Small Bites
December 30, 2022
Creating opportunities to amplify & sell VT products to more buyers in the northeast &
beyond supported by a collaborative network of businesses & organizations
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That was one heck of a storm leading up to Christmas. Wind. rain. ice. snow. electricity out. trees down. greenhouses crushed. unplowed roads. severe windchill. From reports around the state, stores heeded Governor Scott's request to close businesses early by 4:00 & send staff home. A big shout out to all the store owners & managers who abided by this recommendation. Last minute shoppers of both gifts & food had to make some decisions based on safety. As a rural state, many folks travel great distances to work & stores, on roads that are not necessarily "top of the plowing list". As part of Homeland Security utility companies, tree services, & departments of transportation coordinate in advance to be prepared for severe storms. The severity of this most recent event will have some long-term impacts to some farms & businesses. Across the state volunteer rescue services stepped up to assist in caring for their communities. A big thank you goes out to all helping folks be safe & tending to the myriad details that followed this roller coaster storm dubbed "The Grinch".
Now that things are settling down, maybe it is time to sit back grab some Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream or their farm grown-small batch wellness syrups & enjoy some quiet time reading this issue of Small Bites. Remember to share your products, store, or distribution updates so we can amplify our regional food to enhance sales & profitability. Let us share your 2023 business news. Read on as we wind down 2022.
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Kinder Way Farm Sanctuary Suffers Storm Damage
The Champlain Valley took a huge hit with the wind in last weeks' storm. Micro bursts were prevalent along the Route 7 corridor. In Middlebury, as reported by VT Digger, the Kinder Way Farm Sanctuary was decimated. Out buildings that housed several animals were tossed around. Though no animals were injured, as the storm kept up, they were disoriented by the flooding & destruction. The roar of the wind, the crackling of debris was itself very stressful added to that were shelters blown apart. Jack Thurston & Kika Bronger, of NECN featured a video story on the farm & its recovery process.
The Gutel family who operate the animal sanctuary are devastated by the enormity of the loss of animal shelters, food, & supplies. A GoFundMe is set up to try to rebuild & care for the animals on their farm. For those wishing to help, no amount is too small. KWFS is a 501c-3 non-profit with donations tax deductible.
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The winding down of 2022, requires us to give a few shout outs. First, to the retirement of Senator Leahy who for decades has worked to secure our agricultural interests as a member of the Senate Ag Committee which began in 1987. Among his many accomplishments, he & his staff have proved their ag, economic, & justice interests by supporting programming & funding that intersects with the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. We wish him the very best & value his service to our state & country. Thank you, Pat!
A shout out to Jack Thurston & Kika Bronger, reporter & videographer for New England Cable Network which is closing its Vermont division. As a team they have traveled widely telling our stories to the region & the country. Crisscrossing the state, they have introduced us to many farm & food initiatives & businesses. We wish them both the best as they transition. NECN will not be the same for Vermonters with the loss of their story telling.
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Keep Your Eyes Peeled!
Vermont Way Foods has launched a new retail product! You will no doubt be seeing this in more produce departments as 2023 gets underway.
They say getting products into the food chain, takes a village. Each of the collaborating businesses has a specialty that gets the retail packages of premium potatoes to produce departments across the state, and soon to reaching the NE region.
Through the multiplier effect you can strengthen the economic impact of your purchases by buying these potatoes to sell at your store. This is a fabulous collaborative approach that touches growers, shippers, distribution professionals at every point in the chain.
Their cheese starts with the cows. The cheesemaker & herdsperson, Lorinda Campbell (Rin) has always loved Jerseys. She treats them as family, talking to them, teasing them, & always sharing hugs with them. She jokes that she speaks two languages, English & Cow.
They have 8-pound wheels & retail pack sizes too of Gouda aged 18 months developing a nutty yet creamy cheese.
Caerphilly, originating in Wales, is in the Cheddar family. It is an excellent melting cheese & great in sauces
Farmstead Cheese is a gouda style aged 4 months that is soft & creamy. All cheese available in 8-10lb weight wheels, or in 6-8oz retail packs. Contact Charleen at 802-233-2408 or creekvalleyfarmcheese@gmail.com
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Speaking of Cheese
2023 is looking sharp for cheese producers with the Artisan Cheesemakers Winter Conference February 16 & 17. This virtual meeting keeps cost low, but content high with a host of presenters from around the world attending. While focused on cheesemakers, cheese mongers are welcome to learn more about the craft of cheese.
2023’s conference will be 2 days filled with great educational sessions developed by the VCC education committee that targets skills & a wide range of topical information. While most of attendees are cheesemakers, they welcome all who want to learn more about what factors impact cheese quality & sales. Get the details & take part in early registration savings.
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One More Cheese Thing of Note
Generating sales of food products requires attention to creative marketing, partnerships, collaborations & teamwork. To that end, regional sales of cheese benefits from just such an alliance. Cave to Co-op is a partnership among the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), distributor Provisions International, & New England’s artisan cheesemakers. Over the past five years, this program has moved 14 tons of regionally produced cheese at affordable prices. The alliance helps train cheese department workers & shoppers can try new cheeses through the monthly promotions. Check out the list of participating cheese producers.
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Mocha Joe's Coffee Roasters in downtown Brattleboro is fast becoming THE coffee because of their values-based purchasing & collaborations with coffee farmers.
Their work with Cameroonian coffee farmers, pickers, & sorters is geared toward yielding specialty-grade green coffee beans from the farms in the region. Sorters are trained in the mill to carefully remove coffee defects before the beans make their way through the remainder of the production process. The result is improvements in harvest techniques & farm-level process controls that furnish high quality coffee to the mill.
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Though this is not featuring local products, the display at the Springfield Food Coop is well constructed with products for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
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Winter Series: Professionalizing Our Food System
Food manufacturing businesses are encouraged to join a winter session dedicated to distribution & operations hosted by VAAFM & Farm to Plate. This online training runs Wednesday afternoons from mid-January to the end of March. The series covers a range of topics covering clues on how food distribution works & expectations to grow your business & develop sales strategies. Consider this a set of clues to help you develop sales, it's like Small Bites meets the Producer Buyer Forum. More details & Registration. Space is limited sign up soon. If it is filled, let us know if you want to be placed on a waiting list.
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"Farmer as Retailer" Training
Join other farmers this online winter session dedicated to farm retail operations. This online training runs Wednesday mornings from January 11 - early April. The series touches upon a range of topics from permits to payments & merchandising & on farm safety. We partner with outside consultants & farmers and will have time for plenty of sharing. Register here Space is limited & dedication to the series is expected. If it is filled let us know we might be able to fit you in!
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There's That Village Again
There can be some tough days out on the road for delivery drivers. Here is the Upper Valley Produce driver cranking deliveries before the big storm. On any given day, hustling is expected but beyond crazy storms, a driver faces a lot of unexpected conditions that can include road closures to limited staffing at stores.
Stores can help drivers with cleared pathways both outside & inside receiving areas. Having product-return credits in order & ready for pick up can save time & make their days a little bit better. Of course, an offering of hot coffee can be welcomed by drivers too.
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Wilcox based in Arlington, VT are makers of premium ice cream. They are also distributors & freight shippers for many VT frozen food companies.
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Cart o' Carrots
Elmer Farm in East Middlebury produce fabulously flavored carrots that get delivered throughout the winter. At the receiving dock they are off loaded from the truck into a handy shopping cart then to the Produce Department where they are merchandised into the cooler. Sometimes they need a stop on the sales floor as the cooler is organized for the load!
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Established late in 2019, (just before the pandemic shut things down in early 2020), VFC was a “farmHer” owned & operated food market where 70% of sales went to the producers. With the goal of strengthening the local food system, VFC partnered with area food producers & distributors to sell locally produced foods to Addison County communities & area restaurants, through in-store & online sales. They had goals to educate consumers & farmers, offering food workshops & events while also raising cattle on their farms.
Its closure aligns with other stores that highlight some of the challenges of retail: it is a low-margin business with high startup costs & tight cashflow. Sometimes it is finding out the mission is not always aligned with anticipated community engagement. Knowing your shopper demographics, creating a product mix with a grasp on the intricacies of margins, having ample operating capital to carry through tough times, along with staffing highlight constraints are often cited as just some of the difficulties in running a store.
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Initiatives & Awareness for 2023 |
The Vermont Releaf Collective envisions a Vermont that is an equitable, safe, & just place for Black, Indigenous, People of color to work in, participate in, benefit from, & lead within foodways, agriculture, land, environmental initiatives. Releaf stands for racial equity in land, environment, agriculture, & food.
The network embraces farmers & gardeners, restaurant employees, entrepreneurs, activists, researchers. In essence, anyone fostering a collective affinity space & alliance of BIPOC individuals & organizations & who are deeply committed to promoting racial equity across the four focus areas are welcome. Find out more &
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Mission Driven
Work Force
Step Out’s L.I.F.E. mission is to aid and empower women with significant barriers to employment to accomplish transformative self-change, to move beyond imposed inequality, & to find meaningful work yielding sustainable income. Barriers include incarceration, housing instability, substance abuse, mental illness & little/no job skills.
Are you a business interested in lending a helping hand for women to gain more life skills & work experience in your farm / food business? Step Out is seeking farmers & food producers to participate in the program. Graduates come to the workforce with a huge number of new skills & values that they have learned through the program. Employment enhances their skills & can help address staffing gaps at area businesses.
Their larger purpose of the program is to contribute to the alleviation of suffering from poverty & oppression, & to the building of peaceful and just communities.
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In 2023 Food Connects will be storing & shipping VT & regional food from its new & expanded location!
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2023....Are You Ready?
Is it time to refresh your website? Retool your brand? Do you need extra eyes on your business? Pam Knights Consulting has always focused on farm-food, ag-tourism, food stores, & wood products. Contact her to launch your success in 2023.
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Services & Good Stuff to Know
Preservation Trust of VT has been fortunate to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to projects across the state. From old stores to community centers, grantmaking is a key strategy to support the historic preservation work undertaken by local organizations & communities. Find out more how they are helping & your business can qualify for preservation grants to help maintain & preserve reserve old country stores & historic barns.
Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Association annual membership drive is underway. Membership runs on the calendar year, the 2023 fee is $70, however if that presents a barrier discounted rates can be arranged. The fee increases to $80 after the annual meeting on January 24, 2023. Membership & annual meeting details
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2022 VSFA Members
Explore VT food producers & support business that became members of the VT Specialty Food Association tin 2022. Store buyers might find some emerging brands to try out!
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Attention Food Manufacturers
VAAFM invites agricultural & forestry businesses to apply for tradeshow grants to identify, plan, exhibit at out of-state trade shows or virtual shows
targeting out-of-state buyers. Funding may include up to five trade shows in a yearly marketing plan; $2,000 & $5,000 in eligible reimbursements for shows that take place between April 1, 2023 & March 31, 2024. Find details here.
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Small Bites comes to you via USDA & High Meadows grants. Content is created for farmers, food manufacturers, distributors, & grocers to increase VT food sales
Contact: Annie H Harlow
smallbites802@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, photo credits are from company social media, websites or Annie Harlow
Photo credit: Kinder Way Sanctuary Farm Glenn Russell for VT Digger
All info is subject to change; thank you to all who contributed to this issue
Special thanks to Sustainable Business Network, Matt Landi, & Corey Hennessey
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