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Wrapping Up a Year of The Grocers Project



The end of the year is a reflective time & this year is no different. The 365 days seems more like 10,000 in some ways. There were so many challenges we faced here in Vermont & regionally as well as factors from the national and international level all connected to our food web. Our food businesses are impacted by the good & the bad of many unique factors. The farm & food communities truly worked as a network to retool, reimagine, rebuild, & respond to the many local & international variables.

Small Bites is born of the Grocers Project of Farm to Plate. It evolved to help meet Farm to Plate Strategic Goals. Looking back this past year we met

the goals we outlined, while navigating the disruptions of the two July floods

& last week’s flooding too. The project succeeds when we build alliances.

We brought together stores for B2B learning with national food retail

consultants, hosted an online seminar series for 'farmers as retailers', &

we provided a winter series for food manufacturers to learn from (& about)

local & regional distributors. By helping stores utilize their various POS

capacities to measure local food purchases they improved analytic

opportunities. Our Vermont products catalog helped identify products by

distributors, which was also used by stores to round out inventory especially

from local distributors.

We have more in store for '24 including online & in person workshops, continued exchanges via Small Bites, business coaching for Produce Department & other technical assistance. We also envision helping store staff & food manufacturers better grasp distribution variables with visits to

warehouses.  To strengthen the Vermont & New England foodshed requires intersecting all points in a complex web of businesses. It also involves YOU! Please share your updates & let us amplify your work & resources you find helpful to your business.

2023 What a Long Strange Trip

Our farm & food businesses tackled many challenges this year. As we wind down, we reflect on the good that got us through. Community support & engagement. Our businesses came to the aide of each other in many ways.

Though certainly evident for the

holiday season, promoting shoppers to spend on local businesses was a top

priority for the Agency of Commerce & Community Development & the Department of Ag. The message was to encourage us to keep "our spend" local to support our independent business enterprises. This assists in economic recovery while supporting the vitality of all our businesses through the multiplier effect.

We came together across hills &

valleys, literally building roads to access each other. Throughout the year we were dodging bad weather with a hefty toll on all types of farm operations. With road washouts distributors shifted strategies to get food to disrupted areas. Stores defined fortitude providing food, along with community & emotional

support. It goes without saying we are not only Vermont Strong, but we are in fact darn tough.

"A single building can change a town"

In the worst times of the year, across the state our stores made sure locals as well as utility service workers were fed.

Looking back on the challenges of 2023 we know we are in a

vulnerable position going forward. Our geography leans to future flooding when the storms race up the coast & drop copious rain on our mountains & valleys. Preparing our minds for resiliency is one thing, actualizing them on a

regular basis is yet another.

The above quote is true. Community buildings positively impact the psyche & economy of our towns. The Preservation Trust of VT helps our communities with grants for buildings. These help revitalize community centers, including stores!

Does your store know about the grants?

Food Stores to Know & Watch

Paradise Provisions sells specialty groceries & has a vibrant prepared meals program & a taproom. Word on the street is that it is under new ownership with acquisition by Sugarbush Resorts. Stay tuned for more details & what lies ahead for '24.

Caledonia Food Coop is actively working on creating a retail store in the heart of St J. The food store is slated to fill a number of community needs.

Commodities Market in

Stowe looks to open its new location on the Mountain Road. They will be

expanding their reach to reduce local & global environmental impacts by

conserving energy, recycling & reducing toxic materials. They are committed to environmental excellence & purchasing products with greater recycled content with lower toxicity & packaging.

Addison Four Corners, will

continue over 200 years of operation with new change in ownership from one generation to the next. The baton will be passed in the spring with continued specialty products & an expansion of all things good. As Joe takes the helm, look the smokin' good line of prepared foods to expand even more!

Defining Local Products

In prior Small Bites, you have seen the clues about what is "local" to Vermont per ACT 129. Here is an example of a complying business:

1. Whenever it is not a raw agricultural product, but processed foods also include raw agricultural products that have been subject to processing, such as canning, cooking, dehydrating, milling, or the addition of other ingredients.
2. Processed foods include dairy, meat, maple products, beverages, fruit, or vegetables that have been subject to processing, baked, or modified into a value-added or unique food product.

Naga Bakehouse uses freshly milled Vermont grains, production & the corporate office is in Middletown Springs. It passes the VT Local Food Test!

Local Bevies: Hydration

Local beverages are often made & packaged here in Vermont using local fruit & sweeteners delivered by area distributors.

Shrubbly is a blend of fruit & honey sweetened apple cider vinegar & sparkling water (called a "shrub" hence the bubbly part of Shrubbly). This fine winter tonic can also be a base for mixed drinks. The pomegranate or Lemon + Ginger+ Aronia creates a refreshing tanginess perfect for a winter zing. Pumpkin Village Foods delivers it to stores, farmstands & other retailers on their routes. PVF services many small & emerging food & beverage brands helping expand sales to stores that might otherwise be a challenge for brands to access.

Another fabulous winter beverage is Venetian Ginger Ale. It is a heady ginger ale made with real ginger juice, lime, & cane sugar. It’s lightly carbonated with just enough sweetness to balance the spicy ginger & it has less sugar than other sodas. It packs a powerful & very tasty ginger punch for après anything!

CBD is a cannabinoid derived from hemp with antioxidant properties that potentially alleviates anxiety & sleep disorders & supports digestive health.

Herb Craft created a line of CBD beverages that includes four flavors using local high potency nano CBD, organic juices, & all natural sweeteners. Production is at The

Farmer's Kitchen, their on farm commercial space in Middlesex, VT. They are committed to keeping products as local as possible using VT sources honey & herbs.

Their lines of beverages are currently available in Vermont through VT Beer Shepherd & sales have expanded to include select locations in Maine.

Good Things in Store for '24

You never quite know what a year will bring, but one thing is certain, resources are still in the pipeline to support farm & food businesses to support & streamline infrastructure expansion & improve marketing capacity for regional sales.

There will be many more opportunities to build our local & regional food infrastructure. Farm to Plate workshops & store trainings dovetail well with trade group meetings, & seminars offering

a range of services to support the expansion & profitability of our farm

& food enterprises. Click the buttons below for a few resources & grant

funding opportunities to explore in ‘24.

"We are grateful the state of VT has funding that we have benefitted from to grow our business". -Chad

Ice House Farm goat cheese dairy.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled!

The Grocers Project will host the "Farmer as Retailer" online training series this winter. Stay tuned or drop us a line expressing your interest & we will keep you posted.

Store buyers there's a new product

line hitting the pavement in '24.

Deep Root Organic Growers Coop is launching a new line of retail packs of organic ‘heat & serve’ frozen vegetables. With a regional approach to distribution, they are in conversation with distributors that sell to coops & the natural products shopper.

Nut Free Chocolates

expands their "Free-from' allergens to include eggs. Responding to

increased demand for allergen products, all chocolates will be free of nuts, seeds, peanuts & in 2024 recipes will be produced without eggs.

Ice House Farm's 2023 Dairy Innovation Grant expands its dairy processing for "Sky Ranch" an aged goat cheese. For 2024 the farm aims to expand sales through Provisions International & reach wider regional sales channels. This will allow expansion to restaurants' cheese plates. Area stores doing a great sales of their full line of cheeses include Mad River Taste Place & Upper Valley Coop. The farm will be participating in the Neighboring Food Coop Association's Cave to Coop promotional program in the summer.

Real Organic Project farmers will gain traction at the grocery level in 2024 as more store buyers are learning about the financing, production & distribution of organic produce. Learning the facts should shift purchasing to non-hydroponic, relocalized fruit & vegetable family-owned & operated production.

Myers Produce with a new distribution hub in Hatfield, MA will expand 2024 sales, storage, & distribution services of VT products to the great northeast metropolitan regions. Buyers in the northeast will increase sales of our products across categories.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

There is an endless web connecting local businesses to global impacts. It is no longer thought of as a chain, but a web. A web that includes everything from production methods through to packaging waste disposal at the consumer level & of course energy use.

Every business in this global

connection maps a complicated future geared to making money because each

business has its unique ethos. It is no secret that large corporations are

owned by investment groups tied to mutual funds & shareholder interests.

There should be no doubt that how businesses finance their operations plays a role in the effectiveness of dealing with climate impacts. Listen to this '22 podcast to capture some insights on the trans-disciplines associated with impact

investing.

Energy & its global aggregated

use for food production & manufacturing is messy & ugly & in need of serious change. Money plays a role in creating regenerative &/or

sustainable business models needed to shift for impactful, positive climate

action.

"At COP 28, The Sustainable Markets Initiative's Agribusiness Task Force announced the launch of a new blended finance framework that could unlock trillions of dollars for regenerative agriculture. Together they unveiled a plan to make regenerative farming financially viable & scalable, will explore implementation projects in India, the UK & the US, welcomed Lloyds Banking Group to boost cross-industry support, & called for policy changes to help support its implementation."

Members of the initiative include Mars (family owned),  McCain Foods (family owned), McDonald's (institutional investors & mutual funds) , Mondelez International (institutional investors & mutual funds) PepsiCo, (institutional investors & mutual funds).



Read more from Regenerative Food System Investment, a media company

Throwing Stones:

2023 National Food News

Sometimes when a national company fails to uphold basic human values our local producers benefit.

Store buyers have the power to adjust

their product mix to support social issues. Keeping track of impactful issues can be a challenge. But it is part of the power of the buyer to support local businesses that subscribe to conditions that align with the values of the store & basic human rights. Take for instance the lawsuit against nationally distributed & top selling Kombucha company GT's Synergy legally deemed an abusive line.

"Retaliation, insufficient breaks, inadequate time to go to the bathroom, wage theft, unpaid overtime, and a dangerously hot and unsanitary environment, the lawsuit says that the kombucha, kefir, and wellness shot company intentionally hired undocumented workers because they would be easy to take advantage of."

Buyers can be on the pulse of positive change educating shoppers.

By understanding the egregiousness of GT Synergy, buyers can remove them from the product mix replacing with regional kombucha makers: KIS, Queen City, Katalyst, Aqua Vitea. Remerchandising to more prominent shelf space & sharing information regarding the changes is necessary. Store buyers & distributors can (& should) effectively modify their product mix when appalling operations are exposed. If positive changes are made by the company, then they can be reconsidered. 

Staying a top of shocking & deplorable business practices can be a challenge. The links below can shed light through their investigative approach. Subscribe to receive updates.

A few more things for farmers & manufacturers in 2024

Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Annual Meeting is at a new location: Double Tree Conference Center in South Burlington

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Save the Date: February 17 & 18 NOFA Winter Conference

Alli Ball's Food Biz Wiz Wholesale Week

A free, online five-day workshop for emerging food & beverage brands seeking guidance on how to land on more retail shelves, AND how to increase sales once they’re there. Sign up begins the first week in January.

Small Bites comes to you via grants & is created for farmers, food manufacturers, distributors, & grocers to increase VT food sales.

We support the New England State Food System Planners Partnership effort to

strengthen the regional food economy

Unless otherwise noted, photo credits are from company social media, websites or Annie Harlow

Thanks to everyone who shared this month! May we have a happier new year ahead

Contact: Annie Harlow

[email protected]

All info is subject to change; thank you to all who contributed to this issue