I still remember the first time I went to a farmers’ market. It was the Dane County Farmers’ Market in Madison, Wisconsin. I remember the produce was beautiful, the flowers were bright, and bold, the crowd full of energy, yet it was the most relaxing place to be for me. Madison was the first big city I ever lived in yet I felt like I was part of a community because of that market. I attended almost every weekend from April to November. I enjoyed getting to know the local producers and supporting them. I did my weekly grocery shopping there and treated myself to flowers every so often. I never dreamed that one day I’d be a local producer at a farmers market!
Fast forward twenty-some years. Saturday was a perfect day for Oatballs’ first farmer’s market - the Waukesha Farmers’ Market. The forecast had cleared up from earlier in the week with an expected high of 80 degrees and plenty of sunshine. Waking up at 4:15 was tough, but we were motivated by the day ahead! We got ready and enjoyed a nutritious breakfast of avocado toast and oatmeal with cocoa, banana and vanilla protein, We had to get fueled up knowing it would be a long day at the market without any breaks. We packed our snacks (oatballs of course!), coffee and water, and we were on our way! Our goal was to sell out of all of our products.
We arrived at the market by 6:20 and waited for our turn to get our booth number. By 6:45 we were directed to our spot. It was time to get going! We got a perfect spot on the corner right by one of the entrances. We were thrilled with our placement!
As we set up the booth, we weren’t nervous, but definitely wanted everything to go smoothly. This was our first introduction of Oatballs to the local community.
Table set up ✔
Canopy set up ✔
Marketing materials laid out (despite dropping and shattering the acrylic flyer holder) ✔
Products set on the table for all to see ✔
This was our big moment! It was time to educate our customers and share our products!
We were ready to roll by 7:30. Barely set up for 10 minutes, we got our first sale! The market wasn’t even supposed to start until 8:00.
All the hard work we put into The Oatball Company was really validated. We’ve received some amazing reviews from our customers on our site and on Facebook, but to see people’s faces the first time they bit into an Oatball was so rewarding! We met some great people that we hope will become our friends as well as lifelong customers. Meeting people face-to-face at the market was so exhilarating. It was great to see people enjoying their Saturday and relaxing with their families and friends.
All morning, we closely tracked our progress in hopes to reach our goal. We had every bit of confidence that we’d do it! People were curious what an oatball was, and approached our table with questions like, “What’s in an oatball?” “How do I eat an oatball?” “Is it gluten-free?”
We had fun teaching our customers all about Oatballs, “It’s just like cookie dough without the guilt!” We learned some lessons and we DID sell out before the market closed! We can’t wait to see you at our next market! Like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram to see where we’ll be next.
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