U.S. aquaculture has the potential to ease demand on overexploited capture fisheries and reduce the seafood trade deficit by providing consumers with a domestic source of healthy farm-raised protein. However, US farmers generally, and North Central Region (NCR) farmers specifically, face challenges such as competition and price with both imported and domestically produced seafood products when it comes to marketing and selling their farm-raised products. Due to the relatively high cost of production in the US compared to other countries as well as differences in variable production cost between regions and subsectors within the US aquaculture industry, some farmers have opted to directly market and sell at least a portion of their farm’s annual production into niche markets. This will allow then to reduce competition and get a better price than they would if they sold at the farm gate to fish haulers or processors.
To learn more about how aquaculture producers directly market aquaculture products in the NCR and beyond, case study interviews were conducted with small to medium-scale farmers who had first-hand experience with marketing and selling directly to consumers or intermediate buyers within the supply chain . There were twelve respondents in total, and a quaculture businesses have been in operation from 5– 30 years, with an average number of years of 11.5. Farmers reported direct marketing and/or selling their products at farmers’ markets, online and from the farm, and to intermediate buyers which included grocery stores and restaurants. Just over half of the farmers interviewed, 58.3%, were marketing and selling through more than one market channel . Farmers are using a variety of strategies for finding new customers and promoting their products and services from cold calls and in-person visits to utilizing modern technology such as business websites and social media platforms. Almost seventy seven percent (66.7%) of farmers interviewed are using internet options such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and websites to find new customers. Farmers marketing to intermediate buyers are more likely to only use the internet for market research and identifying potential customers. Most of their new customer contacts are made by making phone calls, visiting businesses, and word of mouth. Marketing strategies vary based on many factors such as species, product form, and target customers, but in general, farmers are tailoring their marketing strategies to find customers that value their products.