Chris Hertel, the co-owner of Sun Gold Farm, spent two days sitting in front of a computer last month uploading images of every item that the small Forest Grove family farm had available for purchase.

He and his parents had considered launching an online store for customers to pre-order items and schedule pickups in the past, but they were forced to fast-track the idea after the coronavirus crisis threatened to decimate business for the farm.

Once the online system was up and running, Hertel posted an advertisement to Facebook. Fifteen minutes later, an order came in.

“I’ll tell you, I cried when that first order came in,” said Hertel, holding back tears as he recalled that moment. “I said, ‘Oh my God, it works.’ We had no idea what was going to happen to sales. We were pretty worried up until that time.”

Farmers and food producers that rely on sales from farmers markets have rushed to set up online stores or started taking orders over the phone and by email over the last month as walk-up sales have plummeted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Farmers markets in the Portland area have remained open, but some have started to move to drive-through models, requiring customers to pre-order items and come to the market only for pickup. The number of people showing up to markets without pre-ordering food has decreased substantially.

Many of the markets have made an effort to help connect customers directly with vendors. Portland Farmers Market, which has implemented safety measures to promote social distancing at the market, recently put up a directory on its website to help customers pre-order food for pickup at the market or arrange other pickup and delivery options with dozens of vendors. The Hillsdale Farmers Market, Beaverton Farmers Market and Oregon City Farmers Market are among the venues using drive-through models. All three markets have listed contact information for vendors online, so customers can order ahead of time.

Hertel said that the new online pre-order system at Sun Gold Farms, called the Harvest Club, has been a success, in large part because the items they offer -- flour, dry beans, popcorn, flower and plant starters -- are currently in high-demand as people stock up on non-perishable groceries and dedicate more time to gardening due to the coronavirus outbreak. He said that the farm was lucky that it was able to launch the online system so quickly, since it had previously shipped select items nationwide through a small online store.

“Some of the markets are only doing pre-orders now,” Hertel said. “The Hillsdale Farmers Market has stopped allowing day of shopping. Right there, we would have lost an entire market without an online system ready to go. I feel sorry for the farmers and the other businesses that aren’t ready for that or are taking orders by phone calls or emails.”

Darby Banales, the owner of Roundhouse Foods, which produces a variety of non-GMO, vegan hummus and other spreads, said that she relies on revenue from farmers markets as her main source of income. While she is continuing to attend markets, she has also rushed to set up an online ordering and delivery platform as her sales have dropped by 40% due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Roundhouse Foods will launch its new delivery system on its website Sunday, allowing customers to purchase items for delivery within a 15-mile radius of Portland. Delivery fees will be waived for customers within the City of Portland that order at least $40 worth of food. She is hopeful that the delivery system will help her business stay afloat and allow her to continue to employee two part-time employees.

“This is a small company,” Banales said. “I’m running it myself. I’ve never had a lot of money. I’m a working-class person running a working-class company. The business has got to be at least somewhat profitable, otherwise we’re going to have to shut it down, or at least put it on pause until things go back to relatively normal.”

Louann Bone, the owner of Greenville Farms, said that the farm luckily had already purchased the materials it needed to grow its products for the season before the coronavirus pandemic. Still, she said she has already seen a significant decrease in sales because one of the markets the farm usually attends is no longer running. She has started listing a phone number on the farm’s Facebook page that customers can call to place pre-orders for produce, sausages or sauerkraut.

Bone said that purchasing produce and other food items from farms and farmers market vendors is a great way for customers to access a range of fresh food, including milk, eggs, bread, meat, fruit and vegetables, at a time when many people are looking to avoid crowded grocery stores.

“We like to emphasize that our product, unlike products in stores, is only touched by one or two people before it gets to the consumer,” Bone said. “People like that idea. We keep all of our produce away from the public, so none of it is touched by the public. We bag it on the farm, so when we get to the market, the only thing you’re touching is the bag that it comes in. We’re just trying to do everything the safe way.”

Kathy Unger, the co-owner of Unger Farms, said that the farm participates in 12 markets annually. While they also sell berries to New Seasons, 60% of their revenue comes from farmers market sales.

Even though their berries won’t be ready to sell until mid-to-late May, Unger said the farm is already offering customers the option of participating in the farm’s CSA program to have berries delivered for 12 weeks and is preparing for the possibility of needing to start an online store, with the assumption that social distancing measures could be in place for months.

“The markets are doing a lot to help the vendors,” Unger said. “But everything is just so up in the air right now. I know everybody is dealing with that. You just have to plan the best you can.”

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

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