Local food has more to do than just geography. Local food can evoke freshness, unique flavour, quality, or special know-how. Eating local food can also generate a sense of pride. As a business, these facets of local food can greatly help a business develop its brand.
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) recommends four ways to engage consumers and boost sales as a local business.
1. Define what local means for your organization. Every business should know what makes their products special, be it ingredients, recipe, know-how, environment history, community, etc. Businesses then should be able to communicate this to their consumers.
2. Embrace the trend. Businesses that are successful at creating substantial value for their brand embrace concrete commitment, transparency, and authenticity. These trends need to be incorporated at the corporate level to truly create an organization of commitment.
3. Clarify the added value for your consumers. Generally, consumers eat local for the intangibles, not the price. To get a consumer to choose a local product over another that may be cheaper, businesses need to be able to communicate the value-added factors that come with its product. These may include exceptional freshness, low carbon footprint, or support for a local business.
4. Highlight the human factor. Consumers may feel a sense of belonging and attachment to a local brand and organization. By viewing customers as individuals rather than potential revenue streams, the extra mile will resonate with consumers and employees.
Being a local business goes far beyond the location. It may be challenging for some brands to truly by viewed as “local” in the eyes of the consumer but meeting the criteria above will certainly have its benefits.