Building Relationships with Schools

If you’ve found a school you’re interested in working with, be sure to clearly communicate your offerings and services upfront. Be prepared to share:
  • Operation size
  • Growing practices
  • Written food safety measures
  • Liability insurance
  • Product availability with pack type, price, and description
  • Delivery options
  • Post-harvest handling process
It’s also important to ask for detailed information from the school district or early care site. Information to collect from schools & early care providers:
  • Number of daily meals served
  • Processing capacity of kitchen facilities
  • Average time it takes for farmers to be paid after an invoice
  • Delivery schedule
  • Items the district or center is looking for, in what quantity and product specification
  • Potential programs where minimally processed foods could be utilized (ie salad bars, breakfast programs, hot lunch, Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, afterschool meals)
If you can provide on farm learning experiences in the form of field trips or virtual learning you will add value to your relationship with schools and early childhood customers. Check out these guides to creating a field trip and education program on your farm:

Helpful Links

Making Michigan Recipes Work, Cultivate Michigan

This guide includes a translation between common wholesale units and school meal serving sizes (see pg 8-11). Use this to better understand how your products can be used in school meals!

Marketing Michigan Products: Step-by-Step Guide, MSU C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

This guide from our friends in Michigan provides valuable advice on working with schools, including how to set reasonable prices and respond to school food service Request for Prices (RFPs).

Wisconsin Farm to School Toolkit for Producers, UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS)

This is a fantastic resource for farmers to prepare for selling to schools. The guide includes tools to help you communicate about your business and set reasonable wholesale prices.

Farm to Early Care & Education for Growers, Community Groundworks

Early care centers, daycare programs, and preschools are another way to expand your markets and provide good food to children. This resource shares some key elements and considerations for growers interested in selling to childcare sites.