DumbFalang Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 I'm looking for feedback from anyone willing to share their experiences selling to supermarkets like Tops, Tesco, Big C and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamkyong Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 i seem to remember similar enquiry posted before but the replies seem to indicate that an investment of several millions of bht were required to even be considered to deal with major outlets but i am not sure which crops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Rightly or wrongly the major supermarkets want to deal with the big time operators who have Thai FDA certificates, credible supply chains, can maintain supply / stocks, etc. But good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1FinickyOne Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 All of the local farmers here sell in the local farmers markets... that might tell you something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inn Between Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 The information to qualify as a supplier for Makro is (or at least was) at their website. I looked at it years ago when I and some friends were considering making a product. I recall that the requirements were very demanding, both financially and logically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumbFalang Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Thanks for the input. There seem to be substantial hurdles in dealing with the larger supermarkets and it would make sense to start off with some of the smaller 'regional' ones first to get a feel for how things work. We are based in Chiang Mai, so Rim Ping is the obvious starting point. Villa Market have a packing depot in Chiang Mai, so they are another possibility. I am aware of Food Land and I would be interested to find out about other 'regional' supermarkets that have just a few stores. I'd also be interested to hear from anyone that has sold to 7-11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stray Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 (edited) We sell to neighbours (best returns for us and best pricing for locals), the local markets and, occasionally, through a distribution network (middleman. Lowest returns but can be beneficial with unsold produce). Edited April 29, 2016 by Stray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisKC Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 The large Supermarket Corporations usually have long term contracts with Suppliers who can supply all of their stores. That business can be lucrative but is, by its nature, large scale and quite outside the scope of the small farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliebadenhop Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I have a friend who has a small operation growing hydroponic lettuce. To sell to Tops etc. IF I am remembering correctly, you only get paid after the goods are sold. They wanted my friend to sell to all their stores but he did not have the capacity. He drives around and sells to local vegetable and fruit shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Muton Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 We sell to neighbours (best returns for us and best pricing for locals), the local markets and, occasionally, through a distribution network (middleman. Lowest returns but can be beneficial with unsold produce). Same here, word seems to get around pretty quickly and we have people turning up all the time for eggs and fish. Direct sales are much more profitable than going through wholesalers, but it's good to have something to fall back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JungleBiker Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Check out these links... http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Direct-sourcing-a-win-win-deal-for-retail-giant-fa-30273626.html http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Tesco-Lotus-develops-it-fresh-food-chain-from-farm-30244967.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumbFalang Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 To sell to Tops etc. IF I am remembering correctly, you only get paid after the goods are sold. This is what we are finding. Most stores want you to remove any unsold products from their shelves. Some also want Bt10k per fresh product up front to allow it on their shelves and insist you place sales staff in each of their stores to promote your products and hand out samples. They allow you to charge whatever price you want and they take 25% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stray Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Check out these links... http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Direct-sourcing-a-win-win-deal-for-retail-giant-fa-30273626.html http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Tesco-Lotus-develops-it-fresh-food-chain-from-farm-30244967.html I appreciate what Tesco Lotus is trying to achieve by buying direct from the farms, however, what has happened around our way is that one big farm has now assumed the role of the middleman/consolidator. As the small growers do not understand (or, even know) how to sell to the big markets, they sell their produce to one of the big farms who, in turn, sell to the big markets (Tesco Lotus, Big C, Macro). We are guilty of it, ourselves. Our major customers are the neighbourhood (a number of which do come from quite a distance away). Some produce is sold to local markets. In the event we have good quality, unsold produce, it is sold to a distributor/consolidator/middleman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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