MARKETING 



73 



favorable sale. The management collects from the buyer and 

 makes the return to the grower. 



It is evident that this method depends for its success very 

 largely upon the personal attributes and the business judg- 

 ment of the storage operator. 



Collective Selling, The grower may often strengthen his 

 position materially from the marketing standpoint by pooling 

 his efforts with those of others engaged in the same line of busi- 

 ness. This brings up the question of the cooperative packing 

 association. Chief among its advantages from the marketing 

 standpoint are: 



1. It provides a standardized product. Perhaps 50 growers 

 bring fruit to the packing house, where it is packed by disin- 

 terested parties into the proper grades. Though the grades 

 may not be entirely uniform owing to variations in the indi- 

 vidual lots of fruit, particularly as to color, they will be much 

 more uniform than if packing is done by individual growers. 



2. A sufficient volume of standardized produce is pro- 

 vided to prove an inducement to buyers. Buyers desire a 

 product to conform to certain specifications. They wish to 

 be able to obtain it at need and in sufficient quantities. Re- 

 peat orders are the goal of all business. The individual fruit 

 grower, as a rule, cannot supply repeat orders; the coopera- 

 tive packing association can. For this reason, the ability to 

 supply in carlots, at times needed, the packing association 

 obtains a foothold in the fruit trade world that is denied to 

 an individual, unless he is a very large grower. 



3. The association can keep in closer touch with market 

 conditions. It may even have representatives or agents in 

 some of the larger centers. It is thus in a stronger position 

 to market its output intelligently and to make a satisfactory 

 deal with the buyer than the individual grower is. 



4. The association can take steps to enlarge and increase 

 its markets that would be prohibitive to the individual grower 

 on account of the cost involved. It can carry on extensive ad- 

 vertising and publicity campaigns. 



