Taking Advantage of this Moment and Opportunity

Abstract

This project was supported by RSDP (Regional Sustainable Development Partnership). With the help of a graduate student from the University of Minnesota, Agua Gorda Cooperative undertook a project from February to May of 2020 with the following objectives: 1. Research and develop a market analysis for Cooperativa Agua Gorda’s local produce. 2. Develop a marketing plan for the Cooperative identifying opportunities for establishing and growing business partnerships. 3. Outline Cooperativa Agua Gorda’s key network opportunities and recommendations for Central Minnesota region. The motivation for this project came from seeking other options to sell Agua Gorda’s products in and around Long Prairie, Minnesota. We used a 60 mile radius to determine the region for our market analysis and the following question to guide the research project: How can Agua Gorda Cooperative use a marketing strategy and a regional market analysis to illustrate the value of their farm to the community, build partnerships with stakeholders, and take advantage of the social and capital resources available to farmers in the region?