Farm-To-Market: More Than A Product

As a Key Accounts Manager at Westfield Egg Farm, I frequently visit stores, distributors, and customers. My workflow naturally aligns with these trips, while many of my colleagues at the farm follow different routines that don’t easily support travel to the customer-facing side of our industry. Recently, I invited members of our Farm Team and Operations Team to join me for an educational, customer-facing experience.

We visited five key partnerships in and around Philadelphia, PA. It was a busy day that blended learning, responding to customer feedback in real-time, and providing insight into the market. We found opportunities to learn more about one another’s roles on the team. The day reminded me of something simple that’s all too easy to forget:

"The Farm-to-Market mindset applies to more than just the product: it encompasses the people."

By the end of the day, our team was traveling from the lively City of Brotherly Love to the more open Lancaster County, where the hens live and where we work. The drive gave us time to collaborate around ensuring excellence for the key accounts we had just visited. Other parts of the conversation flowed into what our team members learned or experienced from the customer-facing day together. Here are a few of their comments from the day:

“The variety of stores was eye-opening,”

• Jason Martin, Farm Team, pictured right

This comment sparked a discussion about how different stores serve a diverse customer base from various backgrounds. With that in mind, perhaps the saying 'Farm-to-Market' should be 'Farm-to-Markets', reflecting the many places that serve a diverse set of customers with our same quality eggs.

"When our producers see the finished product on the shelf, they better understand why we pour in all we do with the highest standards."

• Daniel Fox, farm team, pictured left

Daniel was enthusiastic about returning to our producers to share information about the finished premium product they are bringing to market shelves.

“It’s nice to see it all unboxed.”

• Tommy Karick, Finished Product Supervisor, pictured second from right

As a member of our Operations Team, Tommy typically sees the part of the Farm-to-Market journey that involves pallets, boxes, trucks, and cold temperatures to maintain freshness! He appreciated seeing another piece of the journey and observing, in real-time, how his work contributes to the customer-facing side of our industry.

Thomas Lambright, pictured second from the left, planned our route for the day. His role as a Customer Care Specialist is a key part of our Key Accounts Team. This wasn't new ground for him, and his experience working directly with customers helped guide our educational efforts for the day.

I was taking the photo, and next time maybe I will try to be in it! Or maybe the way the photo took shape is perfect in that it is another good reminder of what I all too easily forget.

The Farm-to-Market mindset is not only about the products I encounter, but it also encompasses the people I work with, and the team it takes to bring the Farm to the Market.