My First Market Stall
A couple of weeks ago my company - Tastes From Around New Zealand, took a stall out at the Pine Harbour Fresh Market. My first experience at doing this, but I thought it would give consumers the opportunity to taste some of the lovely products I have online and for me to profile and market my website business to people that obviously enjoy good food.
Well did I pick a great market to start off with. The Pine Harbour Fresh Market is Auckland’s Newest French-style Market for foodlovers. It’s right by the Marina in a lovely grassed & tree-lined area, with the boats and harbour as a backdrop. Vendors are provided with covered stalls with lovely black & white striped canopies, display baskets & boxes and pricing black-boards (very French). The atmosphere, encouraged by the French music playing throughout the 4 hours the market operates, was very relaxing and tranquil. Great for the locals out at Whitford, Beachlands and Maraetai and an enjoyable ferry ride from Auckland City or a lovely drive from neighbouring areas of Clevedon, Brookby, Howick, Bucklands Beach or Pakuranga.
The range of food was great – at my stall I had brought along a selection of oils, chocolates, nuts & chutneys to try, as well as lots of other products to buy. Other vendors were selling products like pies, French cheeses, salamis, French deli foods, breads, pastries, sushi, crepes, Cornish pasties, coffee, fudge, licorice, nuts, fresh pasta & sauces, wonderful heirloom vegetables, luscious fruit, sabores, seafood, eggs & poultry and lovely flowers to take home or enjoy there.
I concluded that it did pay to have products available for people to sample – so that they knew that when they got home and opened, for example a jar of chutney they had purchased, that they were not going to be disappointed because it didn’t live up to the anticipated taste. In fact one gentleman who purchased a jar of the Q Garden Date Chutney from me was very keen to point out that he didn’t even like dates, but loved this chutney.
Food shopping can definitely be fun and combined with a relaxed and friendly approach – it can be a very satisfying experience. Life’s too short to eat boring food!
By Karen Pervan
www.tastesfromaroundnz.co.nz