So you want to open a food stall at a market ... here’s how

If you’ve ever thought your home baking would sell like hotcakes, or would have welcomed a marketplace for your bumper crop of carrots and courgettes, a food or farmers’ market stall could be the answer.

There are more than 150 of them around the country, according to Bord Bia’s most recent research (2014), and that number has definitely increased over the past two years.

But there’s more to selling successfully at markets than shouting louder than your neighbouring stallholder, so a workshop in market skills could be the difference between cashing in and cutting your loses.

Bord Bia is running a series of training sessions around the country aimed at new traders and existing members of the farmers' markets network, kicking off in Limerick on November 8th (Castletroy Park hotel), and also running in Cork on November 9th (River Lee hotel), Galway on November 15th (Hotel Meyrick) and Wicklow on November 16th (Tinakilly House).

Stall management, selling and marketing tips, building customer loyalty, cost and profit, sharing of ideas, and networking, are the topics that will be covered.

The workshops will be conducted by Margaret Hoctor, who sells lamb she and her husband Eamon Bourke produce at their Kilmullen Farm in Co Wicklow, at the Marley Park food market in Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 every weekend.

Hoctor has also harnessed social media to boost visibility and online sales of her product and has lots of advice on that topic to share with masterclass attendees.

Hoctor has the following suggestions for prospective food market vendors starting out:

Have a USP (unique selling point) for your product.

Research the market you will be attending and ask yourself is it the right market for your product.

The presentation of your stall, and yourself, is very important; you’ve got 30 seconds to make a first impression.

To overcome any possible fear of selling – know that you are offering a solution, for example, a lovely cake for a busy dinner party host.

Ask open questions, and the secret to a sale is listening to what your customer says in return.

Mary Morrissey, a Bord Bia senior manager, food and beverages, says: "Farmers' markets continue to play a vital role to companies in the start-up phase and beyond. These workshops will assist food sellers and producers to further develop skills and gain expertise in the areas of stall management, selling and marketing tips, building customer loyalty and budgeting."

The masterclasses will run from 9.30am to 2pm. Advance registration and payment of a €15 fee is required, and you can book a place here.