If you can sell DIRECT to the restaurants, they will pay pretty much whatever you want as long as it's high quality.
Selling to stores is another thing. Generally you are very lucky if you get 1/2 of what they turn around and re-sell it for. In my area, none of the stores are even allowed to buy locally. They HAVE to go thru their regional warehouses. I did have a contact with 1 of them years ago and did sell to them for a few years, but it was more trouble than it was worth.
In my area there are a few independent "co-op" type stores that will buy local, but I haven't worked with them on anything much.
At my farmers markets the price for tomatoes varies a lot. Right now with only greenhouse and hydroponic tomatoes at the market, prices are $5-6 / lb. As the season goes on it will drop to about 2 -2.50 just before field tomatoes come on the market. When the field tomatoes come on, the price will drop to $1/lb or even less in bulk.
BUT if you have really nice perfect looking tomatoes you can put a variety name on, people will still pay a bit more than what they will for the average nameless red tomato.
Sorry I can't be more specific.
Oh if you have some kind of extension service or possibly a local "service club" they may have some kind of program to match chefs and growers. At the worst you could send those clubs and chamber of commerce groups a flyer with your info that they could give to restaurant/chef members.
Carol
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