Watertown Farm Market Kitchen, LLC

02/01/2024

Reminder to all our foodie friends, don't forget to pick up a package of pork sausage today. Tomorrow is ground hog day.

01/10/2024

Hey food entrepreneurs, We are considering adding a freeze drying unit to our list of equipment. Would be great for snack production, camping food preserving and preserving fruits and veggies to extend the selling season. Looks to be pretty easy to operate unit. Is this something you would consider using for your food business?

04/01/2023

It has been a while since we posted anything. Yes, we are still here helping folks start small food businesses. We are here to help grow your food business idea.

03/05/2022

Surprised & delighted to be offered a slice of turtle cheesecake from Chandler House Bakery at The Old Rock today in Astico. Yum!

07/27/2020

Our phone lines and internet seem to be back up and running.

07/23/2020

Our phone line seems to be down again for the third time in the last month. But our internet seems to be working fine. Feel free to email any questions you may have.

07/01/2020

We can't change the direction the wind is blowing , but we can adjust the sails. Take charge of your direction.

06/30/2020

If you don't like the road you are walking on, start paving another one. What are you waiting for?

06/17/2020

Support small business , check it out!

At the Lake Mills Market until 630pm! Look for the pink tent 😁 Bars, Cookies and more!!

06/15/2020

Web site calendar seems to be working correctly again. If anyone can't see it, let us know.

06/15/2020

Just a quick note, it appears our website calendar is not working this morning. We are working on getting it corrected with our website hosting company.

06/06/2020

Sassy Sweets, LLC

Back at Oconomowoc Farmer's Market!! Here until noon....Scones, Rhubarb Bars, Cinn. Rolls, Cookies, Cherry Pie Bars.

05/30/2020

Watertown Farm Market Kitchen

Just a quick video of our kitchen!

One in a series of videos with managers of food business incubators (aka shared-use or community kitchens in Wisconsin. Jump to 44 second mark to skip intro....

04/30/2020

One of our customers... Print this out and leave a copy near hubbies tackle box, and another near the tool box, and another by your teenagers car keys, and...

04/29/2020

Looks like farmers markets will be opening, at least in a limited manner, in the next month. Either may 26th or maybe sooner. If you are planning on selling a food product this year and need a commercial kitchen to make your product, now is the time to get the ball rolling. Feel free to call with questions. We are currently back to giving tours for small groups( Under 4 people, no kids, and hand washing before entering kitchen area)appointments can be made by calling our home phone 920 925 3820

04/12/2020

BORED YET??? Be honest, you have cleaned that closet by now, or you probably won't do it anyway. You have watched all the movies you can stand. You know you want a food business in your future. Why aren't you working on that now? Challenge your brain. Do research. Start a business plan. It doesn't have to be as official as the ones you can google search. It is for you. Put a plan in writing.Take that first step. Give us a call and we can help you with the "how do I...". We can even give you the questions you aren't thinking of. Take that first step.

03/28/2020

A fantastic idea by one of our customers!

$20 At-Home Cookie Decorating Box

Includes:
10 Cut-Out Cookies
Colored Frosting
Bags to decorate
Written Instructions

A great way for your kiddos to have some fun with each other and NO stress or work on adults to make all the ingredients! Minimal Clean up required :)

Call 920-210-9782 for orders :)

🐰 🐣 Happy Easter Everyone! 🐣 🐰

03/23/2020

Update on how Watertown Farm Market Kitchen is dealing with the corona virus. We will be curtailing tours for the immediate future. The kitchen will continue to be available to our producers, however we will be scheduling longer down times between customers. If you are considering starting a food business in the future we would be happy to speak with you on the phone. Use this time to work through your plan and be ready to hit the ground running when this is over. Please feel free to give us a call at our home phone 920 925 3820.

03/03/2020

Did you know some kitchens charge a minimum number of hours per month? We don't. We understand when you are trying to start a food business it is hard to guess how sales will go and how many hours you will need. We are here to work with you , not against you. Try a year in our kitchen, and work up to having your own kitchen.

03/01/2020

Farmers market tip no.6
Lets talk picking the right farmers market. You should be asking the market manager questions like; What are the traffic counts(customer numbers)? What is the mix of venders? Do you allow reselling of product or veggies that the vender did not make or grow? Do you "jury" pick vendors? Is there an on site manager or just a person that collects fee? What is the fee? Is there entertainment to draw more customers?Do I have the same spot every week, or is it first come first pick? Where do I park my vehicle? Is there help in getting product to my stall or spot? Don't be afraid to ask.

02/29/2020

Farmers Market tip no.5
Now that we have the consumers attention it is time to start building trust. Your customer needs to know who is behind that table of product. Once you have them looking over your product , introduce yourself. "Hi I am Jane the baker, or Bill the farmer, or Mary the grower. What are you looking for today?' They now have a name to go with the product, and you have told them you are responsible for getting this product to market. Your name becomes your brand of quality and your guarantee that YOU stand behind that product. Next time they will see your face and think of you with that product.
If you are good with names try to remember as many of their names as possible. This maker/ customer thing works 2 ways.

02/28/2020

Farmers market tip no. 4 Leave the lawn chair /folding chair at home. If you are sitting down behind your display, you are not working hard enough at selling. If you are not helping a customer, you should be tidying your display or better yet interacting with the people passing your booth. If you aren't getting their attention from behind the display, step out in the aisle with samples, or with veggies, cut some open to show how small the seeds are in that cucumber,or how ripe that melon is. Interact! And while I am telling you not to bring that chair, let's also forget the cell phone in the car. If sales are so slow that you need entertainment you are doing something wrong. (Thanks Amber for reminding me of that one)

02/27/2020

Farmers Market tip no.3; Most farmers market customers are there for the "experience". Something fun to do. They are looking for new food ideas. It is most often not about price. Your product is worth more than grocery store items because your product has a story. Tell the story of why yours is special. Things like "picked fresh this morning" , "Heirloom variety", or "grandma's recipe". Include a recipe to be made from the veggie, tell them how it is mom's recipe or a great new recipe you just discovered. Or talk about how your family loves that bakery item warmed up with sunday coffee. Make their mouths water for that chin dripping water melon.

02/26/2020

FARMERS MARKET TIP NO 2. Greet people walking past your stand whether they make eye contact or not. If you are not busy serving another customer pick out someone walking past and give a "Hi, How are you?" This gives them the chance to say "good or fine, or great" It starts the conversation on a positive note. Starting with "can I help you?" gives them a 50/50 chance of saying no and starting on a negative note. You will be suprised how just this one little change can make a difference.

02/26/2020

Many of our customers sell at least part of their product at farmers markets. That is a great way to get feedback on your product and pricing. It also is fun to have the direct consumer hand over cash for something you made or grew. so today we will start a short series on farmers market sales and marketing. TIP NUMBER 1. SIGNAGE. Have a sign located where people can see it from 30 feet away. Something they associate with your product. Something they can say"oh yeah there is that person I bought from last time. That was good I should stop there." Your business name , a logo, a big jar, a big wisk or baking tool, something that says "here we are". Put it on top of your tent, or truck or car. BE VISIBLE, NOT INVISIBLE!

02/25/2020

So why would you want to do a food business? A couple reasons.. 1. good times and bad times people want food. 2. hopefully you enjoy people enjoying your product.3. You feel like you have accomplished something when you make a batch of your product. 4. and you feel good when people line up to give you money for your product.

02/22/2020

Mama Dip’s Legacy Lives on Through Her Daughters and Granddaughters

Here is a perfect example of how a work ethic in a food business can become a family business.

02/21/2020

You might be an entrepreneur if:
Boss: Sometimes I use big words that I don’t fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis when I’m talking to the staff.
-or-
HR Lady: I’ll need to run your question past management at the next quarterly meeting.
You: (sigh) I think I need to start my own business.

We can help you with that. Give us a call!

02/19/2020

Want to be your own boss? Want to make some extra cash? Want to be an example to your kids for a good work ethic? But don't think you can be a culinary genius? Not every successful food business has a complicated product. It can be very simple. Things like snack foods, seasoning blends, and dry soup mix, or dip mixes are great sellers. Recipe ideas are all over the internet.

02/07/2020

So maybe a little better explanation on why the "value added seminar" was cancelled is in order. Often times I expect everyone to be as interested in helping others get started with food businesses as I am. It's a big part of what we do. But often others don't see that stepping out of their comfort zone is a good thing. They lead their lives doing the same thing everyday and every week, and think that is all there is to life. This goes for those in education positions as well as the rest of the general public.So it would seem, that the folks I was trying to work with were more interested in helping producers grow one more bushel of corn, or soybeans, than trying something new. Back 100 years ago, a guy named W.D Hoard came to Wisconsin with an idea that the fragile hills of Wisconsin were more suited to dairy cows than wheat. He showed those that were willing to listen that the milk they could produce could be made into cheese and butter that could be sold for a profit. Now 100 years later we have drifted back to grain production. A few days ago I attended a seminar put on by farmers that are able to see where we are headed and want to make a difference. They brought in a speaker who told the crowd about different ideas. Producing beef, and pork and selling direct to consumers. Producing corn on cover cropped land and selling corn meal and grits direct to consumers. And working with others to make bourbon from his corn, And even bourbon aged honey with empty barrels and flowers from his cover crops. So in the end I see that some are working towards the same goal I am, but working directly with producers that want to learn. That is my lesson that I took away.