REKO Markets are the way to sell!

Close-up car trunk with fresh ripe organic vegetables and berries brought for REKO Market delivery.

I have to say that since the COVID-19 restrictions went into place and restaurants and farmer’s markets were shut down, there has been a scramble to reconnect farmers to markets. And this, at a time when farmers were stuck with perishable foods while the masses began to recognize the need to eat more healthily.

There have been large numbers of groups and organizations out there struggling to pull together the resources for farmers, from the USDA, Extension, State agencies like VDACS here in Virginia to more localized organizations such as the VA Farmer’s Market Association (VAFMA) and the Virginia Association of Biological Farming (VABF). These resources run the gambit from paid to free on-line markets and eCommerce solutions. But, what very few have mentioned in the US, and no-one yet in Virginia, is the possibility of cashing in with the European sales model called REKO Rings or Markets. The Virginia Association of Biological Farming is changing that. They have pulled together a lot of resources on this which are listed at the bottom of this article.

BENEFITS:

• It’s Facebook. Using this system immediately plugs in each farmer’s social following.
• It pools all of the producer’s social followings together so everyone benefits by more exposure
• Payment is easy and flexible. Farmers use whatever payment system they are already using.
• There are ZERO additional fees.
• No complicated e-commerce site or inventory management system is needed. Just provide a list once a week with that week’s available products.
• Dropoff takes no more than an hour.
• All sales are pre-paid prior to delivery.

CHECK IT OUT!

• VABF Information page
• VABF startup group on FB
• REKO signup form for farmers/producers