Berry production in Alberta: Accessing the market through agritourism

Berry production in Alberta: Accessing the market through agritourism Aleksandra Tymczak studies the berry industry – an expanding industry in Alberta’s agricultural system. Here, she highlights the growing agritourism industry in relation to the opportunities presented to berry producers. On average, it takes two years to get one’s product to market, and the hardest part of getting the product on the shelf is actually distribution. The costs of distribution are a significant challenge because the product must be brought into a warehouse, and producers must conduct distribution themselves until they have scaled up to a particular size. As a result, this restricts producers from selling only within their local areas, following the farmers’ market model. However, producers willing to expand may lack sufficient manpower or energy to sell at multiple farmers’ markets. Once a producer has scaled up beyond the farmers’ market model, they have to determine the product scale and number of retail stores they need. A producer needs to pursue a reasonable market in proportion to their scaling-up capabilities to avoid underachieving once in the retail market.