Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily and Mary Miller and Galvanek . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily and Mary , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?
Our community is so important to us! We love sharing our farming, expertise, harvesting and gathering advice, as well as grant information, and even family recipes with the customers at our summercamp and Farmers Market. Some of the most heartfelt moments we have shared have been during the memorial day parade and Halloween event this past year. We love getting dressed up and seeing the joy on the children’s faces when we are passing out seed packets and honey sticks!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Both Emily and Mary were born in northern Michigan into farming families. They have both been working since they’ve been walking. Any farm kid can relate to that! With a work ethic, that cannot make it the forest and farm team is taking action bringing local and nutritious food to the Wexford County and the surrounding areas. With the help of our community what started as a small nature school has grown into a school year program, summer, camp program, farmstand, local, farmers market, and so much more! Our team is dedicated to growing our farm and market, and anyone who needs us will be able to feel that through our passion and drive that is visible in everything we do.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
We are so lucky to have a farm, a market, and an educational program that work very well together. Families definitely need a way to get their kids outside learning and nature, as well as a place to buy a variety local goods from many different farms on the same day. All three of our businesses work in tandem with each other. When you come to the market, you get your groceries, but you also learn about a variety of opportunities to visit farms and take part in summer camps or workshops. Our vendors at our market are able to network together while selling their goods. This allows a greater education on other possible selling points, better ways of creating product or running their marketing etc.. being a part of our community means that you will receive help on many different levels from many different members of our community.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Keeping in touch with clients is very important! Our farmers market definitely helps with that. The Cadillac Farmers Market opens mid May and operates until about Halloween each year. Because our market is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 AM to 3 PM we have a lot of time to meet new clients and foster relationships with current clients. During the winter months we make sure to send updates biweekly letting everyone know what we have for sale and how they can find the vendors from our summer markets during winter markets and craft shows.
Contact Info:
- Website: Cadillacfarmersmarket.org
- Instagram: Cadillacfarmersmarket
- Facebook: Cadillac farmers market
Image Credits
Anthony slaughterhawk Alan Hubbell and Chere Elenbaas