Important update! We’ve changed of date for the Regenerative Retail Seminar!

Join us for ...

Fresh Perspectives in

Regenerative Retail:

Creating Sustainable Growth in a Changing Environment

This two-day seminar is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to connect, learn, and engage with other fresh food purveyors, producers, and professionals!

Bringing together co-ops, independent retailers, farm markets, and food advocates in a dynamic, practical, working conversation on the future of the food industry and the positive potential of the people who work in it.

Nationally recognized consultant Mark Mulcahy of Organic Options , James Morrell of Columinate , and Annie Harlow of VT Farm to Plate combine their 100 years of experience to create a full two days of intensive next level learning focused on developing operational excellence and building local food programs that thrive.

With hands-on activities, small group work, and lots of take away tools for success, these two days are designed to promote sales through cultivating a new lens of understanding and empowering individuals to master the multiple variables of successful modern food retail.

Join Us October 29th & 30th

Come for 1 OR 2

Days of Dynamic & Engaging Content

We‘ve designed and priced this seminar in a new format

that allows you to pick the seminar experience best for you.

Designed for:

Store managers, buyers, operations, key produce staff, farmers

selling to retail and farmers with robust farm store operations.

Agenda:

Tuesday, October 29th:

7:30am - 5:30pm

On-farm experience and tour of Cedar Circle Farm.
Cultivating dynamic local programs that work for retailers and farmers using tools and ideas from around that country.
Understanding the relationships in the power of purchasing; the value in buying vs. ordering.
A conversation with The Real Organic Project.
Local Perspectives; distribution insights with Upper Valley Produce and the Green Mountain Farm Direct Food Hub.
Engaging staff in new ways for across the board success.
Will Allen: A Farmer’s Quest Connecting Soil & Personal Health.
A fun end of the day activity that will tie it all together.

Wednesday, October 30th:

7:30am - 5:30pm

Upper Valley Produce warehouse tour and continental breakfast.
Cultivating a fresh experience through knowledge & training.
Creating WOW! merchandizing that lasts.
Plan-o-grams that maintain consistency to your creativity.
Maximizing your return on investment in a department of awesome displays.
Sustainable operations; building greater staff engagement with sustainable time management and mutual accountability.
The Language of Flavor - a whole new way to inspire staff and engage customers that will set you apart from the competition.
Navigating the complexities of the commodity culture.
Embracing our role in building the organic marketplace of the future.
Bringing it back home.

Plus a whole lot of activities that will fuel your imagination and inspire your team when you get back to the store.

Special Guests:

Will Allen of Cedar Circle Farm and

Jenny Prince of The Real Organic Project .

Tours of:

Cedar Circle Farm and Upper Valley Produce .

Seminar Includes:

All seminar materials, light breakfast, snacks, lunch, and a whole lot of engaging conversation.

Meet Mark, Annie, & James

MARK MULCAHY

Mark Mulcahy is an award winning retail consultant, educator, and organic advocate. He is the owner of Organic Options, which provides consulting for farmers, produce distributors, co-ops and independent retailers worldwide. With more than 36 years in the organic produce industry, Mark is well known for his creative merchandising, effective training techniques, passion for produce, successful financial strategies and dedication to sustainable agriculture. Mark is also the co-creator and presenter of Rising Stars , a leadership development course for natural food retailers and Roots & Relationships, a fun, thought-provoking, interactive and inspiring journey into the unique legacy of food and its relationship and connection with our mind, body and community.

ANNIE HARLOW

Annie Harlow has spent the past 30 years rooted in food. Fifteen of them as a buyer and seller in Vermont where she helped create a foundation for local food demand at City Market/Onion River Coop, Black River Produce and at area institutions. As an independent retail and operations consultant, Annie has helped businesses grow to understand food distribution variables for scaling up supply to meet market demands or vice versa.

Current work with Vermont Farm to Plate Indepent Grocers project includes support to independent grocery and coop stores that includes in-store training, B2B support, and a monthly e-newsletter highlighting a stream of consciousness approach to improving operations and profitability. She has served on many local and regional boards and in advisory roles including the Addison County Relocalization Network, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, The Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets and the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.

JAMES MORRELL

James Morrell is an operations, merchandising, and management consultant who has been recognized for his dynamic approach and specializes in fresh produce program development. With over 25 years’ experience in the natural foods industry, James has worked with cooperatives and progressive independents across the United States focusing on retail operations, engaging staff, empowering teams, procurement strategies, and organic foods advocacy.

Through his work, James continues to promote the cultivation of regional partnerships with growers and producers in order to strengthen locally oriented food networks and to increase community access to fresh local foods.