University of Essex

Essex Pathways Department

Name: Akash Rajkumar

Business_Essay

Student Number:1903032

Date:16/03/2020
Fairfield’s Farm Produce Ltd located in Colchester harvest potatoes on farmland across the
colne Valley located north of Colchester. On their farm they wash, store and grade a variety
of 12 different potatoes, these are then supplied to retailers across the country. Moreover,
they grow their own potatoes which are cooked on the farm providing consumers with the
highest quality, grade AA. They also export to many countries including Hong Kong,
Germany, Dubai and USA. In this essay I will be discussing the main components of the
business and how they operate according to the 4 p’s of marketing.

One of the main p’s of marketing is the product which refers to what the business offers to
consumers. For example, the product decisions which includes the function and packaging of
the product as well as the quality of the potato chips in this case. Fairfield’s farm is one of the
3 main brands which produce hand cooked crisps directly made on the farm whilst keeping
standards very high. They harvest the potatoes in the morning and make crisps in the
afternoon. The second brand is Lentils which was created to provide consumers with a
healthier alternative. Lentil Bites are under 99 calories per 20g bag thus making it more
appealing to consumers that are on strict diets or just want to snack on a product that has
more benefits than a regular pack of crisps. The last brand is called Ten Acre which produces
hand cooked crisps and popcorn and their whole range of snacks are gluten and dairy free.
This widens the scope of the business as they have numerous amounts of products that allow
them to attract customers that are vegan and/or vegetarian. In terms of packaging the
company has effectively produced crisps bags that help influence consumers purchasing
decision. For example, Lentils Bites packaging informs consumers that their products under
99 calories as well as making it clear that vegans and vegetarians are also able to enjoy their
crisps. This has a positive impact on consumers as it builds brand loyalty thus increasing
product satisfaction and sales. As mentioned above their products are graded AA which
provides consumers with product satisfaction. Quality is important to consumers as it helps
retain their loyalty so that they continue to buy from them in the future.

The second ‘p’ of marketing is price which is the total amount customers have to pay to
purchase a product or service. A businesses pricing strategy has to reflect their current
position in the market and the price that should cover individual product and the price
margin. The average individual price of a pack of Fairfield’s farm crisps is 63p for a pack
weighing 40g.The price of these crisps are slightly higher than common crisp brands like
Walkers; which cost an average of 25p when bought in a pack of 6 at your local
supermarket(Asda,Tesco,lidl).However when bought in bulk from their online website it is
much cheaper than the retail prices as each packet costs approximately 42p.Moreover, their
Lentils Bite brand is very costly as an individual packet costs 72p,however this could be
because of the lower calories and there being no gluten in a pack making them harder to
produce thus forcing retail prices up due to fluctuating price margins. In addition, the
business is a producer of high-quality goods(crisps) which is why individual prices are very
high compared to other substitute brands like Walker. Due to the difference in quality,
standards and differences in product differentiation they don’t provide price matching
services as their products are unique and one of a kind.

At a local Asda store the price of a 6

pack is £1.50 which equates to a pack
pricing at £0.25p

At farmfields farm produce the price

of a pack of 24 crisps is £15.00 which
equates to a pack pricing at £0.63.

There is a huge difference in price

between the widely in demand pack of
crisps from Walkers and the quite
expensive pack of crisps from
Fairfield farms.

One of the important aspects of a businesses is promotion which refers to what businesses do
to make themselves be more known to consumers, for example advertising, sponsors and
other public activities. Fairfield’s Farm produce has one main social platform for promotions
and advertisements as all their advertising is on Facebook. They are currently involved in
helping a brain tumour charity where a share of the money they receive from selling their
products goes to help people with brain tumours and they have produced a special pack to
raise money for the brain tumour charity thus boosting sales. This helps build brand
awareness as the charity can market for you and help encourage consumers to purchase their
crisps to help fund the charity. This also unlocks new networking opportunities as people that
support brain tumour will want to help expand and
increase funds which will help the sponsorship
grow (Fairfield farm in this occasion).

Farmfields farm produce Facebook

Page

This post shows how the business is closely in

touch with charity work and how they are
contributing to the community by helping fund the
brain tumour Charity as well as Lizzie’s fund.
The last ‘p’ of marketing is the place which refers to the location of the business or where the
product is being made or distributed. It is an important part of the business as it decides how
accessible the product is and whether the customers can easily find a product or service. The
businesses headquarters in in Colchester so the business distributes their products across to
retail stores where they are able to attract more customers. Fairfield’s Farm Produce Ltd is
located North East of Colchester in the countryside. This means the land and the premises
costs much less compared to having their headquarters located in London. As well as utility
bills such as water, gas and electricity. Since Fairfield’s farm produces the goods and
distributes them across the country, they would prefer to locate themselves in an inexpensive
piece of land allowing them to transport their goods effectively and efficiently. The
distribution channel for this company is the production of the crisps which are then delivered
to retail shops like Tesco and Sainsburys where they sell the goods to consumers via their
numerous branches.

Producers--------retailer--------consumers

The farm is based in

Wormingford,
Fairfield’s Farma small
village just outside
Colchester with over 62
acres of land.

Colchester

To conclude, Fairfield’s farm produce crisps that are of high quality and distribute to
different parts of the country as well as exports to countries abroad with no complications.
They have a very solid foundation as they are selling their goods at an increasing rate whilst
maintaining their quality. Their prices are expensive compared to other top brands like
Walkers who are very successful despite their low prices. However, their prices don’t seem to
have an effect on the consumers as they believe the high prices are nullified by the great
quality of the crisps.

Review of farmfields farm

produce-Facebook

In terms of promotion the company have online advertisements as well as the use of social
media platforms like Facebook which allows customers and businesses to engage with each
other and build stronger customer relationships. This sets the bar high as self-promoting helps
the business set themselves apart from the competition by proving to customers that their
brand is unique and how it’s the better alternative. It also helps reinforce that the business
cares about its customers. The farm is located in the countryside allowing easier
transportation transfers as well as inexpensive utility bills like water and electricity.
Reference list
https://fairfieldsfarmcrisps.co.uk/our-brands/

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/5-ps-marketing/

https://www.facebook.com/fairfieldsfarm/