Selling to Restaurants

In this episode of CNG Field Notes, we sat down with chefs-turned-farmers Cory Babb and Mike Garcia to explore what it really takes to sell to restaurants. While chefs are often eager to feature seasonal, locally grown ingredients, building a successful farm-to-restaurant relationship requires more than great produce.

Cory and Mike will share insights on approaching chefs, communicating effectively, and delivering consistent quality that keeps them coming back. We’ll also dig into the challenges like coordinating deliveries, managing multiple accounts, and ensuring the sales are worth the effort. This conversation builds on themes from our ⁠Exploring New Sales Outlets⁠ class in the Business of Farming Series. If you’re looking to go deeper, the recording is available now.

Huge thank you to Earth Tools for making this episode possible! Earth Tools offers farmer-tested, high-quality walk-behind tractors and attachments built for small-scale, diversified farms. Rooted in decades of hands-on experience growing food and selling to local markets, they prioritize durable equipment, practical versatility, and exceptional service. Their tools are designed to maximize efficiency without large-scale investment, making them a trusted resource for market growers and homesteaders looking to work smarter.

Timestamps:

3:05 – Mike Garcia’s origin story

6:21 – Cory Babb’s origin story

9:12 – What are the similarities of working in a kitchen on a farm?

16:15 – What was the biggest shock transitioning to farming?

20:18 – As a farmer, how has your experience selling to chefs changed over time?

28:07 – As a chef, what are the challenges around buying from a local farm?

36:16 – What is it like for chefs and farmers to coordinate sales and deliveries?

41:13 – What does the ideal partnership look like?

47:30 – How to start selling to chefs?

49:31 – Mike describes his product sheet that he leaves with chefs.

52:20 – Cory describes his minimums and delivery fees

55:43 – What do you wish chefs knew more about farmers?

1:00:04 – What impact has your CNG certification had on your relationships with chefs?