Growing Markets with Rani Dunkley
Business development for small-scale farmers
Many small-scale farmers are highly skilled at growing food but lack clear, practical pathways to consistent and reliable sales.
The core challenge is not production, but market alignment — understanding what to grow, in what quantities, at what quality, and for which buyers. Without this clarity, farmers often experience stress, wasted product, and inconsistent income.
This program addresses that gap by helping farmers align their strengths as growers with real market opportunities. It focuses on building confidence in what they grow, improving their ability to access strong buyers, and supporting more stable, relationship-based sales channels.
Event Description
Participants will engage through interactive learning activities designed to translate concepts into practical strategies. During the in-person workshop, participants will work in small breakout groups to develop draft marketing plans, identify their “Top 5” revenue-generating products, and map potential market channels.
Tabletop exercises will guide participants through pricing scenarios, quality assurance planning, and identifying opportunities for collaboration with other growers.
The farm consultations will provide hands-on learning, with the facilitator helping farmers assess production capacity, market opportunities, risks, and infrastructure needs specific to their farm.
Finally, the market simulation will provide the opportunity to practice grading, pricing, packaging, transporting and displaying produce for maximum buyer engagement. Producers will practice interacting with different kinds of buyers at market to build lasting, viable business relationships.
Details
This course has 3 parts:
June 28th: In-person Roundtable + Class Time
July: On-Farm Consultations
August 2nd: Live Market Practice Session at the Root
Location: The Root Cellar, Food Hub, 189 Beddis Road, Salt Spring Island.
Sliding scale: $100 | $150 | $200
About the Instructor
Rani Dunkley is a food systems operator with a lifelong connection to local food, markets, and cooperative models. She grew up in a family-run not-for-profit food co-op and began working in markets at a young age, developing a strong foundation in direct sales, customer relationships, and understanding what makes food move.
Her experience spans farm work, retail, and distribution. She has worked directly with farmers in high-production environments, supporting harvest, packing, and team coordination, and has extensive experience bringing products from farm to store in a way that meets buyer expectations.
She has worked in logistics coordination and operations for regional food distribution, managing the movement of perishable goods between the mainland and Vancouver Island. This included coordinating backhauls, overseeing on-island and off-island shipping, and supporting producers with packing, labelling, and freight documentation to ensure product moved efficiently and accurately through the supply chain.
Rani has also worked in health food stores and grocery environments, and went on to build and run a membership-based food buying club (food hub model) connecting farmers with households and buyers.
Her strength lies in bridging the gap between growers and the market — helping farmers understand what sells, how to present it, and how to build strong, lasting relationships with buyers. She is known for her practical, relationship-driven approach and her ability to translate real market experience into clear, usable strategies.
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