Why did you take part in Wake Up To Organic 2018?
All the produce on our market stall is from organic growers so naturally we were enthusiastic to take part in a nationwide event promoting organic food, which we believe is the healthiest way to grow and eat – both for ourselves and for the earth.
And as a fairly new venture, we also hoped that taking part in Wake Up To Organic would boost our organic profile and help more local people find out about the stall.
What did you get out of it?
We got to showcase some of our lovely organic fruit and vegetables and hopefully inspired our visitors with ideas of how to include more fresh organic produce in their breakfasts, whether sweet or savoury. After all the preparation it was great to see so many happy, interested customers.
What did you do on the day?
We set up a gazebo next to our market stall with tables and chairs, and a passionate-about-organic customer kindly offered to run a ‘mini breakfast sample café’. As well as offering items from the sample boxes, we took lots of our own fresh produce and got cooking! The oats and seeds provided were made into a big bowl of ‘overnight oats’; we created fruit salad with seasonal fruits and cucumber, served with the oats and/or organic yoghurt; smashed avocado to serve with the oatcakes; and made different frittatas (with organic eggs), which we thought would be a great brunch idea. There was a big pot of herbal tea made using the samples plus cold drinks to try.
Was it a success?
Folk were drawn by the gazebo on their way past, or extended their shopping visit to try some of the goodies on offer. The ‘café’ was busy all morning with a jolly atmosphere. People were really interested in what went into the breakfasts, and were clearly enjoying trying some new foods – many ‘yums' were heard!
For ourselves and some of our regular customers, the event served as a positive reminder about why we choose to sell/buy organic food and the importance of supporting organic farming. So yes – a successful and enjoyable day all round.
What was a highlight of the day?
For me, taking a little time off the market stall to sit down and chat to customers/potential customers about healthy eating and swap some recipe ideas (while sampling the strangely delicious pine & berry drink!).
We really appreciated Annie from Organic UK popping by to visit us – a nice surprise that reminded us we were part of a larger happening across the country.
How did you market it?
The Wake Up To Organic crib sheet and promotional material were really useful. We let people know about the event via Facebook and other social media outlets, made an A-board for the stall, provided flyers and made sure we told our existing customers about what was happening.
Do you have any great ideas for your Wake Up To Organic event next year?
Another ‘organic mini breakfast café’ is likely! Now we know what to expect, we are inspired to expand and promote our event more next time. And hopefully next year we will have more produce from our own organic market garden that we can transform into delicious breakfast fare.
We would also like to have more information about organic farming/gardening in relation to the environment available to people coming by on the day.