Good Practice - Project
Food truck funding supports short supply chain benefits for Polish farmers
Farmers and food producers formed an EIP Operational Group to establish their own short supply chain and reach a larger number of customers in the region.
General information
RDP Priority
- P3. Food chain and risk management
RDP Focus Area
- 3A: Agri-food chain integration & quality
RDP Measure
- M16: Cooperation
Beneficiary type
- Operational group
Summary
Several farmers and food processing businesses participated in this EIP AGRI project to sell their high-quality local food products to a larger number of customers. For this purpose, they jointly established, as partners, the limited liability company ‘Szlachetne Świętokrzyskie’. Using CAP support, they created the company’s website and an online store, bought a vehicle to be used for sales at tourist attractions, and purchased a self-propelled mower to be used on the farm of one of the partners.
Results
- The project created a new short-supply chain that distributes a wide variety of high-quality local food products and local specialities to a greater number of customers, including tourists.
- The products are sold through direct onsite sale by each of the partners, as well as via mobile sales from the company’s van; and through the company’s online store.
- The short-supply chain has helped to increase the income of all partners.
Promoter
Szlachetne Świętokrzyskie*
* The project promoter/beneficiary is an EIP-AGRI Operational Group
Funding
RDP support: 327 110 (PLN)
Ressourcen
Context
The Szlachetne Świętokrzyskie limited liability company was established to access cooperation funding support, through an EIP Operational Group (OG) comprising farmers and other CAP stakeholders from the Świętokrzyskie and Podkarpackie Voivodeships of southeastern Poland. The company partners include the Kurozwęki Horse Farm ltd., Andrew Popiel-Popiel Brothers ltd., the Aurore Strapart Brewery, and the three farms of Agnieszka Wierzbicka-Baxter and Gavin Baxter, Eleonora and Leopold Wierzbicki, and Stefan Dunin–Wąsowicz.
The CAP-funded OG sells locally produced food including fruit and vegetables, organic beef, pork, sheep, goat, horse and bison meat, as well as dairy products, wines and beer.
Objectives
The OG aim was to bring together farmers and legal entities to create a joint sales infrastructure for their high-quality food produce and to reach a greater number of customers. This cooperation aimed to increase potential customers to purchase the products thanks to three sales point models: direct sales by each partner; joint sales from a mobile shop truck; and an online store.
Activities
Project activities included:
- preparing a marketing plan that oversaw the creation of the short supply chain in the Świętokrzyskie and Podkarpackie Voivodeships.
- building and launching a website and an online store.
- purchasing a special shop/bar-type truck to be used as a mobile sales point at tourist attractions in the region.
- purchasing a self-propelled mower to be used at the farm of Stefan Dunin–Wąsowicz to enable a new line of currant jams to be added to the range of produce on sale via the group.
Main results
- The project created a new short supply chain that offers a wide variety of high-quality local products, including fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, etc.
- The mobile direct-sales outlet makes it possible to easily reach a larger group of customers, since it is a form of mobile advertising for the company and its products.
- The new supply chain helps to promote local specialities such as "Śliwka Szydłowska" (Szydłowska plum) chutney, meat products, local beer, wine, etc., to a greater number of local customers and tourists.
- The short supply chain has helped to increase the income of all partners.
Key lessons
- Thanks to the short supply chain, it was much easier to comply with legal requirements for establishing the new online store.
- These partners from the same region were already selling a limited quantity of their products to local stores, hotels, etc. By establishing this short supply chain, they were able to boost both sales and production thanks to the broader distribution network for their products that is now available to each of them.
This great idea for business development was very well received by customers who look forward to our modern Food Truck with regional products, especially in the summer when we sell a lot of plum ice cream and regional beer.
Customers also started visiting us more often in our stationary businesses and tourist attractions.