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Keeping it Simple With an Eye on Festivities

It's a busy time of year with limited bandwidth; this issue will take a different approach. If you are a new reader, this is the low-bandwidth edition!

Since the last issue, the Farm to Plate Annual Gathering took place at Killington, & just like the World Cup Races, there was a great deal of excitement & dynamic tension as Vermonters & New Englanders tackled issues connected to getting more food to more people. The day and half brought together over 325 people all engaged in various Farm to Plate strategic goals. For those of you new to Small Bites, it is a project centered on production, processing, distribution, & retail sales. Each month there are connections to area businesses & their place in the global web of commerce.

Many Vermont food manufacturers went to Washington DC in November to showcase our products to our federal delegation for the Taste of Vermont. Claire of Butterfly Bakery was one of the folks who sat in with Senators Sanders & Welch answering questions about small food businesses. Bernie & Peter were thrilled to meet our specialty food producers & our businesses appreciate the opportunity to show & tell their distinct products in a focused environment.

Just because this is a short issue, doesn't mean there isn't a lot to share. On the contrary! The winding down of the year & the 4th quarter is always full of creativity at our stores, farm life adjusts to the seasons. Our distributors drive the roadways in every condition & all our vendors crank their online sales to contribute to holiday cheer. Read on for a touch of small, yet mighty Vermont food!

Local Chocolate

(because it is December in Vermont)

Vermonters are big on specialty foods, especially in December! What is more cheerful than giving & receiving selections from our fine chocolatiers? Every corner of the state has artisan makers & / or large-scale producers sending joy to folks around the world.

North East Kingdom's Burke Mountain Confectionery has

the ultimate co-branding with Fat Toad Farm for dark chocolate covered salted maple caramel

truffles! Products are available to retailers locally & throughout the country along with customer corporate gifting.

Zipping down the Connecticut Valley

to Brattleboro is Tavernier, creating chocolate woodland delights.

The chocolatier team of Dar & John are inspired by walks through fields

& forests. Their line of handcrafted chocolates are shipped direct to retailers.

Scooting across to the Western part of the state down in the Shires, in the hub of Manchester is Mother Myrick's, known nationally for their chocolate Bernie Bars, they are also a major stop for travelers to grab their infamous Lemon Lulu Cake.

Heading north up Route 7 there are many chocolate makers with various unique callings. Daily Chocolate in Vergennes, Nu Chocolat in Burlington & Nut Free Chocolates in Colchester each provide stores with a wide selection to diversify their product price points.

All our specialty producers have unique branding, pricing, & shipping parameters for direct to store or online shoppers. As always with distribution, product selection & variables are subject to change.

Small Batch Seasonal Treat

Rogers Farm Eggnog is another great seasonal Vermont treat. It is small-batch, made with all organic ingredients: whole milk, eggs, cane sugar & nutmeg (& no emulsifiers).

Dog River Farm is happy reporting a banner Christmas tree season. Putting the tractor to use generating sales is a change from the August silt & sand moving from July's flooded fields.

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.

Award winning cheese produced by Spring Brook Farm complies as a "processed food" for its using Vermont milk, processed, & headquartered in state.

4th Q Cheese

Store cheese mongers do a banner business in December. Office parties & family gatherings contribute to the explosion in sales. Our world famous cheesemakers sell direct through online sales as well as to stores & through various distributors, including Vermont's Provisions International.

The 2023 Farm to Plate Gathering brought together hundreds of folks to collaborate on the myriad issues incumbent on a strong food economy.

Not only does the economy rely on our working together across many issues, but it also depends on a network of distributors to literally move our food from one place to another. Each operates with their own specialty in products selected, types of accounts they service & range of routes.

Farm to Plate Grocers Project helps stores access products. Small Bites will resume digging into distribution in upcoming issues. This just happens to be a short issue with fewer ties to distribution variables. Dig around our archive for more info.

Secretary of Ag Anson Tebbets joined in recent conversations with Bennington food producers, farmers, city, state, & national folks working to enhance the Shire's food & farm economy.

Stores Know

(It is "Roast Meat Month")

Folks coming together around scrumptious meals are part of December in Vermont. The numerous holidays are when our artisan butchers showcase their craft. This is true at Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, where dry-aged bone-in rib eye from Boyden Beef is one of the notable cuts. The in-house 30 day dry-aging allows flavorful notes of hazelnut & brown butter to shine through.

Specialty cuts including roasts are available from many of our local producers of lamb, beef, pork, & chicken. The handcrafted sausage & deli meats are another distinctive part of their business fulfilling the many holiday menus. 

At Romas' Butchery in South Royalton exquisite cuts of pork, lamb, beef, & chicken showcase locally raised meat chosen by owner Elizabeth Roma.

Roma’s specializes in meat from

locally sourced & locally slaughtered animals. House specialties include hand cut unique house-made fresh, smoked sausages, kielbasa, & chorizo. The handcrafted recipes include blueberry breakfast sausage, a treat for family gatherings.

Beside the wonderful sausages & hand-cut meat the butcher shop is stocked with small batch-crafted products that complement meat. Freshly baked goods from The Wild Fern & the hand crafted treats from Local Donut round out the inventory at the shop. Read more about Roma's in Edible Vermont & Seven Days.

“My goal is to create a butcher shop that feeds our community fresh, local meat. Our farmers do a beautiful job raising high-quality livestock, and our team has the privilege of taking it to the next level.” –Elizabeth Roma 

There is a sense of history in downtown Orwell with its town green "Common" known as a towns' gathering place for centuries. Directly across from the green is the other "common" spot, The Buxton Store. There has been a store in the town center serving its community since 1763.

Purchased in 2017 Andrew & Mary

Buxton continue the family tradition of a welcoming community store, "where quality & friendliness comes first". The store has been in the

hands of the Buxton family since 1967 when Andrew's grandparents bought it.

Under Andrew's guidance the store features hearty meals, freshly smoked & hand cut meats with folks traveling from far corners of Rutland & Addison County for the friendly service. The holidays are a special time for the store as the meat counter is especially busy with pre-orders & "pick of the day" from the butcher counter.

The Genny Speaks for Many

"In every bag of groceries, cup of coffee, and cheerful greeting, we find the true spirit of community. Our little stores wouldn't be the same without the warmth and laughter you bring through our doors. As you gather 'round the table with loved ones, let's also celebrate the unique bond that makes our community so special. Thank you for being the heart and soul of our local stores."

-Emily, Kit, & Jana @ The Genny

Buffalo Mountain Food Coop features area crafts for holiday sales.

Food Businesses to Watch

Provisions International known for its premium food offerings, including fine cheese, charcuterie, extra virgin olive oils, & specialty ingredients from around the globe utilized by some of the best restaurants in New England, announced in November its acquisition by industry veterans James Gordon of Upper Valley Produce & Éric Frechette of Taste of the North.

Stowe Village Market is one of three stores formerly of Mac's Market that was acquired by AGNE in

November. The NH based cooperative has expanded its footprint to retail stores across the state to about ten stores. The Johnson Village Market which was destroyed in the July 2023 flood remains shuttered & will not reopen as an AGNE corporate store.

A few things for farmers & manufacturers for 2024

NEWS!

Due to the July flooding in Montpelier a change in location was needed. The

Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Annual Meeting is at the Double Tree Conference Center in South Burlington

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

PLAN AHEAD!

Food Biz Wiz Wholesale Week, Coming up soon is a free, online five-day workshop for emerging food & beverage brands who want 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. Vermont food manufacturers have gained from past offerings from Alli Ball Consulting & Small Bites often shares her many links. Her many resources based on direct experience help brands gain access to buyers. Get her info & updates directly to your inbox! Small Bites will share the sign up link 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

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

Photo Credit: Anson Tebbets & the Shires meeting photo courtesy of Hannah Perkins

& Northshire Grown Direct



Contact: Annie Harlow

smallbites802@gmail.com

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