By Cole Cottin

Even the most brilliant menu item can only be as good as the quality of its ingredients. Caterers work closely with their clients to design menus, and then work with staff to prepare and serve those menu items for various events. Like farms, catering companies are widely varied in size and personality. Where caterers source their ingredients depends on a number of factors, including the scale of their operation, event size, client budget, seasonality, and client/caterer vision and values. High-end and specialty caterers may promote their businesses as focused on quality and flavor, while other caterers may emphasize inexpensive prices over culinary excellence. For those caterers looking to wow clients with top-quality foods, local farmers can be invaluable resources. After all, behind every great chef is a great farmer!

For a guide to the benefits, challenges, strategies, and resources for “catering” to this niche market, CLICK HERE to print or download the Kansas Rural Center document Marketing Strategies: Selling to Caterers.

This resource document  is an excerpt from Finding Your Niche, A Marketing Guide for Kansas Farms, published in January 2013 by the Kansas Rural Center. You may CLICK HERE to view the guide’s full Table of Contents and print or download other resource documents. Finding Your Niche: A Marketing Guide for Kansas Farms offers a great starting point for envisioning the potential your farm has to increase and respond to local demand.

To receive a printed and bound copy of the 200+ page guide, please order here or contact the Kansas Rural Center at 785-873-3431. A limited number of copies are available for a suggested fee of $25 to help cover printing, shipping and handling costs.