Ian Farmer is now a farm boy. After 20 years and more in the energy industry as the operations manager at Industrial Plant Services Ltd (IPSL), Farmer decided to live up to his lifetime passion by getting involved in the agriculture industry. Ironically nicknamed "farm boy" before by his peers, Farmer has embarked on an innovative business concept to sell fresh fruits and vegetables through an online service. The family-run business, called Farmboy Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (FFV), is aimed at re-introducing the three Cs to the local market: convenience, courtesy and cost effectiveness. Taking advantage of technology constantly evolving and consumers looking for easier ways to manage their time, Farmer said the company delivers vegetables to customers' door within 24 hours. Farmer, who still works at IPSL, said it can be challenging at times juggling the two responsibilities but, with the help of his two sons, he's managing.
He said his experience in the international energy sector has taught him the importance of consistently delivering a quality product on time. FFV opened for business just a month ago. Apart from Farmer, his wife and two sons are the only other employees. He's hoping to hire staff by year's end as his customer base grows. The business is showing great potential, Farmer said. His initial target markets were small restaurants and working women, all of whom have been accessing FFV's services. Farmer said he was pleasantly surprised to discover another type of customer who have utilised his online service: retirees.
So far Farmer said his operations are within Port-of-Spain and environs. Produce, which include sweet potatoes, eddoes, patchoi, broccoli, soursop, ground provision, sapodilla, barbadine and melon, is distributed from a building Farmer owns at Piccadilly Street in Port-of-Spain. He said the average family spends $200 a week, retirees $130 a week, and small restaurants order about $4,000 worth of produce.
Farmer is currently in negotiations with large hotels which are interested in ordering from FFV.
Elements of success
Starting the business cost Farmer and his family $450,000. He hopes to achieve gross sales of $1 million by the end of the year. Farmer has learnt that it's costly to stock up on too much produce as they are perishables. He has since implemented an effective ordering and supply system that minimises wastage. Farmer said the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation and the T&T Agribusiness Association provided the necessary information and guidance to launch the business.
Market access
Another important aspect of the business Farmer prides himself on is being able to provide greater market access to farmers, who are located as far south from Moruga to Plum Mitan in the east.
Becoming an agricultural entrepreneur was also inspired by Farmer's fond memories of spending time with his father, who was an area manager at a sugar plantation. He explained that many farmers said their key problem is the inability to get their produce to consumers. He wants to encourage farmers to expand their range of crops by adding to their traditional crops, which would ensure growth and sustainability of the food chain. Farmer has also engaged suppliers from Caricom countries, including Grenada and St Lucia, in a bid to offer his customers more variety and create an edge over supermarkets. He said widening farmers' supply chain would also cushion them against risks, such as flooding.
Contact information for FFV: www.farmboytt.com; info@farmboytt.com 868-761-3063; 868-299-4454