And Here We Are, In July

Small Bites

July 2026

Creating opportunities to support & amplify regional food by sharing info & resources for relocalizing sales in a global marketplace

Catch the most recent Small Bites & all the back issues here! You never know what might catch your interest

We talk about consolidated controlled supply chains, but what we really need to talk about is the power of this dominance. Functionally, the powerful supply chain calls the shots with availability and price impacts across all scales of retail food stores.

How we got here is based on policies, such as Robinson Patman created as protection against monopolies, then systematically ignored since the 1980s. This lands us where we are today in an ever-changing world of systematically monitored prices, algorithms amp up prices in real time online & at brick-&-mortar stores. We are at a place where suppliers are squeezed out with no notice & non-mega-powerful retailers of all sizes are forced into closure.

Across the food industry we hear about Walmart, Amazon, UNFI, Sysco, US Foods, Performance Food Group & the effect they are having across the supply chain. The fallacy of scale is being admired for boosting small-scale sellers -such as our local specialty food companies selling on Amazon or through Trader Joes, Walmart etc. Yet for suppliers on Amazon, 50 cents of every sale advances Amazon’s bottom line which makes money not as a retailer but as infrastructure including its e-comm platform, a captive shipping sector which exceeds USPS, Fed Ex, UPS. Add to this its worldwide reach of their cloud computing services.

But it’s not ‘just Amazon” the largest food retailers game the system by deviating from adhering to federal or state policies. Algorithmic predatory pricing is in place changing retailer & consumer behavior. There is collusion across the large retail food sector that until addressed will continue to thwart our local economies. Together, this structure threatens smaller vendors, distributors, & stores by concentrating the power corporate systems while strengthening monopoly structures. And now when our local companies sell to them, they are at the mercy of algorithms. Dig in & listen to Heritage Radio where two food advocates Errol Schweizer & Stacy Mitchell of Local Self-Reliance provide critical information. It is a must for Small Bites readers.

Read on for more about local impacts, new Vermont legislation to protect pricing transparency, info on our Meet the Maker event, & more, including our collective need to address inequities across sectors that has resulted in real-time pain for our nation.

Store Pricing & Labeling

What to Know

On June 18, 2026 ACT 167 was signed by Governor Scott.

There is a lot in the Act that extends beyond store price labeling, but for Small Bites we'll tease out some of the implications. Please review this truncated summary. Though the pricing is geared to stores larger than 7000 square feet, there are valuable considerations for other stores too.

with the intention of making it clear to shoppers just what they are buying the label and unit prices are now written into law for more continuity.

One favorable consideration: the

bill prohibits the use of ‘real-time dynamic pricing’ by retailers – this emerging practice is truly insidious & VT prohibits it.

The use of electronic shelf labels to increase prices or otherwise use real-time dynamic pricing to increase prices when a retail establishment is open to the public is prohibited.

Retail establishments may only increase prices on electronic shelf labels during business hours to correct genuine and documented pricing errors and shall inform individuals present in the store of the price correction.

Oh, Oh Where Did They Go?

Over time, some of our favorite local brands have disappeared from store shelves. So too brands we didn't even know were produced in Vermont as private label brands. Why? What does it mean when they close down?

Well, there are many after-effects across the supply chain from ingredient suppliers through to retail & of course shoppers losing favorite products.

When a brand closes we don't always know why. Reasons as far & wide as family health, birth of a baby, aged out after years in the biz. Perhaps a larger business buys up land through an adaptive campus master plan putting existing businesses at risk. Or maybe they were dropped by a major retailer cannot make the numbers work in a sector that relies on tight margins dictated by the sector itself (see above essay, listen to Heritage Radio link in the intro above)

When Walmart's algorithm floated that their Better Goods trendy plant-based baked goods were no longer selling at the targeted level, the Bristol Bakery lost a primary private label account. Add to that they lost production of a popular Trader Joe's treat. The line was dropped when TJ's 'reverse engineered" a copy cat product then made by a competing bakery. Having lost two primary accounts in six month window, the local production bakery facility will close this summer.

Small founders claim Trader Joe’s representatives approach them for potential partnerships, asking for wholesale pricing or recipe samples. Then they sever contact releasing a nearly identical copy-cat product manufactured by another company at a heavily discounted price.

The Robie Farm: Good Things

Robie Farm on the border of Vermont & New Hampshire produces meat raised on the grasses of the Connecticut River valley. They also have a line of cheese from their dairy herd.

The farm once the home of a robust dairy switched gears 20 years. In an effort to keep the land in operation it tweaked the scale of its dairy to cheese & meat production. Getting products to market has changed over that period to. It remains a sober charge to steward the land & navigate the unpredictable turns of commerce.

They operate a robust farm store with meat, cheese, poultry, & dry goods. Due to intense pressure from commodity suppliers the farm has reduced delivery routes to restaurants. Competition against commodity pricing through broadliners is too much for the farm. In its place they have increased in sales to stores through Upper Valley Produce with an emphasis on coops & natural food stores. This focuses the farm on a pricing strategy more favorable to their bottom line.

As a small scale operation staying relevant, they have benefitted from the skills of the 7th (!) generation to run operations, which includes on-line sales to customers across the country. Anyone in the US can enjoy the quality products produced by the Robie family.

Happy Bird: Grilling Season

Grilling season is officially on. We have passed the halfway point of the year & are now well into "summer gathering season".

Up on the Canadian border Happy Bird raises & processes quality birds on a small scale serving select retail & restaurants customers. It also operates a farm store with a strong local & summer-season clientele.

They sell to a select retail customer base including Rail City Market, 5th Quarter, & Rogue Rabbit Center. Once a staple at the Middlebury Coop, they were dropped years ago by the buying team & the chicken is still missed by shoppers.

Vermont is not the biggest chicken producing state (thank goodness because large scale vertical poultry farming & processing is a nasty business model.) Local Happy Bird chicken on the grill is a fan favorite no matter where you buy it. They deliver via direct to store delivery.

Fired Up! Kamuda's Community Unites

Kamuda's Market in the heart of Pittsford, Vermont has partnered with Ezra Satz to promote camp fire wood bundles. Sourced locally from Whipple Hollow Rd. The store has a commitment to supporting this local young entrepreneur. Ezra has split the dry wood, included kindling, & uses all natural twine to bundle. No plastic!

Erza built a covered merchandising display the store has placed in a prominent location for campers & firepit folks to grab a bundle. The store also sells all the fixing for S'mores! (& (BBQs, picnics, boating, hiking, hammock lounging, summer pies, etc etc)

For the Ages: @ BBP

Knowing your customer base is quite possibly the most important part of your business.

At Brownsville Butcher & Pantry they have dialed in their butcher shop to include dry aged meat, sausage, & deli meats. They specialize in whole-animal procurement, handling the entire process 100% in-house. From the initial breakdown to the final packaging, the butchers prepare every cut with care to ensure kitchens are stocked with the highest quality local meat. Customers can purchase a share for significant savings while directly supporting for our regional farming partners which includes Shepard's Brook Farm rotationally grazed happy cattle.

Yalla For the Bridge

Nothing says summer quite like fresh cucumbers & fresh-made tzatziki. And nothing says let's all "come together" quite like Yalla, which actually means let's bridge our communities. Sounds pretty Vermont-like.

So when Brattleboro based Yalla advanced its business to expand its product line beyond its hummus, distributors & stores took note.

Placed in the refrigerated section of stores in New England, next to their hummus is the summer refresher of tzatziki, which of course is so great with farm fresh cucumbers on a riverside, swimming hole picnic.

Made with whole Greek yogurt, fresh cucumbers, dill, garlic, & squeezed lemon juice, it’s the real deal.

They are are manufacturing members in the VT Professionals of Color Network. Available to stores & farmstands through Food Connects.

Yalla Yalla From Joe Strummer

Caledonia Food Coop Opens!

With their open date of July 8th store staff & vendors have onboarded many local farms & vendors covering a range of products. Caledonia Food Co-op in Saint J might still be seeking local food. Interested in being a vendor? Fill out this form.

Just in time for summer sales! A recent 7 Days featured Rookies—long known for its stellar root beer—has expanded with a thirst-quenching sparkling maple lemonade. Unlike its draft root beer, the lemonade is sold in cans & is now available to stores served by Baker Distributing. More than 125 new retail accounts have already added the product. By working with a larger distributor, Rookies is prioritizing statewide store availability over seasonal farmstand sales. They are open to inquiries for distribution to the greater NE region.

Be A grocery Nerd: Read Errol Schweizer

The American Cheese Society (ACS) hosts North America’s foremost annual cheese-based conference this year held in Louisville, KY. Vermont cheesemakers submitted cheeses for judging at the prestigious. The Vermont Cheese Council reimburses Vermont cheesemakers for competition entry fees up to a certain amount to support their efforts in showcasing their cheese in a competitive setting. 15 Vermont cheesemakers took home 54 awards!

There are currently 40 members of the VCC making over 150+ varieties of cheese. Cheesemakers range in size from producers for local farmers markets to ones selling in regional, national & international markets. Vermont cheese creates $542,242 of economic output per job, & each Vermont dairy cow provides $8,676 in economic activity to the state annually.

“Vermont cheese continues to lead on the national stage through the creative inspiration & hard-working dedication of cheesemakers & dairy farmers." -Haley Elkins, VCC

Inviting Store Buyers to

Meet the Maker

There are a few spots open to help your staff learn how a production kitchen works.

Join those who registered early for July 22 at Butterfly Bakery in Barre. Experiences like this are as important as warehouse & store visits organized by the Vermont Grocers Project since 2017. Reserve your spot now!

Peak Pairings:

ACORN at Lincoln Peak

Wednesday July 15th from 6-8:00 learn about ACORN Food Hub's role in the local food system.

Local producers Hannah Sessions of Blue Ledge Farm & Jess Messer of Savouré Soda will speak about their experiences with the food hub. Nichole from Lincoln Peak Vineyard will offer her perspective as a buyer of local products. RSVP

This storytelling session paired with delicious delights is one way Vermont is celebrating UN’s International Year of the Woman Farmer.

Meet the Maker

The Grocers Project of Farm to Plate is hosting a Meet the Makers Series.

Our first one is on July 22 from 11-1:30, Butterfly Bakery provides am overview of how products move from production to retail. Hear first-hand about contracting with Vermont farmers for ingredient sourcing, & how efficient shipping & distribution system benefits sales. As a co-packer they will touch on the creation of high-quality products for multiple brands. The day includes a tour of the production and shipping facility.

Staff from specialty & co-op food stores, & food hub workers are encouraged to attend. Actually anyone who cares to learn more about food production businesses is welcome to attend.

The day is designed to educate & discover the intricacies of developing a specialty food brand. Participants will also learn from each other in a production facility, fostering a greater understanding of the food you sell.

The event is free. Space is limited

Details on Meet the Maker July 22

Grab a spot now

The Hidden Brand Workshop

Rival Brands is once again partnering with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets to provide a Building Executive Business Skills (BEBS) workshop for Vermont working lands businesses (farm, food, & forestry product sectors).

The Hidden Brand 10-week workshop series provides business owners with a deeper understanding of how to grow & lead a business through foundational concepts in branding & brand strategy.

Topics are centered around brand purpose, vision, mission, & values. Explore competitive awareness with messaging tailored to core customers.

This affordable course with funding provided by the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative begins in August. Get all the details for this 10-week series

ABC's of Selling BadA$$

Alli Ball Consulting is a national consultant for emerging food brands. She strives to help food businesses understand how to create a clear vision to resist hesitancy & engage with active selling. She has seen too often folks create truly cool products but are resistant to selling.

Alli has a summer BadA$$ sales program & we are helping you gain traction with a 50% discount with this code: SmallBites50

Many Vermont & regional specialty food businesses have participated in her range of services. Her podcast series still rings true, great listening for brands seeking to gain ground. We suggest you probe this new business support offering.

Specialty Food Manufacturing Space Available

Located close to the highway for easy access, a 5000 sq foot kitchen is available in Winooski. It is extremely well equipped for food businesses seeking growth efficiency. It has a loading dock, walk cooler, & freezers with heavy electrical services included.

Major equipment on site includes convection ovens with full-size bakery depths, 6-burner ranges, flat top griddle along with fantastic mixing & processing equipment.

Proven production capacity already in place is extensive & include batters & dough, proteins, cheese & veg prep, sauces & baked goods including muffins & pastries. There is much to learn about the space; check out more of the details on this summary flyer

Farmer as Retailer

Show Time!

Farms are great in the summer. The food is fabulous & opportunities abound to get folks out to enjoy a range of activities. In very corner of Vermont an immense amount of creativity is expressed on farms of all kinds. At Free Verse Farm they hosted a signature summer workshop, "Regenerative and Ethical Wildcrafted Herbs," on Sunday, July 12, featuring a farm tour, hands-on harvesting, & herbal preparation techniques.

Bouquet Buffets are a big deal at farms including Cedar Circle & Honey Field Farms in the Upper Valley. Pick your own flowers are a family rave & lil’ones love the experience of going home with their own mini posies bouquets. They adorn themselves as if it were the summer of love, perhaps every Vermont summer is a summer of love!

Across the state & down Route 30 in Manchester Center, VT Earth Sky Time goes all out with a full-on music series where food, dance, & smiles is all the rage. With a robust approach to food, music, & other arts this is the spot to revel in summer on-farm fun. Dancing shoes may be thrown off to get the most of the “farmy-experience” as noted in the above picture from Beth Duquette.

In Whitingham, a 'farm systems day' features Sarah Flack at Corse Farm for a pasture walk focused on advanced grazing management & practical strategies for improving pasture productivity. This is a learning opportunity more than a dance band rave, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some pasture-heads spinning in the fields ala Woodstock & the Summer of Love .

Listen to the Music

Sing Sweet Songs

Singer-songwriter Jeff Corle's music career was launched when the song he wrote about the closure of his 4th generation dairy farm & the sale of his beloved Guernsey cows unexpectedly went viral. Now with over 70 million views & streams, Corle uses his platform to shine a spotlight on the plight of farmers & the resulting farmer mental health crisis.

Jeff is coming to the Robie Farm on August 1. The Barnstorming Tour of America is grassroots, very community oriented with shows hosted by farmers in their barns. The tour will also raise money for local mental health-related non-profits with each host farm choosing a local non-profit to work with.

All his shows are free. There will be no any financial barrier to attending. The music & the message are carried where we are - in barns on farms, using music, lived experience, storytelling, & humor to create a very special, impactful unforgettable event.

“Empty Barn launched Jeff Corle on his path from cows to country music and farmers around the world are grateful that someone is finally telling their story.”

Farm First: Mental Health Resources for Farmers

Farmer as Retailer

It is high summer now at farms. The crossover from early cool weather crops to hot summer is well underway. Cucumbers are hitting their stride as are other cucurbits. Strawberries are still on in some places, faded out in other spots.

Display tables are full tilt boogie filling up with blueberries & tomatoes, cukes, zukes. Meanwhile the coolers are loaded with all the greens you could want. Farm-made creemees flavored with strawberries & blueberries were a wonder during the early July heat spell.

Farmstand displays can effectively create "weekly seasonal changes" to engage customers. Changing up pack sizes can be useful too to both help move larger amounts of product or to introduce crops that might be unfamiliar to customers.

Farmers market or retail farmstand displays require considerations to address displays scaled for anticipated sales, include color breaks & texture contrasts for an ‘easy to shop' experience.

Telling the Truth: Signs Matter

What is not to love about Vermont's road sign farmstand signage!

Some signs are professionally painted projecting farm branding, others are up to the minute farm highlights, & others can represent a set of values-based messaging.

Just look at these Vermont wonders! Across the state in every nook & cranny our farms speak their truth with signage as well as with their product selections & displays. These truths include genuine appreciation from staff & owners to their customers.

Small is Mighty

Mach's Market in the heart of the village of Pawlett, VT knows how to create display that draw in attention. Across the store their "micro" merchandising of locally made chocolates, cheese, popcorn, & body care can be replicated in scale at farmstands & stores.

This little display of Yoder Farm Popcorn with a Vermont tea towel says a lot. Once you get it in your mind, it doesn't take too much to create sales that emerge from small intentional touch points. Yoder Farm is one of the many producers available through Food Connects based in Brattleboro.

Mission Aligned

When buyers seek to develop their purchasing strategies it can be internally conflicting. Food comes attached to so many social issues, political influences, tech & financial considerations. Coops & many independent stores have strong 'mission' & purchasing parameters.

Purchasing creates connecting to organizations that can be beneficial for producers & the customers. A few sources cited for values alignment resources across issues are:

Plan Ahead!

November Gathering

Vermont Farm to Plate is now accepting breakout session proposals for the 16th Annual Farm to Plate Gathering, taking place November 19 to 20, 2026 at Burke Mountain

Hotel.

This year’s theme, “Taking Stock and Quilting the Future: Stitching Land, Farms, & Markets Together for a Stronger Food System,” invites participants to reflect on progress, share lessons learned, & help shape the next phase of Vermont’s food system work.

For more info & to submit you proposal