KENYA · GUIDE 0013 · EDITION 4.2
Carrot growing - Customers and market demand
The buyer and the buying decision
Greengrocers and kitchens purchasing roots by size. The offer to test is: Grow carrots graded for cooking or table use.
Separate carrots for whole-root retail from carrots intended for chopping or cooking, giving usable irregular roots a deliberate buyer rather than treating them as waste.
Separate interest from an accepted order
Trial a small bed and record split, forked and accepted roots separately.
The purpose of this test is to establish whether the buyer accepts the specified result, delivery arrangement and payment terms. An encouraging interview does not establish repeat demand. Ask what the buyer currently uses, what would make them change supplier and who has authority to approve the first order. Record a refusal as carefully as an enquiry so that unsuccessful offers do not disappear from the evidence.
Collect evidence specific to this offer
Track root shapes by bed section, harvest damage, preparation work and buyer-assigned grade so the next planting improves the causes of rejection actually observed locally.
| Question to resolve | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| What exactly will the buyer accept? | Ask a buyer to grade unselected trial roots and identify which shape defects affect their intended preparation and which merely change the suitable sales channel. |
| What is included in the first trial? | Separate carrots for whole-root retail from carrots intended for chopping or cooking, giving usable irregular roots a deliberate buyer rather than treating them as waste. |
| How will a prospect see the offer? | Ask buyers whether they value uniform roots or cheaper cooking-grade carrots. |
| What must happen before repeating the trial? | Do not conceal splits or rotten roots within a sack; specify whether sold washed or unwashed. |
Decide whether to continue
Review the specification with the buyer before committing to tools or stock. A trial is commercially useful only if actual costs, rejected work, time spent and cash collected can be reconciled. The enterprise loses margin when aggressive cleaning makes roots look attractive initially but damages their presentation before the customer can display or prepare them normally.
If a buyer changes the required output, record a new scope and re-cost the test. Do not count a request for a different product as proof of demand for the original one. Keep personal contact details in your private records and use customer statements publicly only with permission.