The Farmers' Market Pricing Decision
A small farm sells tomatoes at a farmers' market. Field tomatoes cost $2.40 per kg to grow, harvest and transport. Grade A tomatoes sell for $6.00 per kg; Grade B, which are slightly blemished but sound, sell for $3.50 per kg. About 30 % of each harvest is Grade B. A supermarket buyer offers to take all Grade B at $2.20 per kg, which is below cost. Alternatively, the farm could turn Grade B into passata, which needs 1.2 kg of tomatoes per 1 kg of passata, plus $1.80 per kg in processing, packaging and labelling. Passata sells for $7.50 per kg. The farm has limited labour and cannot do both at full scale.
1. Calculate and compare the contribution of each option for Grade B tomatoes, and recommend a course of action.
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Baseline. Grade B tomatoes cost $2.40 per kg to produce. Selling at market for $3.50 gives a contribution of $1.10 per kg.
Supermarket offer. $2.20 per kg against $2.40 cost gives a contribution of −$0.20 per kg. Selling all Grade B this way loses money on every kilogram, though it avoids waste and may build a relationship. It only makes sense if the alternative is dumping, which has zero revenue and the same cost.
Passata. One kg of passata needs 1.2 kg of tomatoes. Tomato cost = 1.2 × $2.40 = $2.88. Processing and packaging = $1.80. Total cost = $4.68 per kg. Selling price $7.50 gives a contribution of $2.82 per kg of passata. Per kg of raw tomato used, that is $2.82 ÷ 1.2 = $2.35 per kg - well above the $1.10 from market sales and far above the supermarket offer.
Recommendation. Passata gives the highest contribution per kg of raw tomato, so the farm should prioritise it, subject to two checks. First, capacity: labour is limited, so the farm should process only as much Grade B as it can handle and sell the rest at market for $3.50. Second, demand: passata must actually sell at $7.50; unsold bottles wipe out the margin. The supermarket offer should be declined unless the farm has surplus Grade B it cannot process or sell, and even then the loss per kg should be recognised as a waste-avoidance cost rather than a profit.
Caveat. This analysis ignores fixed costs, which do not change with the decision, and the value of the buyer relationship, which is a strategic rather than financial factor.
2. Discuss the non-financial factors the farm should weigh, including sustainability and consumer expectations.
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Waste reduction. Processing Grade B into passata uses tomatoes that might otherwise be dumped, which is a sustainability gain. Food waste carries an environmental cost through the resources used to grow it. The supermarket offer also reduces waste, but at a financial loss.
Energy and packaging. Passata needs cooking, bottling and labelling, which adds energy use and packaging waste. The farm should compare the environmental cost of processing against the benefit of avoided waste. Reusable or recyclable glass and local distribution reduce this burden.
Consumer expectations. Farmers' market customers often value freshness, local production and low processing. A passata range fits that story if it is honestly described as made from blemished but sound fruit. Customers may accept Grade B tomatoes sold at a discount as 'cooking tomatoes', which builds trust and avoids deception.
Reputation and relationships. Refusing the supermarket offer may close a future channel, but accepting a below-cost price can undermine the farm's pricing across all customers. The farm should be transparent about why it declined.
Labour and skills. Passata requires food-safety knowledge, recipe consistency and labelling compliance. If the farm lacks these, the financial case is weaker than it looks. Training and a food-safety plan are prerequisites.
Risk. Passata ties up money in stock and depends on sales. A mixed strategy - process some, sell some at market - spreads risk. The decision should balance contribution margin with resilience, environmental impact and the farm's values, not profit alone.