How to Import Contacts into Farmzz: Your Existing Customer List Is Worth Thousands

Jean-François has been selling organic vegetables in the Lanaudière region for nine years. Over that time he collected about 280 customer emails through sign-up sheets at the market, Facebook messages, and handwritten notes on sticky pads. They lived in three different places: a Google Sheet, a stack of paper in his kitchen drawer, and a Facebook Messenger thread he'd have to scroll through to find. When he signed up for Farmzz, he figured he'd start from zero and build his subscriber list fresh.

His wife disagreed. "Those 280 people already bought from you. They're not strangers. They're customers." She was right. Each of those contacts represented someone who'd already driven to his stand, bought his produce, and voluntarily shared their information. Starting from zero when he had 280 warm contacts was like planting a field while ignoring the greenhouse full of seedlings.

He spent about 45 minutes consolidating his contacts into one spreadsheet, cleaning up duplicates, and uploading the file to Farmzz. His first notification went out to 263 people (after deduplication). He got 38 replies at the market that Saturday: "Oh, I didn't know you did text messages now!" Within a month his list had grown to 340 as word spread. But those first 263 were the foundation—and they came from contacts he almost threw away.

Where to find customer contacts you already have

Most farmers have more contacts than they think. They're just scattered across a dozen different places. Before you create a CSV file, do a quick inventory of everywhere customer information might be hiding:

Paper sign-up sheets from markets. If you've ever put out a clipboard at your stand asking people to sign up for updates, you have contacts. Dig through your truck console, your kitchen drawer, and your market bag. Even a crumpled sheet from two years ago has value—those people chose to give you their info.

Facebook and Instagram. If customers have messaged you on Facebook asking about availability, their names are in your Messenger history. Some may have included phone numbers or emails. Instagram DMs are another goldmine. You can't export these automatically, but you can scroll through and manually add the regulars to your spreadsheet.

Email accounts. Search your email for common farm-related terms: "strawberries," "order," "pickup," "market." Customer emails you've exchanged will surface. Your email app's contacts or address book may also have accumulated customer entries over the years.

Existing tools. If you've used Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Square, or any other tool that collected customer data, you can export those lists as CSV files. Even a defunct tool you stopped using three years ago may have a valuable list sitting in it.

Phone contacts. Your personal phone likely has dozens of customer numbers saved under names like "Marie — blueberry order" or "Restaurant Le Boisé." These are importable.

CSA or pre-order records. Any farm box program, pre-order system, or delivery route list contains customer contact information.

Even if each source only gives you 20–30 contacts, the combined list adds up fast. A starting list of 150–300 subscribers is a massive head start compared to building from zero.

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How to format your CSV file

Farmzz imports contacts via CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files. If that sounds technical, don't worry—it's just a spreadsheet saved in a specific format. Google Sheets, Excel, and Numbers all export CSV files.

Required and optional fields:

• Name (required) — The subscriber's first name, last name, or full name
• Email (required or phone) — A valid email address
• Phone (required or email) — A phone number with area code (e.g., 514-555-1234)

You need at least a name plus either an email or a phone number. Ideally both, so subscribers can receive both SMS and email notifications.

Example spreadsheet layout:

To save as CSV: In Google Sheets, go to File > Download > Comma-separated values. In Excel, go to File > Save As and choose CSV from the format dropdown. In Numbers, go to File > Export To > CSV.

Cleaning your list before import

Spending 10–15 minutes cleaning your list before import prevents headaches and ensures every contact lands cleanly in Farmzz.

Remove duplicates. If the same person appears on your market sign-up sheet and in your email contacts, keep only one entry. In Google Sheets, you can use Data > Remove Duplicates. In Excel, use the Remove Duplicates button on the Data tab. When in doubt, match by email address—it's the most reliable unique identifier.

Standardize phone numbers. Phone numbers should include the area code and follow a consistent format. "5145550123," "514-555-0123," and "(514) 555-0123" are all fine—Farmzz is flexible with formatting. But "5550123" without an area code will fail. If someone wrote "cell: five-one-four..." on a sign-up sheet, convert it to digits.

Fix obvious email errors. Scan for common typos: "gmial.com" instead of "gmail.com," missing "@" signs, or email addresses with spaces. These will cause import errors. A quick scan of 200 entries takes about 5 minutes and catches most issues.

Remove contacts who've asked not to be contacted. If anyone has ever told you to stop messaging them, remove them before import. Respecting opt-outs isn't just good practice—it's required under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). More on this in the SMS marketing best practices guide.

Step-by-step import process

1. Navigate to Subscribers in your Farmzz dashboard. Click the "Import" button.
2. Upload your CSV file. Drag and drop or click to browse your computer. Farmzz accepts .csv files.
3. Map your fields. Farmzz will show you the columns it detected in your file and ask you to match them to its fields (Name, Email, Phone). If your column headers are "Name," "Email," and "Phone," the mapping happens automatically. If your headers are different (like "Full Name" or "Contact Number"), you can manually match each one.
4. Assign a category (optional but recommended). During import, you can assign all contacts in this batch to a subscriber category. If you're importing your market sign-up sheet, assign them to "Market Regulars." If you're importing a restaurant list, assign them to "Restaurants." This saves time compared to categorizing each subscriber individually after import.
5. Review and confirm. Farmzz shows a preview of what will be imported: total contacts, any that will be skipped (duplicates or invalid entries), and the category assignment. Review the preview, then click "Import."
6. Done. Your contacts appear in your subscriber list within seconds. You can now include them in your next notification.

The entire process—from uploading the file to seeing contacts in your list—takes under 5 minutes for most imports.

Common import mistakes and how to fix them

Mistake: Phone numbers without area codes. Farmzz needs the full 10-digit number to send SMS. If your sign-up sheet only collected 7-digit local numbers, you'll need to add the area code. For most Quebec farms, that's 418, 450, 514, 819, or 579. Check which area code covers your region and add it to each number.

Mistake: Using the wrong file format. Farmzz accepts CSV files, not .xlsx (Excel) or .numbers (Apple). If you have a spreadsheet in a different format, export it as CSV first. This is a one-click operation in any spreadsheet app.

Mistake: Leaving blank rows in the file. Blank rows between entries can confuse the import process. Before saving your CSV, delete any empty rows at the end of the file or between entries.

Mistake: Special characters in names. Accented characters (like é, è, à, ç) are common in Quebec names and are handled correctly by Farmzz. However, unusual characters like emojis, tab characters, or line breaks within a cell can cause issues. Keep entries clean and simple.

Mistake: Importing contacts who haven't consented. Under CASL, you need consent to send commercial messages. Contacts who gave you their info at a market stand, signed up through a form, or engaged in a business relationship with you generally qualify. Buying a random email list and importing it does not. When in doubt, only import people who have an existing relationship with your farm.

What to do after your first import

Once your contacts are in Farmzz, take a few minutes to set yourself up for success:

Send a welcome notification. Let your imported contacts know you're on Farmzz now. Something like: "Hey, it's [Farm Name]! We're using a new system to let you know when produce is ready. You'll get a text and email from us when something's fresh. Welcome aboard!" This reintroduces you, sets expectations, and confirms the subscription.

Review your categories. If you imported multiple batches with different categories, check that everyone landed in the right group. A quick scan of each category catches any misassignments.

Set up your QR codes for ongoing growth. Your imported list is the foundation. QR codes at the market, on packaging, and on signage will keep adding new subscribers every week without any manual data entry from you.

Plan your first real notification. You have an audience now. Don't let it sit. Within the first week, send your first produce notification with a few products from your catalog. The sooner your subscribers see value from being on your list, the more likely they are to stay and spread the word.

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Frequently asked questions

What if I only have emails and no phone numbers?

That's fine. Import what you have. Subscribers with only an email will receive email notifications. Subscribers with only a phone number will receive SMS. Subscribers with both get both. You can always add phone numbers later as you collect them at the market or through QR code sign-ups.

Will Farmzz detect duplicates automatically?

Yes. During import, Farmzz checks for duplicate email addresses and phone numbers. If a contact you're importing already exists in your subscriber list, Farmzz will skip the duplicate and keep the existing entry. This means you can safely import multiple lists without worrying about creating duplicate subscribers.

How many contacts can I import at once?

There's no practical limit. Whether you're importing 20 contacts or 2,000, the process is the same. Larger files may take a few extra seconds to process, but the workflow is identical.

Can I import from Mailchimp?

Yes. In Mailchimp, go to your audience, click "Export Audience," and download the CSV. Then upload that CSV to Farmzz. The field names may differ (Mailchimp uses "First Name," "Last Name," "Email Address"), but Farmzz's field mapping step lets you match them correctly. The same process works for exports from Constant Contact, Square, or any other tool that exports CSV files.

Do I need consent to import these contacts?

Under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), you need consent to send commercial electronic messages. If someone gave you their contact info at your farm stand, signed a clipboard at the market, emailed you to place an order, or has an existing business relationship with you, you generally have implied consent. Buying a random email list or scraping contacts from the internet does not qualify. For detailed compliance guidance, see our SMS marketing best practices guide.

Can I export my subscriber list from Farmzz?

Yes. Your subscriber data belongs to you. You can export your full subscriber list as a CSV at any time from your dashboard. This ensures you always have a backup of your customer data, regardless of what tools you use in the future.