2000 Annual Report for FNC00-323
Patrie's Raspberries on the Prairie Website Development and Internet Sales
Summary
Patti Patrie of Bowdon, ND received a 2000 SARE grant to begin a marketing website for her raspberry production. Patrie’s Raspberries is a 6 acre U-pick and pre-picked red raspberry farm in rural North Dakota. The Patries sell jam and raspberry syrup to approximately 20 retail outlets throughout North Dakota. The majority of the sales occur through direct marketing on the farm and through trade shows. With the raspberry patch showing some potential to help increase the income to the farm, Patti wanted to market the raspberries more effectively and to expose the products to consumers outside North Dakota.
The goal for this project was to use all the raspberries that they produced and to try and double the net income of their raspberry business. They began by hiring Commark, Ind. to develop a web site that will advertise and market Patrie’s products. The process also included purchasing a new computer with required programs to help keep up with the financial records of the business. The Patries hired additional help to take orders and perform the correct accounting practices for the business.
Within a year of starting the website, e-commerce was added to the website so that customers had the option of purchasing online. While the sales for the business did not perform as well as they had originally hoped for, they learned a lot about the market and the expectations of consumers. "Having a website doesn’t mean business will instantly grow. There is a lot of competition and one must keep up with product and service," noted Patrie.
While the Patries came short of obtaining their marketing goal they learned a lot about internet marketing. The business’ website is continuing to be an asset to the business as it provides information concerning the business and their products. They look forward to improving their marketing and technical skills in the future to expand on the success of their business.
Patries Raspberries can be found at
www.patriesraspberries.com