It's easy to get started on OFN, just follow the steps below:

1. Register your enterprise. Choose the 'Producer' and then 'Shop' package types and complete your enterprise settings with your business details.

2. List your products.

3. Set up a choice of payment methods available to your customers (cash on delivery, credit card online payment, etc.)

4. Set up a choice of shipping options available to your customers ('click and collect' service with a pick up time and location, home delivery, ...)

5. Set up an order cycle: this will open your shop at the start date you defined!

Congratulations! Your shop is now live!

When you start receiving orders, you can manage them in the orders section.

All the data you need to prepare and deliver the groceries to your customers can be found in the reports section.

More advanced features you might need

• Your enterprise profile:

  • On top of selling your products, you may want to allow another seller using the OFN (a local OFN hub) to display your products in their shopfront. Give them permission to sell your products.

• Your products:

  • Specify special credentials they may have (e.g. organic, plastic free...)

  • If you have a product that can be sold in different forms (eg. potatoes sold in 500g, 1kg and 2 kg quantities) then you can simplify your listings by adding variants.

  • If you sell irregular items like meat or vegetables (e.g. a whole chicken, a large pumpkin) which are priced by weight then you can learn how to do this here.

  • You can import all your product listings at once if they are in an Excel spread sheet.

• Your shopfront:

  • You can restrict access to your shop if you want your shop to only be accessible to "members" or invited customers. For example, you may offer discounted produce to members of the community who have all contributed to your business, or if you wished to only sell to specific commercial customers.

  • You can offer different prices, or display different goods, to specific groups of customers using customer grouping (through "tags") and custom display and pricing.

  • If you would like to be visible on OFN only but not actually sell goods through the platform then you can setup a display only shopfront.

Depending on the type of food enterprise you are running, you will use the Open Food Network platform differently.

We classify food enterprises in three ways: Profiles, Shops or Hubs.

The flexibility of the Open Food Network software allows you to change from profile, to shop, to hub (or vice versa) as your business grows and/or needs change.

Hub

Hubs can take many forms but, in essence, your enterprise is best classified as a 'Hub' on OFN if you wish to sell produce made by others. You can retail your own products alongside those of other farmers, bakers, growers... (a 'Producer Hub') or act solely as a distributor to sell a collection of groceries made by (local) enterprises (a 'Non-Producer Hub').

OFN can help your hub thrive and prosper by:

1. Increasing your online visibility.

2. Providing your customers with a virtual 'farmers' market' experience.

3. Streamlining your admin tasks with stock levels, orders, finances, packing reports all in one place.

4. Being able to take orders periodically to fit in with seasonal supply, production rotas and more.

5. Helping organise regular repeating orders such as veg box schemes.

6. Helping to build strong working relationships with local producers and food enterprises who supply you with goods.

The Hub enterprise has the most flexibility of the three enterprise types in OFN and you may find it necessary to adjust your enterprise type to 'hub' in order to unlock some of the more complex features we can offer.

Setting up on OFN can be as simple following 5 steps, just follow our quick start guide here.

Shop

Shops can take many forms but in essence, your enterprise is best classified as a 'Shop' on OFN if you wish to sell only produce that you make.

As a shop, as well as selling directly to customers through your shop front, you can also supply other OFN retailers (Hubs) with your produce.

OFN can help your shop thrive and prosper by:

1. Increasing your online visibility.

2. Streamlining your admin tasks with stock levels, orders, finances, packing reports all in one place.

3. Being able to sell in a manner which suits your needs; whether it is periodic orders to fit in with a seasonal potato harvest or a weekly cycle which matches your baking production... it's up to you!

4. Helping to build strong working relationships with local food distributors.

Setting up on OFN can be a simple 5-step process, just follow our quick start guide here.

Profile

The 'Profile' is the most basic enterprise classification on OFN and is ideal for micro enterprises or individuals who prefer to concentrate on growing, making, baking and/or producing food.

An OFN profile is ideal for increasing your online visibility and gives you the opportunity to connect in a simple manner with local retailers (hubs) who can manage customer sales for you.

OFN can help your food enterprise thrive and prosper by:

1. Increasing your online visibility.

2. Helping to build strong working relationships with local food distributors and retailers (OFN hubs) to whom you supply goods.

Setting up on OFN can be a simple 4-step process; just follow our quick starters' guide here.

It's easy to get started on OFN, just follow the steps below:

1. . If you wish to sell goods that you make as well as those of others then choose the 'Producer' and then 'Hub' ; whereas, if you only want to sell goods made by others then choose the 'Non-Producer' and 'Hub' package options. Complete your with your business details.

2. List your products. If you are a 'Producer Hub' then (or ) product listings for the goods you make yourself. For both 'Producer' and 'Non-Producer' hubs, contact local OFN enterprises who want their goods to be displayed on your shop front. Ask them to set up to connect their business to yours through OFN.

3. Set up a choice of available to your customers (cash on delivery, credit card online payment, etc.)

4. Set up a choice of available to your customers ('click and collect' service with a pick up time and location, home delivery, etc...)

5. Set up an : this will open your shop at the start date you defined. An order cycle is a period during which shoppers can place orders for collection or delivery at a particular time. Some enterprises have a weekly order cycle. Some have a permanently open order cycle.

Congratulations! Your shop is now live!

More advanced features you might need

• Your enterprise profile:
• Your products (Producer Hub only):
• Your shopfront:

Getting started on the Open Food Network can be as easy as 5 steps!

Follow the quick start guide for your enterprise:

Not sure which enterprise you are? Have a look at this .

For advice on setting up a Digital Farmer's Market read .

This user guide is designed to help you get the most out of the Open Food Network platform to support the operation of local food enterprises and “short food chains” wherever you live.

An overview

The Open Food Network enables local people to build better, fairer ways to source their food locally and directly from growers, farmers and producers. Expansive networks of small food producers, distributors, retailers, food hubs, food co-ops and buying groups can come together with the aid of the Open Food Network to find the best way of shortening the food supply chain. And in the process it helps to build strong communities.

The Open Food Network is a global project that supports the operational organisation of farmers, groups of consumers, cooperatives, etc. in the distribution of local food. The software we build is open source, and we collaborate with amazing people from all over the world to keep improving it! We also provide support in the organisational aspects of setting up and running a food hub. Please get in touch with to learn more about us!

This short video will give you a brief introduction to how the Open Food Network works, and what we can do for your food business, or organisation.

How to use this guide?

> Quick setup guides tailored to your enterprise

> Features to meet your needs

> Guidelines on complementary software you might like to use in combination with the Open Food Network

> Trouble shooting

> Search

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