.com) to let people do wholesale orders. It wasn’t exactly built for that purpose, but it worked well enough. However, if you want to manage inventory and not have people order produce you don’t have, then a more dedicated solution might be better. Maybe check if Farmigo (www.farmigo.com) might suit your needs?
I use bioLinks for our online meat ordering… it could work for produce. (I’m guessing you’re selling produce)
Graze Cart might be a good option. https://grazecart.com/about I use farmigo and I’d say it’s NOT great for managing wholesale (and the rates are pretty high unless you’re grossing >$7500/mth. Graze Cart lets you set retail and wholesale prices for each item and them customers only see the appropriate price for them.
Also, there’s Open Food Network https://openfoodnetwork.org/producers/ which is just being launched - developed by some within our membership.
Hi,
This is my first post and I am new to the farming world!
I have been looking at using a new service based out of KW called Local Line.
https://www.localline.ca/local-sell
They are a startup, but have been getting lots of attention and a few awards.
Not sure about pricing.
If someone checks it out could you post an update?
Cheers
Hi - I’m the person who is volunteering to launch Open Food Network in Canada. This is a not-for-profit that understands how technology can enable (or not) food sovereignty. We work with sister organizations around the world to develop, code and share, open-source (non proprietary) digital technology that can help sustainable food firms and farms to link together and scale up for greater impact. You can read about the project and our values here - https://www.openfoodnetwork.org . In 2017 we launched a beta version of an e-commerce/logistics platform in CAnada. 3 hubs and 2 farms tested this hub and made some recommendations. We have now made those modifications (thanks to Greenbelt and Libro Credit Union) and the updated platform is now available at: https://www.openfoodnetwork.ca Feel free to try it out. At the moment, I"m struggling a bit to keep up with the interest in the platform frankly. (I’m also a farmer - so you know the multi-tasking story). If there is interest - I’d be very happy to do a demo on-line with a group of EFAO members. The platform is very robust - does LOTS of things. BUT the downside to that is that it can be challenging to learn. If you register (button at top of homepage) - you’ll get access to a really detailed user guide to help you. I"m just an email away - info@openfoodnetwork.ca - and currently recruiting a group of on-boarders/traininers to work with me.
Because we are not-for-profit, our fees are lower — profiles without sales are free. anyone selling under $500/mo is free. Over $500/mo - we ask for a contribution of 2% of sales to support our tech commons. BUT we cap this at $100/mo - most you’ll ever pay. You can set yourself up for free (user guide and emails to me) or - we’ll do a set up for you - $500-$600 for most farms; $1200 - $1500 for complex hubs/aggregators. That is a one-time fee that includes setup to your business model, testing, and training (and hand holding through your first month or so).
sorry - not trying to ‘sell’ anything (we are not a platform company) Any of the platforms mentioned above could be perfect to meet your needs. I’m just letting you know there are values-based tech options evolving. (And yes, it will handle on-line restaurant ordering as you ask - simultaneous with any other forms of online sales)
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i use email/text/phone with each restaurant…noting fancy but gets my veggies to their chef every time.
We use Local Line and worked with them to create our online farmer’s market this season. While our farm’s store has worked perfectly, our initiative to create an online market with 4 different farms supplying it, while creating a seamless customer experience (for ordering and checkout) was not without some glitches. I only mention this as 1) we were/are forging new ground and 2) the folks at Local Line have been fantastic in working with us and our many requests for getting things the way we want. Check out our farm’s store at www.kiplingridge.ca and you can also search for our online market with 3 other farms (all EFAO members) - it is called Click Fork) to get a better idea of how that looks with multiple different farms!
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