Joe's Place Farms in Vancouver, Washington, is facing significant challenges and is making changes to appeal to more potential customers.
Joe's is a working farm, the only one within the Vancouver city limits, and is popular with many residents of the city. It has a small restaurant on the premises, but also continues to produce crops, bringing in different vegetables depending on the season. At the moment, Marionberries and blueberries are ripe, as are Lodi apples. Gravenstein apples will soon be ripe, and people will be able to pick their own peaches as soon as the fruit is ready.
Charles Brun, horticulture advisor for the Clark County Extension of the Washington State University, said the farm is unique because it not only grows food, but sells directly to consumers. Brun says this is far preferable to trucking in produce from California.
The restaurant has offered Sunday brunch since it first opened, but now it's expanding its hours to include lunch and dinner on Fridays, and brunch and dinner on Saturdays. This is in a move to attract more custom as the farm has been struggling to keep a community presence over recent times, and with such a unique business, it seems that the venue is important to keeping 100% fresh produce available for the people of Vancouver to enjoy.
Farm management might consider working with brochure printers on a booklet for wide distribution, describing the farm, the crop schedule, and the restaurant.
