|
Produce Change
Produce Departments benefit from seasonal resets, but they also benefit from really BIG changes. That might be old coolers are replaced with new ones, a complete reworking of moveable displays, & new sets of eyes on reframing the entire department. Changes can be supported by input from distributor retail teams. When this happens, the goal is to help drive sales through the vendor in addition to an entirely new look. The produce manager then takes that into consideration to advance their local direct to store delivery sales too.
In the past few years small & large stores have gotten new coolers to aid produce sales. Some have worked with through Columinate produce advisers, distributors such as Black River Produce, AGNE, & Four Seasons, & through the VT Grocers Project. Investing in big changes freshens the department & can increase sales through the ‘novelty’ of newness. In 2026, does your store have ideas to shift displays or invest in new equipment? Efficiency Vermont might have some resources for you to save energy costs, including energy audit.
Above, Middlebury Natural Foods Coop has invested in a major overhaul of their Produce Department providing a renewed shopping experience. By purchasing some new shelving & bins for their wet rack, they have completely updated the product handling & shopping experience.
| |
Butterfly Bakery of Vermont hits the big time again!
Their newest hot sauce, Smoked Serrano Squash Reaper X is making its Debut on Hot Ones Season 29. This marks their 4th appearance on the YouTube series & the fourth time bringing Vermont small-farm produce to the world! Catch the episode on the First We Feast You Tube Channel. After the showing, it will be widely available through VT Roots, Wilcox & online through Faire & through Butterfly's online store.
Butterfly Bakery of Vermont is the largest purchaser of Vermont-grown chili peppers & sources the majority of its ingredients from within 200 miles of its Barre-based cannery. Behind every bottle of hot sauce is a set of long-term relationships with a network of small farms – like Familia Farm of Pawlet, Dutchess Farm of Castleton, & Honey Field Farm of Norwich. That scale and consistency give local farms reliable markets, while allowing the company to develop sauces that are rooted in place rather than trends.
Butterfly features local crops in each hot sauce. Being on the nation's stage allows this humble brand full bragging rights in support of "small" showing up on one the biggest food culture platforms in the world. Products are well stocked at both Burlington City Market locations & the Chittenden Cider Mill in Waterbury. More about the sauce here
| |
Mix & Match
Impulse Sales
It's been a tough start to the year. And the end of last year was no sweet spot. To make things feel a little better, in January fresh Vermont greenhouse grown tulips were front & center as impulse sales at the Lincoln General Store.
Along with the flowers Krin's Bakery & store-made goodies provided bits of escapism. And for the great outdoors the store stocks Skida hats & Darn Tough socks for staying warm in the great outdoors. Managing your product mix for your customers is all about meeting their needs. Looks like the LGS has been serious endeavoring to meet eh physical & emotional needs of shoppers.
| |
Pairings: Cheese & Produce
The wee little Von Trapp Farm Store located in the gorgeous Mad River Valley reflects the love of well-raised local food, & building long-lasting relationships with other food producers. The farm partners with vendors who share similar ethos.
They have regular customers that come every week for raw milk & Pete’s Greens organic veggie CSA. Some folks come on a regular basis to fill their freezers with delicious meat, & others come by for a treat or snack after picking up kids from school. The farm store features their award-winning cheese too! They sure do love local food & connecting with a community that shares the same values. Pete’s CSA pick up site at the store helps drive sales of value-based producers while building relationships from across the state.
| |
Why It Matters: Snow Safety
Well, we got some snow! Some places in southern Vermont receiving up to 20 inches, which amounts to a lot of clearing.
Often overlooked is the importance & due diligence to clear off the tops of delivery trucks. Legally vehicle roofs must be cleared. As a safety issue this cannot be under-valued. Huge sheets of snow & ice flying off can cause damage to other drivers. Transportation teams have different methods to clear off. Using long handled roof rakes, or foam brooms can be used. A truck can easily be overweight when the snow is not cleared. They become top heavy & dangerous on the roads.
Delivery & receiving loading docks & walkways need to be cleared out of courtesy & safety of drivers & receivers. After you dug out to get work, there is more digging to do for overall winter safety.
| |
Tony's Tips
One of my go-to guys for inspiration is Tony Risitano at Salvation Farms. Our conversations always feed both of us equally. When talking about workplace safety he reminded me
(once a warehouse worker at Veritable Vegetable in San Francisco) that pallets have to be laid flat & not leaning up vertically.
One pallet is assumed to be an abandoned pallet posing a risk of it getting knocked & falling, causing harm to someone.
| |
A stack of pallets is intentional, & which is often designated zone. They can only be moved with a forklift or powered industrial vehicles. There are limits: up to a certain height, it is dangerous. OSHA fines businesses for poor safety compliance.
It is important to not over-stack which could be a safety issue. Thanks for the reminder Tony as our farmers, food manufactures, distributors & food hubs all use pallets in wholesale distribution.
| |
Above: Pallet of Just Cut products bound for UVM Dining
Photo credit: Lotty Roozekrans
| |
Shipping Frozen: Dry Ice
Dry ice is used extensively in agriculture & food processing through-out the United States & around the world. However, Vermont has lagged a bit behind in utilizing this excellent multi-purpose tool, as there was no producer in the Green Mountain state.
Fisher Brothers Farm & Sisters of Anarchy are now several years into their own production & use of dry ice, including sales to many other ag & food producers, both as part of their process & to enable their shipment of product - wholesale & retail - throughout the United States.
They successfully ship products around the country on a regular basis, 49 of 50 states (no shipment to Alaska as of yet). Frozen products include berries, ice cream, fruit pies, fish, poultry, beef, & prepared meals.
They offer competitive pricing & extensive experience includes using dry ice on farm, in the barn, warehouse, cube truck or delivery van, flash freezing, shipping, equipment cleaning, pest controlling, equipment upkeep, harvest processing & more. Because of that, they are the resource you didn’t know you need.
They’d be happy to forward a 25 page doc detailing ways dry ice is being used around the world for the benefit of producers & consumers alike. Contact Sisters of Anarchy & Fisher Brothers
| |
Rural Vermont at 41
Still Relevant
Celebrating its 40th year, throughout 2025, Rural Vermont traveled across the state reconnecting with folks from across its decades of activism, celebrating the progress of this mighty little organization. Once thought of as radicals by some, their perseverance has had positive impacts on the land & farmers. In year 41 they have taken all the recent insights reflecting & envisioning what comes next.
In creating a medley of stories, they invite us to listen to the people, the stories, & history that shaped forty years of farm policy changes.
2026's Course of Action includes new & ongoing legislative efforts, events on farms, & in communities listening to people’s voices and ideas. There will be on farm workshops, work brigades, citizen advocacy trainings & opportunities to testify at the statehouse. Their efforts are focused on organizing, educating, & activating at the local, national, & international levels.
| |
By Design: Time for Change
Our friends at Institute for Local Self Reliance always deliver sound essays tying together multi-plex of issues centered on fighting corporate power by building local power & nurturing the Movement Ecosystem.
Across the economy, corporate consolidation is making everyday life more expensive. We see it on farms, in distribution, at the store level. The impacts are (negative) multiplier effects.
Corporate consolidation drives up costs, devalues services, & erodes accountability across the economy, from healthcare to groceries to school supplies. The more economic power is concentrated in a small number of corporations, the fewer real choices communities have — & the harder it gets to escape the consequences individually.
Read more from Em McPhie @ IfLSR
| | |
March Madness:
Fruit & Vegetable Wholesale Trainings
The VAAFM & VVBGA have partnered up to help farmers learn the ins & outs of wholesaling produce. March Madness is a four-week series with online & in person events to cover a range of wholesale topics with input direct from farmers, organizations, businesses, & consultants shedding light on considerations for growers who wish to learn more about the market channel for their farm.
Promo & registration info will be coming to you via Farm to Plate, VVBGA, VAAFM
Produce farmers save these dates:
March 4th Noon Webinar: When Does Wholesale Work? Understanding Costs and Potential Returns
March 10th In Person all day: Forum in Randolph
March 18th Noon Webinar: CAPs & Food Safety
March 26th: In person all day Warehouse & farm talk & tours, Foote Brook & West Farm
| |
Businesses & organizations across New England are invited to Get Counted in the 2025 Local Food Count. This regional effort measures how much food is sourced locally by stores, distributors, schools, hospitals, dining services & other organizations.
It is part of the New England Feeding New England initiative, which utilizes the data to strengthen the region’s food system to increase local food sourcing. The information gathered will help identify current purchasing patterns and opportunities to expand local procurement. All data submitted is kept confidential & presented only in aggregate to show regional trends. Resources, including project overviews, past results, & state-specific data, are available online.
Thanks to all the folks who have already filled out the survey!
Keep 'em coming!
Local Food Survey
| |
Services for Food Businesses
Intervale Food Hub offers cross-docking, storage and limited space rental at our facility in Burlington, VT. Located centrally in Chittenden County, their services provide opportunities for farms & food producers to conveniently connect with one another, & statewide and regional distributors. Offering secure storage for dry, refrigerated, & frozen products. They can accommodate storage by the case, shelf, or pallet depending on your business’ needs.
Offering a unique service for farmers: warehouse space for an afternoon to pack out orders or host a CSA. The services are open to farmers, local organizations, & small businesses to do just that. View their 2026 terms & learn more here. Feel free to reach out directly to April Mcllwaine with any inquiries or questions!
| |
Learning From Minnesota
Historically it is in our blood to help one another. The old hill farming economic model required building alliances, sharing tools, helping each other out of the ditches, literally & figuratively.
During 2020-22 in Vermont we saw our physical & intellectual communities build a practice of giving & sharing. This included very localized mutual aide & statewide programs such as Everyone Eats. Of course as the extreme floods of 2023 & 2024 showed us, we work better together.
Based on the first few weeks of the year, 2026, is going to require us all joining forces for Good. Let us learn the lessons of community activism & protecting our communities together.
Grace Oedel, is widely known in Vermont as the Executive Director of NOFA. She is also a rabbi who attended the Workers Strike last week in Minneapolis. She joined other clergy on direct action & skills training. She brings her new skills back to Vermont as we realign our various cohorts for current conditions.
| |
Civil Eats has reported that
ICE crackdown is impacting Minnesota’s farms & food system. State official have warned of ‘serious ripple effects’ from immigration operations impacting farms, stores, restaurants, & the food supply.
The statements are helping the rest of the nation realize that beyond the social, physical, & psychological impact there is an underlying economic gravity bearing down on the country. As ICE and CBP begin to actively infiltrate Maine, the New England region will be taking note.
| |
A Good Step: Advancing the
Farm Security Fund
Vermonters are thrilled that the Farm Security Fund—formally titled the Farm & Forestry Operations Security Special Fund—has passed the full House!
Farm organizations, including NOFA spearheaded engagement with representatives. Now, they say, call them and thank them for the support.
Momentum continues to build to secure full funding for the Farm Security Fund. As the bill advances, we’ll keep you updated on opportunities to make your voice heard. This is a people-powered campaign, & your voices truly made a difference.
| |
Wear Your Voice
Migrant Justice, our Vermont leaders in building the voice, capacity, & power of the immigrant farmworker community to organize for economic justice and human rights. Bringing together community members they analyze shared problems & envision collective solutions. Through an ongoing investment in leadership development, Migrant Justice members deepen their skills & knowledge to organize for long-term, systemic change.
Support them with your donation, or wear their swag proudly sharing your voice in this critical time in our country.
| |
And another choice to share your voice...
You might have seen them at the Farm to Plate Annual Gathering. Available through the ACORN Food Hub. Grab some while supplies last & make a statement.
| |
Farmer as Retailer:
3% Fees; Do You or Don't You?
Farmers in the winter always turn to their accounting books for clues to profitability for each of their market channels. Analysis of sales includes payment methods, which can lead to digging deep into all the fees attached to retail sales.
Recently on the VVBGA list serve a farmer reached out for insights on what others were doing with the processing fees for cards & the use of Square. The majority of farms pass the fee on to the shopper without much pushback. It is not unusual now for us to take it for granted that small businesses struggle with profitability from the fees tacked on through online services & banks. In Vermont it's legal to do a surcharge up to the amount of the processing fees, but not over.
The fees add up fast, yet there are different approaches. The following are from responding farms:
~We paid 4700$ on 150k$ in credit card sales;
~We consider CC processing fees to be a cost of doing business. We find that it allows more customers to shop with us, so easily makes up for the cost.
~We don't charge a fee. I account for it in our prices. Customers barely notice a 3% change in an item's price, but definitely notice & are often turned off by an additional 3% fee if it's broken out.
~We do for sure & have never gotten pushback. It adds up fast & is a no brainer, as we get charged by tons of other businesses a processing fee for using cc.
| |
Farmer Business Resources
Fruit & veg growers have access to a huge range of You Tube videos. The VVBGA has loads of operational topics. In 2026 the series will include new ones on food safety & wholesale distribution costs. The March Madness series designed to shed light on wholesale & what buyers seek in working with farmers to help prepare farms for wholesale.
| |
Errol Schweizer's
Voice
The crisis in the grocery industry starts with market concentration & price gouging. Errol has completed comprehensive research & analysis (his Substack #117). Errol's salient points intersect with our work in the grocery, wholesale, production sectors. We recommend catching Errol on his Substack or listen to his Checkout radio podcasts.
| |
Business Support Services
At CAE they work with farms & food businesses in all stages of development, from beginning to transitioning. They offer intensive specialized support & business planning assistance helping develop readiness for new wholesale markets, improve cash flow, & refine production systems. Their dedicated staff helps folks achieve personal & professional goals necessary to sustain their business. Review the CAE business services
| Another business training option is offered through VSJF coaching. Their support is geared to Vermont entrepreneurs seeking growth. The advisers work closely with all aspects for successful long-term success. | |
