89: How To Turn Peaches Into Profits, with Shannon Houchin
"This is the craziest ATM machine!” That’s how a friend described his roadside peach stand to today’s guest, Shannon Houchin. She was skeptical. Wouldn't you be? Wanting to see it firsthand, Shannon travelled to see her...
"This is the craziest ATM machine!”
That’s how a friend described his roadside peach stand to today’s guest, Shannon Houchin.
She was skeptical. Wouldn't you be?
Wanting to see it firsthand, Shannon travelled to see her friend and learn all that she could about the roadside peach stand business.
After that one summer, she went home and built her own "ATM.”
That was 10 years ago. Shannon has fine tuned her operation and earns a solid 6-figure net income per season from her produce stands.
It’s a pretty simple business to learn, and Shannon says you can get up and running for as little as $200 dollars in peaches.
Listen in to hear;
- tips for sourcing the fruit, and the key questions to ask,
- pricing considerations,
- finding the best location,
- how she sets up the displays for maximum sales,
- the importance of becoming part of the fabric of the community, and
- clear, actionable success tips for your roadside stand.
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What you’ll hear:
03:50 I want to spend my time doing what I want, when I want
04:36 “This is the craziest ATM”
06:20 built up to 100 peach stands in 3 states during her first summer
09:25 ramping up hyper-local marketing to differentiate and add value
13:26 operating semi-permanent locations, farmer’s markets, and “pop-ups”
15:32 set up at Michael’s HQ on Earth Day
16:31 going to where the customer is
17:21 you can sell just on the weekend - start with $200
19:39 location fees can be very reasonable
20:02 you need a tent - relief from the sun and weather
20:18 market managers can be a good source of information
21:48 Facebook Events to find events where you can set up your stand
22:56 convenience stores great to co-locate with, here’s why
24:55 location rent can be as low as $25 for the day
26:30 80% of her sales are impulse buys - use flags, signage to get attention
29:06 how to source peaches
29:30 Produce Marketers Association’s guide to growers, brokers, wholesalers, producers
33:22 tips on pricing your peaches
35:00 Shannon’s selling prices are about 25%-50% higher than the grocery stores
36:00 why Shannon doesn’t offer free samples
38:04 if retailing for $15, your cost should be under $7
38:16 costs include liability insurance, transportation to pick up peaches, labour
40:07 when she started accepting credit cards, sales went up 40%!
40:51 what to do with leftover peaches - sell to ice-cream and jam makers including households
42:49 honey, canned goods, potted plants, can be good add-on’s to your roadside stands
44:12 Shannon now earns $150,000 - $200,000 net profit with 2 permanent stands and 15 pop-ups per week over a season (about 6 months)
46:09 how she differentiates her stands - tapping into nostalgia
47:50 you don’t have to be an expert in peaches or produce
49:30 it is hard work, but the money is worth it
52:02 Shannon’s best tip
Takeaway
53:10 some advantages of the roadside stand business
53:52 don’t underestimate the power of how you display your product/service
Produce Marketing Associations:
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