March 16, 2005

Illinois Producers and Food Retailers Market Products via New Website

URBANA--Illinois producers and food retailers are better able to strategically market their products through a new website developed through research funded by the State of Illinois via the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR). Started as a C-FAR research initiative that focused on market opportunities for value-added meat products, the new website called MarketMaker has blossomed into a collaborative effort funded by C-FAR, Illinois Department of Agriculture, University of Illinois Extension, and University of Illinois' Initiative for the Development of Entrepreneurs in Agriculture. "The need for such a tool became clear early in the project," said Darlene Knipe, University of Illinois Extension educator and project leader. "C-FAR gave us the means to bring the MarketMaker concept to fruition. We feel very fortunate to have had their support."

The MarketMaker website, located at www.marketmaker.uiuc.edu, is an interactive mapping system that locates businesses and markets of agricultural products in Illinois, providing an important link between producers and consumers. Illinois food and agriculture related business owners can easily register their businesses on the website and list the products they offer. There is no cost associated with having a business listed on the site. To date, more than 38,000 Illinois businesses are participating in this new online marketing tool. "Our goal is to make this site a resource for all businesses in the food supply chain," said Knipe. "We are as interested in helping a grocery store find farm fresh eggs as we are helping the farmer find a place to sell them."

Producers, buyers, sellers, and distributors are all benefiting from the MarketMaker website. Consumers and grocery stores can search for specific products, including such items as pasture-fed beef, organic vegetables, natural cheeses, and high-fiber bread products. Producers are able to locate food processors including commercial bakeries, beverage processors, and dairy processing facilities. Food retailers are able to identify specific markets for their products by mapping key demographic characteristics to determine where the largest concentrations of people with the desired characteristic might live. For example, a producer wanting to sell specialty meats may want to request a map that shows where the greatest concentrations of upper-income households are located.

"While the world continues to seemingly become smaller with the ease of transportation and communication, there is an interesting and real trend by consumers to desire locally grown food and for producers to find niche market opportunities," said Alan Puzey, C-FAR chairman. "C-FAR's role in meeting these challenges is invaluable through developments such as this new website-and we applaud our research partners for making it a reality."

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