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Re: price structure






>>CSA is a reciprocal arrangement - yes, if its a good year shareholders
>>can make out like bandits.  You, on the other hand, knew upfront how
>>much money you were going to make and didn't have to worry about selling
>>whatever grew to a frequent fickle public.

Another good question/topic.  We based our price and quantity of vegetables
on the flyer of basically the nearest CSA to us.  However it is not so near
that we interfere with each other.  In fact we have heard of people in our
area who went and looked at it but it was too far.  Anyway their share is
$350.  Ours was $300 because we were in our first year "unknowns"  Quite
frankly its all well and good to talk about sharing the risk. We knew up
front if we had a crop failure we would probably have refunded the money, of
course its our first year and we have no loyal core group.  We had a few
individual crops that did only ok, cucumbers.  Some that did really well,
tomatoes, and peppers. A typical pick up for the last few weeks:
All the tomatoes you want
12 or more peppers
all the hot peppers you want (we're in New England, these weren't most
peoples favorite :)  )
10 lb at least of potatoes
3 onions
3 leeks
a bunch, 6 beets
2 ea summer and zucchini squash
1 lettuce
bunch swiss chard
1 egg plant
as much basil as you want
1 cabbage
strings beans as much as you want if you pick them most don't
this week only, 1 head broccoli
1 bunch flowers if you give me enough time before you show up to pick
them(this is my schedule problem I will correct for next year!) or I pick
while they are picking something else

I agree and disagree that we must realize that our customers are excepting
veggies they might not like, where as if they bought them at a farmers
market they'd get only what they want. They would also pay, if they went
every week way more for those veggies than a share price.  I think I also
believe the college course that showed the product priced the highest was
the most popular.  I am a major cheapskate so I am just beginning to realize
how much of the general public equates price with quality.  An article in a
past Newsweek called it something like "voluntary inflation" hence the
successful market for anything upscale.  Also in Newsweek a passing
reference to The Hamptons on Long Island mentioned produces that were 10
times more expensive than a normal grocery store.  Made me want to load up
the pick-up and sell my beautiful and sometimes under appreciated veggies
there.
Guess it just an age old problem of business and dealing with the public who
usually is ok.
Beth


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