The starting point: a cheese farm in Muides-sur-Loire
While thinking about this article, I had a specific example in mind: a goat cheese producer in Muides-sur-Loire, with their own farm shop. That's exactly the kind of business where I think the web is underused — not to sell in bulk online, but so that someone passing through knows the shop exists, what it sells, and when it's open, before they even arrive at the gate.
The Loire Valley, and Loir-et-Cher in particular, has a real cheese-making tradition: Selles-sur-Cher, an ash-coated goat cheese, has been a protected AOP since 1975, produced right in that département (INAO, Selles-sur-Cher product record). Local farm producers aren't starting from nothing — they have a product and a reputation. What they often lack is being findable at the right moment by someone who doesn't know them yet.
Direct sales are already significant, but still mostly offline
In France, nearly a quarter of farms — around 90,000 holdings — sell at least part of their production through short supply chains, and direct farm sales account for nearly two-thirds of them (Agreste, 2020 agricultural census). On the consumer side, two out of three French people say they buy through short supply chains at least once a month, and 80% favor buying directly at a physical point of sale (Pourdebon, 2024 survey, published February 2024).
The most interesting figure for a producer hesitant about investing in a website is this one: 14% of short-supply-chain buyers already order online with pickup at the shop or a drive-through point. Still a minority — but that's exactly the gap you can close before your competitors do.
Why click and collect makes sense for a farm business
Limited production, not unlimited stock
A farm producer doesn't make unlimited quantities — a cheese depends on the milk available, a vegetable basket on that week's harvest. Click and collect lets a customer reserve what they want before traveling, instead of showing up for nothing because everything's already sold.
Avoiding pointless back-and-forth for everyone
Nothing is more frustrating, for a customer and for you, than a visitor arriving at a closed or empty shop. A simple ordering system — even just a form with a pickup slot — avoids that wasted trip in both directions.
Capturing passing visitors who plan their route in advance
Some château visitors or Loire à Vélo cyclists like to leave with a local product — cheese, honey, jam. If they can order ahead and pick it up on their way, without waiting on-site, that's a sale you wouldn't otherwise make. As I explain in my article on shops and La Loire à Vélo, this crowd plans and decides its route from their phone.
What this actually means — no need for anything complicated
You don't need a complex e-commerce platform to start. What matters is:
- A simple site presenting your products, your real opening hours, and where to find you
- A basic order form, with a day and pickup slot — not necessarily online payment from day one, just a way to reserve
- An up-to-date Google listing, to appear in "farm cheese" or "local products" searches near Muides-sur-Loire, Chambord or Saint-Laurent-Nouan
What I actually offer:
- Website creation — a simple site with a click-and-collect order or reservation form
- Local SEO — visibility on farm product searches in the area
Conclusion: selling what would sell anyway, without the missed visits
I'm not telling you the web will make your sales explode overnight. What I'm telling you is that every customer who leaves empty-handed because your shop was closed when they passed by, or because they didn't know you existed, is a sale that didn't happen — when it could have, with a simple way to reserve ahead.
If you're a farm producer in the area — cheese, honey, vegetables, poultry — I'd like to see what would make sense for your business.
Let's talk about your project
Book a callSee the dedicated Loire Valley page
NexIT — Camille Beaucher, web agency based in Le Mans, traveling by appointment across the Loire Valley.