market research results: designing a community supported fishery
TRANSCRIPT
Williamsburg CSFRecommendations from
Research
What is a CSF?
A community supported fishery (CSF) is the seafood version of CSAs. Members pay upfront for a regular delivery of seafood throughout a season.
What makes a successful CSF?• Passionate CSF coordinator• Partnerships and business
relationships• Business planning
Research Overview
• 7 members of VA’s seafood industry interviewed
• 29 CSFs interviewed and surveyed
• 855 Williamsburg-area residents interviewed and surveyed
Opportunity
In the first year of operation, we estimate that 554 households would join a CSF.
• Paying grocery-store prices• Bi-weekly delivery of 2lb of
fillets of common fish• Most expect some level of
variety week-to-week
Top Three Motivators1. Customers want fresh, quality
seafood;2. They want to support local
community and businesses;3. They want to support
environmental responsibility.
Challenges (CSF point of view)• Business management, staffing• Membership growth, retention
Challenges(customer point of view)• Price concerns
Challenges(customer point of view)• Inconvenience of delivery
time, day, location
Challenges(industry point of view)• Seafood processing
Research Team• Virginia Sea Grant• W&M Mason School of Business• W&M School of Law• VIMS Green Team• W&M Student Environmental Action Coalition
