There’s an important reason behind why Minifarms’ produce often changes in price week to week and varies from the prices you see in supermarkets.
Minifarms is dedicated to supporting local farmers. This means we pay them fairly and don’t do lock-in contracts.
We can achieve this thanks to Dom, from JD Providore, who has built strong relationships with local NSW farmers.
“Because of our growth over the past few years, I have had direct access to farmers who directly supply me straight from their farm,” Dom said.
Unlike the big supermarkets, Dom refuses to do lock-in contracts. The reason being, when prices are locked-in at a low amount, this doesn’t take into consideration the variables associated with farming.
Sometimes farmers are harvesting at a loss, and buying their produce at a low, locked-in price is unfair and leaves them out of pocket.
“The market goes on supply and demand, so with a lock-in contract, like the big boys do, the farmer is the one who loses all the time,” Dom said.
“I don’t agree with that. Without farmers, there’s no produce. They’ve got to be looked after.”
For example, lock-in contracts provide no leeway for unpredictable weather. Nature’s volatility can affect produce week to week, so paying the same low price for, let’s say, your cauliflower, before and after a major weather event, isn’t fair for the farmer.
“When farmers are being hit with a lot of rain, obviously there will be a lot of produce that has been rain affected,” Dom said.
“This means they don’t have as much good quality produce. So, for the good quality produce they do have, they deserved to be paid more.”
Therefore, Dom will pay the farmers what their produce is worth at the time – we call it live pricing. Live pricing directly affects how much you pay at checkout – if you notice a variation in cost, it’s simply because, behind the scenes, Dom is paying the farmer fairly.
So, next time you notice a difference in price, just know that the money leaving your pocket is directly benefiting the farmer!
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