Asian Vegetable Marketing

Survey Results:
NC Specialty Crops Program

Mark Seitz
Commercial Horticulture & Marketing
Area Agent
 NC Specialty Crops Program

• Objective

– Assist NC farmers with the development of

alternative crops via marketing and
production research
 Asian Vegetable Production &
Marketing Project

• Conduct marketing surveys at local farmers

markets to gauge customer knowledge of and
interest in different types of Asian vegetables

• Develop production guidelines for eastern NC

for a variety of Asian vegetables
 Asian Vegetable Production &
Marketing Project

• Collect information about local and

organic produce

• Marketing opportunities / information for

farmers
 Cooperator

• Parker Farms, Pollocksville, NC

– Kenneth & Michelle Parker
 Marketing Results

• Methodology:
• Surveys:
– New Bern and Onslow County Farmers Markets
• 52 collected
– Self-addressed, pre-stamped post cards
• 200 handed out
• 57 returned = 28.5%
 Marketing Results

• Male (20) = 26%

• Female (58) = 74%

• Age Breakdown
18-33 34-50 51-67 67+
18% (14) 24% (19) 42% (33) 15% (12)
 Zip Code
LOCATION # %
Onslow County 41 51%
Jones County 7 9%
Craven County 30 37%
North Carolina 1 1%
Out of State 2 2%
 Education
High Some Assoc. College Graduate
School College Degree Graduate Degree

10% 36% 8% 30% 16%

# Visits to Farmers/Roadside
Market Each Month

1-2 3-4 5+

37% 22% 41%

How Likely Are You to Buy New/Unique
Vegetables/Products at the Farmers
Market?

I buy all my 'new/unique'

Highly Might Try it produce at farmers' or
Unlikely Unlikely One Day roadside markets

9% 2% 56% 33%
 Have You Ever Purchased Asian
Vegetable Varieties Before?

• Yes 73%
• No 24%
• No Answer/Never Heard of Them 3%
 Asian Vegetables - Customer Familiarity 2008
Napa Cabbage Jicama
4% 2%
Pak choi / Bak choi
Snow pea 16%
18%

Malabar Spinach
5%
Mibuna
2% Bitter Melon
4%
Komatsuna
5% Chinese broccoli
7%
Chard
Chinese mustard
9%
3%
Burdock
Chinese celery
2%
Eda mame 3%
Sword bean 8% Chinese / Korean radish
1%
2%
Hyacinth Bean
Yard Long bean
2%
4%
Mung bean
5%
Would You Buy Asian Vegetables
if Recipe Cards Were Available?

• Yes 89%
• No 11%
On a Scale of 1-10, How Likely Are You
to Tell A Friend About this Market?
• 1 = Never
• 5 = Neutral
• 10 = I Tell Everyone About This Market
• __________________________________________________

• 90% scored 7 or higher

– 77% = 9, 10
• 10% neutral
 Local Produce

• Would You Pay More for Local Produce?

• 94% Yes, 6% No

• If so, how much more

– 0%-3% = 21%
– 4%-6% = 45%
– 7%-12% = 29%
– >13% = 5%
 Organic Produce

• Would You Pay More for Local Produce?

• 74% Yes, 26% No

• If so, how much more

– 0%-3% = 6%
– 4%-6% = 48%
– 7%-12% = 24%
– >13% = 21%
 Asian Vegetable Variety Production & Marketing Project Customer Survey
1. Male ____ Female____ 2. Age (circle one) 18-33 34-50 51-67 67+

3. Education Level (check one) High School ____ Some College ____ Associate Degree ____

Survey 4.Town ________________5. Zip Code _____________

College Graduate ____

6. How often do you shop at a roadside or farmers market each month (circle one)?
Graduate Degree ____

1-2 3-4 4-5 5+

7. How likely are you to try or buy a new/unique fruit and vegetable product at a farmers market (circle one)?

Questionnaire Highly Unlikely Unlikely Might Try It One Day I buy all my ‘new’
fruit and vegetables at a
farmers’ or roadside
market.

8. Have you ever purchased or cooked Asian vegetable varieties (circle one)?
Yes No Never Heard of Them

9. From the list below please circle the Asian vegetable varieties that you are familiar with:
Yu Choy Sum Chinese / Korean radish Chard
Pak choi / Bak choi Yard Long Bean Komatsuna (turnip green)
Malabar spinach Eda mame Mibuna
Bitter melon Mung Bean Mizuna
Chinese broccoli Hyacinth Bean Snow Pea
Chinese mustard Sword Bean Perilla (spice)
Chinese celery Burdock Akarenso

10. Would you be more willing to buy and try exotic vegetables if recipe cards were available (circle one)?
Yes No I think I’m “allergic” to vegetables I’ve never tried before!

11. Local produce growers struggle to make a profit producing small volumes of specialty crops. For this reason
a small grower’s prices might be higher than produce in a grocery store. Knowing this are you willing to pay
more for local produce if it is fresh picked (circle one)?

Yes No If your answer was yes, how much extra above a fair price are willing to pay for local
produce…
0% - 3% 4% - 6% 7% - 12% >13%

12. Demand for organic produce is rising. For eastern NC farmers growing organic produce is difficult because
of the hot, humid weather in the summer that causes heavy disease and insect pressure. Are you willing to pay
more for organic produce to help farmers offset natural crop losses (circle one)?

Yes No If yes, how much extra – above a ‘normal’ price - are you willing to pay for organic produce?
0% - 3% 4% - 6% 7% - 12% >13%

13. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to tell a friend about this market (circle one)?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Never Neutral I tell everyone I know about this market
 Survey Card
Asian Vegetable Marketing Survey
Gender Zip Code # Visits to Roadside / Age
(Circle one) (Write In) Farmers Market Each (Circle One)
Month (Circle One)
M F 18-33 34-50
________________ 1-2 3-4 5+ 51-67 67+
Have you ever purchased Asian vegetables before, and if so, what kind?

Bok choi Malabar spinach Chinese broccoli Chinese celery

Korean radish Jicama Komatsuna

Would you buy this product again (circle one)? Yes No