Local food/drink : Rip-off?

Cannyshopper

My rant for today! I try to buy as much local food and drinks as possible and enjoy attending food fairs, farmers markets, etc.

My wife and I visited a food fair yesterday and one of the local brewers selling beer was charging £3 a bottle which is on sale in local shops at £2.50 or below. When I enquired of him why this was so he said that it was because of the cost of the stall. My response was that by selling it himself he didn't have to take into account the profit of the shop-keeper.
I refuse to buy any of his products anywhere which I used to enjoy and surely over-charging will lead to the demise of these events. I'm just wondering if any other members have come across anything similar?

Also, why do some food fairs charge an attendance fee when all the people are doing is selling their goods. You don't pay to go into shops do you.

Would be interested in your comments.

zenseeker

Small local producers do not have the bulk sales of major brands and stores, so they need to maximise profits on each until sold just to cover costs, the stores would buy in bulk, and their oeverheads would be spread over a wider range of goods, hence they can offer a lower price.

If you have ever tried brewing your own beer, you will realise how expensive it can be.

Same goes for admission fees to fairs, it's all about overheads.

el_gringo_3

As a long time Veggie I and many others noticed that prices directly from farmers markets or the like shot up when it became a 'trendy' thing to do. Hence why the number of growing and selling co-operatives operated by the 'veg*an community' has also skyrocketed as a response.