John Stanley

More and more farmers are entering the agritourism arena. In some parts of the world this is a great business decision as there are few farmers in this space. In other parts of the world the agritourism industry is already overcrowded and the entry of new players only confuses the consumer.The challenge of new players […]

In mid-March, 50 delegates from around the world joined John and Linda Stanley from Chestnut Brae on an agritourism tour of Western Australia’s South West. The tour showcased some of the region’s best farm-based tourism experiences. Among the delegates were Jordan and Alyson McKay from Ontario, Canada, travelling with their four-year-old daughter. Wherever she went,

Western Australia’s South West is a region of incredible diversity, where rich farmlands, world-class wineries, and sustainable tourism experiences come together to create a thriving agritourism industry. In March 2024, we welcomed delegates from around the world on the Best of the West International Agritourism Tour, exploring the best food, farm, and tourism experiences WA

I encourage my clients to enter awards. Yes, it takes time to get the application in, but the rewards can be tremendous. Many of you will know that my wife, Linda, and I have a sweet chestnut farm. This year we entered the Global Agritourism Awards. Farms in the sector entered from around the work.

Telling stories can grow sales, we have proven that this works many times. The key is having the knowledge that the customer can believe.The key to success is building t credible knowledge the customer can have confidence in.How do you obtain knowledge is the key.Janet Draper of the Smithsonian Institute recently gave a presentation on

As a farmer we can sell a 550 gram added value chestnut product for $15 and believe we are making good money. Okay we have to wait 7 years for a chestnut tree to fruit, but that is part of the game rules. On a recent visit to the farmers market in Helsinki we discovered a farmer making

Successful businesses that deal with consumers understand that they are in the solutions industry, not the product industry. On my recent tour of the USA I saw an excellent example of this in action.The Perennial Farm is located in Maryland and is one of the largest suppliers of perennial plants, except they do not sell

Boston is one of the older cities of the USA and famous for its side street retailing and cafes. Early February may not be the best time to go retail discovering in this city, but at least there are no crowds. Most cities in America are not designed for walking tours- Boston is. There were two spots that were

At this time of year, a host of trend reports come out from around the world forecasting how the next twelve months is going to be. I’m told the word of the year in America, and one I have seen in reports already is that 2024 will be “Indefatigable”. My first reaction was to get the dictionary out ( yes, not Google) and find