It’s easy to see why ‘pick your own’ (PYO) farms have remained so popular with Brits – visiting one of the UK’s many PYO farms provides an affordable afternoon out for families to soak up the sun, enjoy the outdoors and gather nutritious and delicious fresh produce. But are PYO farms doing everything possible to appeal to their customers and retain their loyalty? And are farms making full use of the potential to enhance their brand? Let’s explore some of the key packaging considerations for maximising success.
SATISFYING SUSTAINABILITY EXPECTATIONS
Consumers increasingly expect the highest levels of environmental awareness and sustainability from businesses. Critically, this expectation is not confined to a single, particular industry. By selling fresh produce directly to the end consumer, PYO farms are already able to boast considerable environmental credentials. But how can PYO farms go one step further? By emphasising the sustainable credentials of their on-site punnets, buckets and other fruit packaging, farms can truly reinforce their alignment to an environmentally-friendly approach. Westpak’s PYO packaging range is able to effectively promote sustainability through the use of recyclable materials as well as key compostable products and items manufactured from previously-recycled materials.
BE PREPARED FOR DIFFERENT SEASONS
Many customers at PYO farms will be well informed about the seasonality of UK fresh produce. Whether it be strawberry season beginning in early May or apples ripening in autumn, customers will expect strong yields of ripe, seasonal produce and will need the packaging to accommodate this. We offer a huge variety of punnets, containers and boxes, many with multiple specification options, providing the ideal packaging for the size, volume and seasonality of different fruit.
PROMOTE YOUR BRAND
As well as fruit packaging providing an essential function for farm visitors, it is often a missed opportunity for farms to reinforce their branding. We offer a number of bespoke branding options across many of our PYO packaging options that will allow your farm to truly resonate as part of the customer experience. This is a particularly important consideration given that a number of items, particularly plastic picking buckets will often be kept and reused by customers long after their farm visit.
These are just a few way in which you can utilise packaging to enhance the success of the pick-your-own season. Our team are able to offer further advice on sourcing the ideal packaging solutions for your farm’s needs. Contact our team today on 01322 284455 or by emailing [email protected].
