Commercial Fresh Culinary Herb Production for the Restaurant Market
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Dean
Posted on: April 02, 2004
I visited your website today for the first time. Truly an amazing
site! I am considering commercial herb production and would
appreciate any advice you may have. I have an agricultural background
(University of Guelph) in field crop production (corn, soybeans,
alfalfa, wheat and small grains), however I do not presently farm.
Rather, I am employed as a Technical Sales Representative. I work
with farmers giving recommendations on field crop production as well
as selling them seed, fertilizer, pesticides and associated services
such as Nutrient Management Planning and soil sampling.
I live near Stratford, Ontario (you may know of the Stratford Festival) and
have wondered about growing fresh culinary herbs for the higher end
restaurant market. Also, I am wondering about the possibility of growing
fresh culinary herbs in a greenhouse as opposed to in a field environment.
I am simply at the research stage and can use all the advice I can gather!
As you suggest at your website, I would be starting on a small scale. My
degree at Guelph is in Agricultural Business so I do understand the
importance of having a realistic marketing plan. Am I "nuts" to be
considering this idea?! If not, please give me your thoughts on how to
proceed from here. Thanks in advance for your help!
No, you are not "nuts" to consider the idea. There are successful fresh
herbs growers in Ontario. But there are some key points to consider
before you jump in.
I am sure that you have noticed that farming in general is a hard
business. It is no different in herbs, especially in recent years as
prices have come down from those in the 1990s. If possible, don't quit
your "day" job until your new business is established. Most commercial
herb farming businesses start small and grow from there. It is not so
much an issue of production as it is an issue of building your business
clientele: you can easily scale up to grow lots of culinary herbs but it
takes longer to build the customer base to take those herbs.
You will find that chefs in high-end restaurants like to work with
growers who can bring fresh herbs to their door. Organic herbs are
preferred usually. They will pay a premium for the freshest, highest
quality herbs and if you can deliver that consistently they will stay
with you.
Although there is a market for seasonal herbs, i.e., field-grown herbs
harvested April through to the killing frosts in October, restaurants
prefer a reliable year-round source. One source is much easier for them
to manage than many sources. So this puts pressure on fresh herb
growers to find ways to fill the production gaps. Some growers import
fresh herbs seasonally while others choose to grow herbs in greenhouses.
There are significant pros and cons to each strategy. I find that most
growers prefer the latter route because it gives them more control over
their quality; but obviously the cost of building and running
greenhouses alters the bottom line considerably. And growing in
greenhouses is very different from growing outdoors. Growing in the
field is often easier than growing in greenhouses.
A diversity of offerings is important. Having only basil and chives and
not rosemary, arugula, oregano and tarragon (for example), makes it much
harder to get your foot in the door. Probably, you will find that chefs
will want some greens and some vegetables from you also, so you need to
think about how far you can stretch yourself. Herbs, greens and
vegetables mostly have very different production cycles so your project
depends very much on how well you can juggle your resources. High end
restaurants frequently want exotic items that can take a lot of effort
to find and learn how to produce.
I highly recommend Sandie Shores' book "Growing and Selling Fresh Herbs"
(http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=XB4075). She
is a long-time fresh herbs grower based in the northern U.S. Sandie
Shores spoke at the Third Richters Commercial Herb Growing Conference in
1998 and her remarks have been transcribed and published in the
conference proceedings
(http://mail/richters/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=XB7102). David
Cohlmeyer, a successful fresh herbs and vegetable grower for the
Toronto-area high end market, spoke at our first conference and he has
some very helpful things to say about his experiences, particularly
about marketing
(http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=XB7100).
For your research, look at the online resources we provide in "The
GrowerZone" section of our website. In particular, you will want to
follow the links to the fresh market prices in both Canada and the U.S.
(but bear in mind that high-end certified organic product fetches a
premium, usually 20-25%, over conventional produce). Also, there is a
link to ATTRA's excellent paper on organic greenhouse production of
herbs (see the link "Greenhouse Herbs" under "Crop Production".
With determination and hard work a fresh herbs business can be very
successful. Will it make you rich? Not likely. But it is a very
satisfying profession for the right persons.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
|
|
