Adding an online store and drive-thru pick up has helped Barnhill Orchards’ sales flourish this year, despite COVID-19.
The family-owned farm and market in Lonoke has been in business 30 years, selling fresh fruits and vegetables and locally made products.
Over the winter, Ekko Barnhill began mulling how to offer drive-thru and online ordering options for customers.
“I had decided that I was going to change our business model. I wanted to do a drive-thru or online, like Walmart, where people could drive up and get their produce. But I wasn’t sure how I was going to move forward,” she said.
Dec. 7, she attended a food business workshop presented by Cooperative Extension’s Local, Regional and Safe Foods “Share Grounds” program. There, she connected with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center.
Barnhill started working with ASBTDC’s Nicolas Mayerhoeffer and Timothy Lee. With Lee’s guidance, she began putting her e-commerce ideas into action.
“Our timing was perfect. The idea to change our marketing concepts was before all the COVID started up,” she said.
Lee consulted virtually with Barnhill to save her time away from the farm. During weekly online meetings, they discussed all elements of the business’s online presence, starting with the website and search engine optimization, then moving to the online shopping cart feature and social media marketing.
“I didn’t even know what I didn’t know, and Timothy is a wealth of knowledge,” said Barnhill. “He gave me homework. I’d do my homework. He has been mentoring me every step of the way. He’s very patient and understanding. He never pushes too hard, but he does push.”
A Fruitful Decision
Srawberry season was about to start when the pandemic shutdown began in March. Strawberries generate about a quarter of Barnhill Orchards’ annual sales.
To efficiently and safely serve customers, the business launched its online store and drive-thru April 6.
A video on Barnhill Orchards’ Facebook page demonstrated the easy pick-up process. The video has been viewed more than 10,000 times.
“Timothy had said, ‘Don’t be disappointed. It takes a long time to grow.’ But by the first week, the first day, it was huge,” said Ekko. “I know some other farms that were caught flat-footed with the changes required by COVID-19. Some friends of ours that grow the same things, they had to scramble to figure out how to do a drive-thru.”
The strawberry crop sold out, and Barnhill credits the advice she received from Lee and ASBTDC.
“Our business this year has definitely benefited from using (ASBTDC), and also people getting back to buying local farm produce,” she said. “Many customers wouldn’t have known about us or had a smooth transition to the online store and drive-thru, without Timothy.
“The whole change in sales setup has been great. We’ve had an overwhelming response. We at least doubled our business this year from last year. The online has grown tremendously. We get new customers from that all the time.”
Adding new customers has helped balance out the loss of restaurant business due to coronavirus.
“Restaurants closed. That was a huge portion of our business. I can see where a lot of farmers would have a lot of trouble if they didn’t transition. We were able to transition from selling to restaurants to selling to our growing customer base,” said Barnhill.
Change to Grow
After serving in the military and retiring from her previous career, Barnhill has been at the farm full-time for eight years. “I’m out picking the peaches and the corn, planting the watermelons. I do sales. I have a finger on all aspects of the farm.”
Barnhill is willing to innovate, and her offseason inspiration to add online ordering and drive-thru pick-up became a necessity amid COVID-19.
“I’ve changed a lot to grow our business,” she says.
The latest change is here to stay, she believes.
“You give the opportunity to buy online or drive through, with this COVID, and even after it’s gone, I still think people are going to keep in that mode. They like online. They like drive-thru. They have kids strapped in, dogs with them, and want quick access to fruits and vegetables.
“It’s going to be a way of business from now on.”
