146. Stacey Bowles on Connecting Farmers to Consumers Across North America

Today on the show we're joined by Stacey Bowles, born and raised farmer and Founder of Smart Locavore, a classified free-to-use website for people to find local food directly from farmers & growers. Stacey has a thorough understanding of the benefits of sourcing and growing local food. She grew up on her parents' beef cattle farm in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Smart Locavore was created for large producers and the small gardeners alike. Maybe you only have a little extra and can only post this week, or you are a larger producer with an abundant and constant supply. Find out how to bring your goods to the digital landscape efficiently and cost effectively in today’s episode!   You’ll hear: How Stacey got into the farm business 0:52 Why Stacey created Smart Locavore 1:40 How Smart Locavore approaches marketing/promotion 2:52 How Smart Locavore differs from other similar services 4:35 Other types of products that may soon come to the website 8:40 Next steps for Smart Locavore 10:45 About the most popular products currently on Smart Locavore 13:51 About the most active regions currently on Smart Locavore 15:06   About the Guest:Smart Locavore is a classifieds website that connects people directly with farmers & growers for local food in their area! It's a free platform that gives farmers more visibility and more direct sales in their pocket.   Resources:Website - https://www.smartlocavore.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SmartLocavore Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/smartlocavore/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-bowles-0235571ba/   Harvest Hosts Resources:If interested in being a host, please be sure to mention ​​Thriving Farmer Podcast on your application! We are Harvest Hosts, a platform that connects over 180,000 RVers to local businesses and attractions. Based on our recent survey, Harvest Hosts members spend an average of $50 per night at each Host Location they visit; well-established Hosts are reporting an average of $13,000 in additional annual revenue. Our model is a cost-free opportunity for hosts to share their offerings with our members by opening up space for an overnight stay. We simply tell our members about you and they schedule their visit in advance. In exchange for the overnight stay, Harvest Host members are encouraged to make a purchase of at least $20 at each host location they visit. We hope to see you as a new host location of ours soon. ​If you have additional questions, please contact our Account Executive, JD at [email protected] Hosts Facebook  Harvest Hosts Instagram  Become a Host Information ​Don't believe us? Hear more from a host!