Selling sloes and blackberries

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Selling sloes and blackberries
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fifixx

Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 10
Location: Shillingstone, Dorset

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:39 pm Post subject: Selling sloes and blackberries

i know we all can get sloes and blackberries and rosehips...but what about the poor souls of London Town?

I was thinking of spending a day collecting sloes etc and selling at a market in London to make some desperately needed cash.

Does anyone have good or bad experiences of doing this? I have had the OK from the London Farmer markets to have a stall for the next few Sundays, so am now wondering if anyone will buy and for how much?!!

Any encouragement gratefully accepted and any discouragement looked into!

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:40 pm Post subject:
Rob R does this.

Mrs R

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:41 pm Post subject:
we do it - it's not just london either, some people don't have time to pick, can't bothered (fair enough!), or live in places where the bushes don't grow - scottish islands and so on!

Mrs R

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:43 pm Post subject:
Tell you what, we're struggling to fulfill sloe orders this year as the crop is a lot poorer than last year; shall we divert customers to you?

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:44 pm Post subject:
When I lived in London town I had ample sloes and blackberries to pick. That said there may be fools with money you can part from them.

fifixx

Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 10
Location: Shillingstone, Dorset

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:46 pm Post subject:

I was thinking of a big blackboard with info and prices on. then selling 1 and 2lb "bags' so I don't fall foul of the weighing regs.

I do have a vision of having to go to the cash and carry to buy 100 litres of cheap gin because i didn't sell all my sloes - and wouldn't want them to go to waste!!

I will print out recipes for sloe gin / vodka etc too. Quite excited although it will be exhausting....

fifixx

Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 10
Location: Shillingstone, Dorset

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:48 pm Post subject:
thanks Fireneedles - that would be great - we have every tree groaning under the weight of sloes here! Also we are certified organic so no pollution etc

Mrs R

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 3:50 pm Post subject:
sounds excellent - will pm you!

matt_hooks

Joined: 01 Aug 2010
Posts: 312
Location: Lambourn(ish) Berkshire

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 5:27 pm Post subject:
The sloe bushes round hereare cropping so heavily that branches are breaking off due to the weight of fruit! Blackberries not so good, but the sloe crop is phenomenal! I'll have to try and get out and pick some. What do they fetch per pound/kilo?

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 10 5:44 pm Post subject:
Quite a few folk flogging them on eBay for around 2-3 quid a pound.

fifixx

Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 10
Location: Shillingstone, Dorset

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 10 7:34 am Post subject:

I have just done some quick figures in my head (never very reliable!). To make a profit, covering transport etc and my time, I will have to sell at least 200lbs of sloes! Is this possible?

Thinking of bagging/boxing them - probably 2lb at a go - otherwise it's quite a small quantity.

Apparently Waitrose sell them for �4.49 for 1lb!

After my initial heady excitement of riches galore, I am now wondering if I should do it - perhaps I will do it once and treat it as a trip to London as well.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 10 7:53 am Post subject:
Have a reference on your balckboard of what the supermarkets are charging so that people can see yours are a bargain. Do a simple recipe sheet of things to make with sloes and sell that for 20p, you'll get steady sales of that from people who wouldnt actually buy fruit and it encourages people who do to be brave and try a range of recipes

dornadair

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 63
Location: left a bit

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 10 7:55 am Post subject:
It may be helpful if you are selling face to face to include a few recipes printed on a sheet of paper. We did that with some rose petals, including recipes for rose petal ice cream and rose water and managed to shift them, no problem. We would have had a job on our hands selling them otherwise.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 10 10:40 am Post subject:
Are you really telling me that people on ebay are buying sloes? Really? And paying postage? Im missing a trick....Ive just bagged loads and hazelnuts (small ones)

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 10 10:47 am Post subject:
Yep, for around a fiver a pound, including delivery.

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