Marty Butts of Daytona, Fla., is owner of Small Potatoes, a consulting firm that specializes in working with small-scale and startup food businesses of all kinds. ASBTDC has invited Marty to Arkansas to share his knowledge.
In preparation for his time in Arkansas, he answered a few questions about his background and his passion for local food culture and small-scale food businesses.
Marty will present The ABCs of Starting a Food Business and Running a Great Farmers Market Booth on March 15, followed by a full-day food product “boot camp,” Breaking Out in the New Food Economy, on April 27, at Heifer International in Little Rock.
What does the name “Small Potatoes” mean?
It’s a nod to a regional dish where I’m from in Central New York called salt potatoes. I was trying to think of name that was connected to the food culture where I lived, and salt potatoes are iconic. They are small potatoes cooked in a brine.
There used to be salt mines in the area, and the Irish mine workers used to make them for lunch. It’s something I grew up with, and when I moved away I didn’t realize they weren’t a thing everywhere.
I also think it is reflective of the kinds of companies I work with and my approach to the market. I could work with big manufacturers or only sell to big box grocers, but I prefer the little guys – the small potatoes.
Why are you passionate about local food and helping small-scale foodpreneurs?
One of the things that makes me passionate about local food is that it’s a place where people, no matter what their differences, can find common ground. The idea of “breaking bread” with someone has always carried weight with me.
I started my food career working in a cooperatively owned grocery store, and I was really struck by the different reasons people chose to shop there. Every customer had their own set of values, but they all came to the same place to try to support them.
When I left I was looking for a way to stay where I was living, and I saw an opportunity to fill a gap working with small-scale foodpreneurs. The work’s always different and I’m constantly surrounded by passionate, creative people, which keeps me interested after 15 years or so working in food.
What are the biggest mistakes you see people make with starting a food/food product business or operating a farmers market booth?
The most common thing I see people doing is undervaluing their product, specifically, undervaluing their own labor to make and sell the product.
I’ve seen really great products fail because when the time comes for them to scale up, get distribution, hire staff and buy equipment, they can’t do it without dramatically increasing their price.
Price your product with your future growth in mind. Small-scale and artisan products aren’t ever going to win a price war with national brands, but the market is willing to pay a premium price for exceptional products.
If you’re product is great, people will pay for it. Price it that way from the start.
Can you expound on what you mean by “the fulfillment and connection of working with food” (a line from your TEDx talk)?
Knowing that you’re taking part in people’s celebrations by providing things for their holiday table is very satisfying. So is empowering someone to take control of their health with their food choices. Or helping someone live the life they want by supporting their small business.
Before I started working in food I had a lot of jobs – dozens of jobs, two or three at a time. And every day I busted my butt and did the best I could so that I could go home and live my life. Forty to 60 hours of my week belonged to somebody else, and I traded them to be able to pursue my interests.
But once I started working in food, I would spend my day talking to my community about the issues we both cared about, working with artisans to support their craft, and making all kinds of other connections.
I approach the work from a practical business standpoint, but I never lose track of the powerful cultural or community impacts that food has. I’d never worked in an industry that I could say I could see the impact on someone’s life in real time.
I feel lucky every day that I get to do this work.
Have you ever been to Arkansas? What do you know about our state’s food culture?
I’ve driven almost every part of the continental U.S. but have only passed through Arkansas. I’m not as familiar with the food culture as I will be by the time I get there, but I know from my days as a grocer that agriculturally, Arkansas produces a lot of poultry and rice. I’ve heard tell of Arkansas BBQ, fried catfish, cornbread.
I also know that it’s changing in ways similar to the way food cultures are changing from all over the country. Farms are diversifying their products, and more and more are going organic. Farmers markets are increasingly busy with a wider variety of products offered. Restaurants are trying harder to buy local ingredients, and that’s shaping the menus they put out.
And based on what I’ve encountered in food systems from Boise, Idaho, to Orlando, Fla., and everywhere I’ve stopped in between, I’d guess that you’re seeing a rise in breweries and distilleries, lots of new food trucks, and a lot of local brands that are poised to turn themselves into regional brands.
What would you say about the workshops you will present in Little Rock March 15 and April 27?
The information presented will be practical, actionable, and based on real-life experience I’ve had working with producers and farmers. I want you to walk out with at least one thing that will improve your business that day.
I’m not going to tell you about how to do better business with a grocery store or at farmers markets just based on what I have read about it, but because I’ve worked with hundreds of stores and at dozens of markets.
I mean, I’ve read about it too, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve also put it to work.
Sometimes a small bit of insight from someone who’s been there can make a big difference in your approach.