After a decade of running a traditional CSA, Warner Farm in Massachusetts was seeing a trend in their customer feedback. People were consistently asking for more convenience and flexibility. Now, a few years into switching to a fully customizable CSA model, Warner Farm has seen some stability in membership numbers and is able to provide even more flexibility to customers outside of the CSA share.  Discover how Warner Farm decided it was time to make the switch, why the farm chose LFM as their CSA software provider, and how the program works for them. 

Curious what other types of CSAs Local Food Marketplace can support? Check out “Customizable Farm Shares: 4 Models”

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Why Warner Farm Switched to a Customizable CSA Model

Warner Farm had been running a traditional CSA model for a decade before making the switch to a customizable CSA model. They had been seeing a steady decrease in customers year-to-year. After receiving feedback, they learned that some people were just not interested in the traditional CSA model anymore.  

The feedback that we were receiving from other farmers and customers was that some people just did not have the time or money to spend on produce they had never heard of before and didn’t know how to cook.”

—Lacey Arnold, Direct Market Manager of Warner Farms

Why Warner Farm Chose LFM’s CSA Software 

After offering customizable shares for several years, Warner Farm sought an all-in-one platform that could simultaneously streamline their customizable CSA processes and give them the tools to better serve customers placing one-time orders — all without adding extra admin tasks. Here are a couple of valuable tools that led Warner Farm to select LFM’s CSA software.   

➡️ Subscription Builder 

Warner Farm was thrilled when LFM introduced the Subscription Builder Feature, offering a solution to better manage their customizable CSA. 

As soon as I received the emails announcing the Subscription Builder feature, I jumped on it immediately.”

—Lacey Arnold, Warner Farm 

Running fully customizable farm shares requires a powerful, flexible CSA software platform. LFM’s Subscription Builder handles all admin tasks for Warner Farm — from generating real-time product availability, to pick lists, packing lists, sales reports, emails, and more. By using LFM’s CSA software to power their customizable farm share, the folks at Warner Farm don’t have to worry about extra admin tasks. Their processes for managing this model are not much different than their previous traditional CSA model. 

By using LFM, I don’t have to use any other software or any other tools to track and run this CSA program. LFM does everything for me.”

—Lacey Arnold, Warner Farm 

➡️ The ability to manage both subscriptions and one-time orders through the same platform 

LFM’s CSA software makes it easy for Warner Farm to manage both subscriptions and one-time orders all through the same system. This feature attracts more customers by allowing people to order without the commitment of a weekly subscription. In 2023, the farm saw 53 customers place a la carte orders, which they wouldn’t have otherwise had. They expect these numbers to grow as they expand their marketing. 

Many customers sign up thinking biweekly will be enough, but a few weeks in realize they may want to place orders more often. When I teach them that “ala carte” ordering is possible, it really makes their day. Then they can just order a few things on their “off weeks” without having to sign up for an entirely new subscription.”

—Lacey Arnold, Warner Farm 

This feature boosts weekly orders by enabling customers to “fill in the gaps” of their bi-weekly CSAs. It can also function as a trial for customers who may be unsure about committing to a subscription. 

Last season, I heard from a few customers who placed “a la carte” orders that they were excited to sign up for a full-time membership this year.”

—Lacey Arnold, Warner Farm 

This ordering option is a great way to increase sales with no added administrative time for Warner Farm. The storefront powered by LFM’s CSA software allows Warner Farm to seamlessly integrate its product availability across its CSA shares and provide any additional product on the storefront for one-time ordering. The one-time orders follow the same order window as the CSA and Warner Farm can generate packing labels for both at once. It’s a truly integrated system that folds right into their customizable share program.   

How Warner Farm’s Fully Customizable Model Works

The beauty of a customizable share model is that you can build the model to fit your farm’s processes. For Warner Farm, this meant a fully customizable model. With a customizable CSA, the farm creates a suggested farm share, but the customers have the chance to make any changes they like in a given time period before orders are fulfilled.  

Members can choose their share size (S, M, L) and opt to prepay for the season or, using LFM’s payment plan option, pay weekly. They also have the option to add items like flowers, pork, or bread to their share.  

They have a base value that they’re allowed to spend however they want every single week. Maybe half our CSA customers typically just accept the default share we’ve created for that $20, but then the other half will customize it to their heart’s content.” 

—Lacey Arnold, Direct Market Manager of Warner Farm

Customers can remove items from their share, so that they will have extra to spend in future weeks. Likewise, if customers add additional produce, they simply pay for the additional items. This allows them to curate their CSA exactly to their preferences. Additionally, Warner Farm provides customizable scheduling, allowing members to place their share on hold without limitations. 

Interested in learning how LFM makes offering a customizable farm share easy? Watch our webinar “How to Offer Customizable Farm Shares”

Watch the Webinar Here

Warner Farm Saw Increased Signups After Switching to LFM’s CSA software

Warner Farm has seen an increase in membership since implementing the customizable model in the winter of 2019. After experiencing a pandemic surge, their membership has landed at about 450 members — an increase of 50% since transitioning to customizable CSA shares.  

What Customers Love About Warner Farm’s customizable CSA model 

Warner Farm has gotten excellent feedback from their customers since implementing the customizable CSA model. Here are some key reasons why customers love it: 

• • Practical Meal Planning: The customizable model is particularly beneficial for families, offering practicality to meal planning. When preparing a dinner for four, having a large quantity of one type of produce is more convenient than a smaller quantity of different types. 
  • Flexible Scheduling: Customers appreciate the flexibility to put their share on hold, making it convenient to navigate around vacation plans or other commitments without feeling pressured to receive unwanted produce during their absence.  
  • Low Commitment: Through the one-time ordering option on LFM, customers don’t have to commit to a weekly subscription if they are unsure. They have the flexibility to subscribe to a “biweekly” CSA schedule and fill in the gaps with one-time orders. They have the option to do a “trial” CSA if they’re unsure about a full-time subscription. Or, they can continue ordering without a subscription — all without any extra hassle on Warner Farm’s end.  
  • Minimized Food Waste: A common concern for customers when signing up for a traditional CSA was the fear of letting produce go to waste. The customizable CSA model addresses this issue by ensuring that customers receive only what they want to eat or cook, therefore minimizing waste. 

Offering a customizable CSA is only a win in my book. The customer response is just huge.”

—Lacey Arnold, Direct Market Manager of Warner Farms

Want to learn more about how you can offer a customizable farm share? 

Lacey Arnold from Warner Farm joined LFM to discuss how our CSA software can help seamlessly integrate customizable shares into your current model. 

Innovative Sales: How to Offer Customizable Farm Shares 

Where: Watch the recording here! 

You’ll learn about:

🌟 Warner Farm’s journey to offering a customizable CSA

🌟How Warner Farm uses LFM’s Subscription Builder feature to run their customizable CSA

🌟 How this feature helps increase customer acquisition and retention

🌟 How implementing these changes can positively impact your business

… and more!