"We as a business cannot afford to have a customer take a second look and ask, ‘Do I need this?’ ” said Bud Konheim, the chief executive of Nicole Miller. “That is the kiss of death. We’re finished, because nobody really needs anything we make as a total industry.”
This quote reminds me that as a farmer, rancher, or local food producer, the marketing is the exact opposite. You want people to take a second look at their purchasing habits and think why they have to pay a few dollars more on food or spend a few minutes searching for a local producer each week to eat more locally.
Your argument is that everyone needs what you produce for personal health, environmental health, a strong local economy, reducing the amount of oil used in this country, and all the other arguments that help people understand why they buy from you.
The most successful farmer's market vendors always find a way to offer a tasting to customers. This is a chance to experience the difference between, say a peach shipped in from California in February versus an August, tree-ripened, Redhaven peach is obvious and will be remembered for a lifetime after that first taste.
I don't think we need to bang people over the head with the differences between local food and airplane shipped produce and why each food choice is so important. People want to come to their own conclusions, so keep gently nudging your customers and the "lococurious" [2]. What you do is vitally important to many aspects of our lives and with a little suggestion over time it should be possible to bring many new customers in-line with your cause.