KENYA · GUIDE 0010 · EDITION 4.2
Courgette growing - Marketing and first customers
Reach a buyer who can accept the offer
Caterers, restaurants and vegetable traders.
Ask restaurant buyers which fruit size they portion most efficiently.
Begin with the problem and specification rather than promising a return on investment you cannot establish. The proposed output is: Grow courgettes sold before they become oversized.
Make the first message specific
Explain what you will deliver, what is excluded and what the prospect needs to confirm before a quotation. Use this scope when preparing a sample, demonstration or introduction:
Build the courgette offer around the cook's chosen dish and delivery rhythm, allowing picking decisions to follow that use rather than simply waiting for heavier fruit.
Ask who approves purchases, who accepts the output and how payment is arranged. These can be different people. An informal recommendation is useful for an introduction but does not replace the buyer's approval.
Use proof that matches the promise
Ask the cook to slice and prepare trial courgettes at different maturity stages, then identify the stage that gives acceptable texture and portion consistency.
Keep approved examples, inspection records or handover evidence that demonstrate this result. Obtain permission before using a customer's name, photograph, premises or work. Do not invent reviews, imply an endorsement or display private contact details as marketing proof.
Follow the lead through to collection
| Stage | What to record |
|---|---|
| Contact | Source of the introduction and permission to follow up. |
| Qualified enquiry | Required specification, buying authority and timing. |
| Quotation | Scope, exclusions, price, delivery and payment stages. |
| Accepted result | Ask the cook to slice and prepare trial courgettes at different maturity stages, then identify the stage that gives acceptable texture and portion consistency. |
| Repeat decision | Record each picking interval, fruit sizes, kitchen acceptance and alternative sales of oversized fruit, making the cost of a missed visit visible in the pilot. |
Track harvests from a small plot and ask a cook to assess size and texture.
Review what it cost to obtain and fulfil a paying order, including travel and follow-up. High enquiry counts do not compensate for a route or delivery arrangement that loses money. Keep cancellations, complaints and refusals visible when evaluating a channel.
Skipping a picking visit can create oversized stock that increases harvested kilograms while reducing the quantity the intended kitchen is willing to purchase that week.
Expand outreach only when the promised scope can be delivered reliably. Use permission-based follow-up and an achievable response time instead of bulk unsolicited messages.