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The trends continue around acquisition, greed, & consolidation across the entire food sector. Inevitably this results in immediate & significant changes in buyer-vendor relations with sweeping impacts to product availability at the retail end.

The global food system is complex & insidious, largely due to policies that have developed through years of changes at state & federal levels. It is not uncommon to have families owning majority stakes in food companies. (You have read Barons by Austin Frerick, yes?) The second largest meat processor in the world is Tyson, a publicly traded company with 70% ownership by the Tysons, a family of billionaires. In 2025 the CEO made $22.77 million dollars YET they are closing their Lexington, Nebraska beef processing plant in January 2026. In a state that supported Trump with 4 out of 5 electoral votes, 3200 workers in this 'company town' will lose their jobs. Less than a year ago Tyson paid $115.5 million to settle price fixing allegations. I did say our food system is insidious driven by policies that can be deleterious to workers & suppliers.

On the pulse of food worker issues is the Food Chain Workers Alliance a coalition of worker-based organizations whose members plant, harvest, process, pack, transport, prepare, serve, & sell food, organizing to improve wages & working conditions for all workers along the food chain. Currently, FCWA has 33 members representing over 375,000 food workers in the US and Canada. Additionally, the Delores Huerta Foundation passionately advocates for social justice, focusing on empowering marginalized communities through grassroots organizing, civic engagement, & education initiatives. By championing the rights of underrepresented populations, they strive to create a more equitable & inclusive society for all. At 95 years old Delores remains very active as our community members are living in fear, uncertain about what will happen to themselves or the people they love. Across the country immigrant communities are being unjustly targeted & profiled, while millions of individuals & families are losing access to the healthcare & food assistance they rely on to survive.

We cover a lot this month in hopes that you can both learn from our contributors & be inspired to work among the complex issues associated with food. Read on

Retailing: Displays Scaled for Anticipated Sales

Stores work hard to balance sales, margins, & profits by leveraging seasonal opportunities. Holidays can optimize pricing strategies with deeply discounted products through distributors. Often store buyers use sales data from the prior year to help determine ordering quantities, however, there are variables can have a large impact. Pricing year over year can matter- just think of the current tariff, SNAP reductions, and inflationary pricing across food categories.

Buyers use several factors to help with their purchasing strategies; price comparison cross-referencing is one that intersects with distributor ‘sale’ options geared to the holiday or seasonality of products. Forward buying, occurs when a buyer orders an abundance at a lower price, then holds onto some inventory to sell at a higher price in the future.

Across distributors, weekly, monthly or seasonal sale prices are locked in. The price reduction stimulates sales at the retail level. The prices are ‘retail facing” yet food manufacturers bear a huge burden with trade allowance / spends pushing their prices downward, yet their cost of production remain consistent (for the most part), lowering their profitability unless significant volume is attained.

When a manufacturer ships a huge quantity to a distributor with sale ‘value’ pricing, it is not uncommon for re-orders to slow down as store buyers engage in forward buying stockpiling inventory. At the holidays it can be difficult to determine proper ordering parameters. Current economic conditions come into play, while display & promotions intersect with inventory back-stock’s impact on cashflow. 

If there is one day that pie sells like hot cakes, it is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Red House Sweets bakery had all hands on deck filling orders for all the stores.

Pies are not something that can benefit from forward buying. Buyers look to many factors but guess work is one of them. Because orders have to be placed well in advance so bakeries can bake & fulfill orders, good guess work by stores is always in play.

With several stores in the NEK, White's Market in Lyndonville knows their customers! This display of local potatoes from Sparrow Arc Farm was loaded for Thanksgiving sales. Can't you just taste the mash potatoes, covered in gravy, with bits of stuffing & turkey on every bite?

Speaking of Holidays

Our local businesses rely on creativity to encourage sales. This is true at the production end, as well as in stores.

At the Morrisville Food Coop, a December promotion supports Elmore Mountain Farm with a holiday soap offering.

The longtime Vermont favorite has a line to brighten up wintery mornings with the seasonal scents. The coop promotes them as a terrific hostess gift, stocking stuffer, or just a nice pick-me-up (for yourself!). Choose from Spruce Orange, Peppermint Eucalyptus, Cedarwood Spruce, Christmas Soap with Cinnamon & Peppermint or the luscious Pine Forest. Available wholesale direct from Elmore Mountain Farm.

Marshfield: Cooperative by Nature

"Times are tough, but we are tougher - together." In the center of Marshfield, on busy Route 2 the commanding general store has a coat of red paint to go with its changed ownership model.

The Village Store long in need of attention became a coop in 2022 as part of Cooperation Vermont Community Land Trust. This ensures that the town reclaims a hub in perpetuity as the store & deli were formed into a worker coop.

Cooperation Vermont was formed in 2022, with the mission to build economic & environmental democracy. The vision is to shift away from extractive systems of economic development & collectively create self-sufficient, resilient communities with thriving, ecological sustainable economies.

Another building on that stretch of road that housed the 44-year-old Rainbow Bakery (closed in 2019) will also support community engagement & preserve the building for affordable housing, another benefit to the community. Between the two enterprises, they are effectively changing the landscape to make food & housing more accessible. The store itself has expanded local product selection & has a very welcoming staff engaging shoppers with truly uplifting experiences.

They have expanded local products, including a wide range of Eddie's Bakery, & more local beverages, body care, & chocolates too! The store continues to refine its product mix while recognizing its important role in meeting a wide range of needs.

“It is critical for spaces key to the overall community’s ability to thrive be pulled off the speculative market & put to use serving local needs. It is equally important that those spaces are cooperatively managed by members of the community.”

-Michelle Eddleman McCormick, general manager Marshfield Village Store

Know Your Customers

It might sound like an adage, but it is true. Businesses must tailor their products & services to meet current & potential customers. In the ever-changing ‘food world’ this requires constant vigilance to know what is selling & how to keep inventory & displays relevant to shoppers.

At Concord Station a convenience store near the New Hampshire border they stock local products. Customers come in for local fresh cream-top milk from the South Kirby Dairy & pick up various cuts of meat including sirloin tips from Cannon View Farm in Lyndonville. The store also meets customers ‘where they are’ with a ‘game station’ where hunters report their big game & yarn out tales.

Jim’s Corner:

Boost Profit Margins

Without Raising Prices

Stores need healthy margins to survive, but raising prices drives customers to competitors. Here are proven strategies to improve the bottom line without raising prices. Invest in the work to find & fix margin losses. One grocery owner increased profit from $45,000 to $130,000 in two years by focusing on the right priorities in the right order. Your financial statements hold the answer. Learn to read them to assist in your decision making to focus efforts effectively. This leads to understanding which actions to prioritize & tackle first.

Here are Jim’s top tips for stores:

Know Your Winners & Losers

Analyze the gross profit margin of every product line. Don’t lose $1 on any item sold. Identify your "losers" & either fix them or eliminate them. (check your invoices for pricing accuracy)

Just Say No to Discounts (Mostly)

Run a $5,000 weekend promotion with your typical 30% margin, & you pocket $1,500. Offer a 10% discount, & you only make $1,000. That's $500 straight out of your pocket. To recover that $500, you need $2,250 in extra sales at the discounted margin. You're working 45% harder to break even.

Discount strategically to clear old inventory or loss leaders on Key Value Items (KVI's) that bring customers in. Just understand the real cost every time.

Master Your Inventory

Items on Hand = (Amount Sold Per Period ÷ How Often You Reorder) + Safety Stock

Calculate monthly for shelf-stable items, weekly or daily for perishables. Example: 21 gallons of milk sold weekly, reordered 3 times per week = 7 gallons on hand plus safety cushion. This prevents costly spoilage.

Clear Out The Dud Items

Old inventory occupies shelf space that could hold fresh, high-margin products. Run clearance sales, then implement real-time tracking to prevent recurrence. (we add to Jim's take: old product doesn’t usually sell once it has reached “old product status”. Don’t wait for old product to sell before putting out your better-quality product.)

Negotiate with Vendors

Ask for cash discounts. These immediate savings drop straight to your bottom line & typically beat payment terms. If you don’t ask, you won’t get it.

Attack Waste Everywhere

Spoilage & shrinkage in perishables devastate margins. ‘Ordering pars’ need to be monitored. Also examine energy costs, office supplies, & operational expenses. Small savings add up quickly. Focus on the Right Things First

Contact Jim Verzino & Creators Financial to help your business toward profitability.

Dairy Sweet Life is a recently launched cream-line milk brand in Franklin County. The farm has two locations encompassing maple & cow operations. The L'esperance Dairy one on Rt 105 near Sheldon has a stand-alone milk stand (see the Fresh Milk sign in the banner above). They also are beginning to deliver direct to stores, including Wood Meadow Market in Enosburg & at the Farr Farms on the Huntington Road in Richmond.

As result of changes in the dairy case at Jolley stores, one customer has switched to the L'esperance milk.

"Stewards bought out Jolley stores in Vermont & in the process pulled “Monument Dairy”, local dairy, from the shelves. We decided to venture out and this milk isn’t a let down! This cream line milk, from L’esperance Farm, is by far the best milk I’ve had! Support your local farms, go the extra mile, buy dairy from the locals. And give L’esperance Farm a try too!" -social media post supporting milk purchased at the farm in Sheldon, Vermont

Marty's 1st Stop on RT 2 in Danville has expanded not only in size, but in their local product mix.

Walking through the store one can pick up fabulous VT dairy & cheese products, including VT Creamery Creme Fraiche. This thick creamy

slightly tart, nutty flavor rolls well with holiday foods. Among the many products, the store also stocks fantastic treats & breads from Red House Sweets & Eddies Bakery.

Wood Meadow Market on a winter day in Enosburg.

VT Grocers Project

Inspires Maine

For years the VT Grocers Project has been creating events to help bridge the distribution chain from farmers through to retail food stores. In 2024 we held a Producer Buyer Distributor Forum addressing wholesale. Folks came from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont & Massachusetts. Apparently, the success of that November day is still being felt!

In Maine, MOFGA hosts a half-day, in-person wholesale forum to share information & experiences, from all perspectives. Conversation & presentations from various sectors include farmer/producers, a store, a distributor, & Vermont based marketing/branding rep Joe Dickson of Lot 49 Advisors. 

Modeled after our forum held in Brattleboro, VT, in November 2024 it is intended to build understanding about how to access & expand regional wholesale markets by sharing current requirements & opportunities for building one’s brand.

No doubt the forum in Maine this week will have a positive ripple effect across the full breadth of businesses & organizations hoping to better understand distribution & wholesale factors. 

You've seen the press release, maybe you got a post card, & you know the drill that Vermonters like to espouse how much all of our work means to our economic viability.

Stay tuned for the January 5th 2026 rollout for the Local Food Count which now includes all six New England states. Together we are stronger measuring our regional food system.

Regional Extends Beyond

New England

Here's something to think about. Readers of Small Bites represent the full global supply network & are seeing fallout from the 2025 tariffs. Ongoing conversations shed light on the various implications. Many stores have reported steep price increases &/or limited product availability for imported products. This includes cheese.

Vermont may indeed be well regarded with our extensive high-quality, award-winning cheese but we cannot make all varieties. Hence imported lines with distinct terroir or culinary applications, including French cheese now 15% higher. This can help drive sales of our domestic varieties, but it has also driven sales of Quebec cheese. The artisan cheesemakers trained in France observe historic culinary ties & are now replacing French cheese. 

Provisions International has long balanced their domestic inventory with European products. Now they are sourcing & delivering more “North American” items. They are responding to the global markets by promoting & increasing access to regional Quebec cheese as replacements for more costly French ones. Many cheese mongers have welcomed this increase in products from Canada.

December is Specialty Cheese Season (as well as heavy cream & butter season). Provision's decision for more Quebec products ties to our regional food economy, in spite of the cross-border relationship. 

If you are a Curd Nerd, please catch this Quebec cheese promotion! This is absolutely a wonderful introduction to regional cheese from our northern neighbors. These products are available through Provisions, including a new line of Quebec crackers from the famed cheesemakers of Medard that will compliment cheese sales.

Contact James Hanly of Provisions for info on the award winning Canadian products now more widely available.

What We Are Hearing & Thinking

Overheard in a store when the Monument Farms heavy cream was being stocked. Folks were lining up all reaching for this important December must-have. One customer called December "Heavy Cream & Butter Season". Laughter ensued!

Store buyers shift their product placement to feature the short season. Multiple facings help reduce restocking labor time or empty shelves ensuring continuous sales. The multiple facings of heavy cream help customers fill their carts.

When acquisitions occur, it is not uncommon to consolidate vendors, dropping some in the process significant impacts on the vendor. This is the case with Monument Farms which was dropped after Stewarts Shops' acquired the Jolley convenience stores in December 2024.

Farmhouse Chocolates has teamed up with Rocket, of Eat Vermont fame in a new expansion partnership.

Mighty Mudita has been expanding sales of its plant-based high protein deli slices. They sell food service pack sizes to retail cafes & institutional kitchens. Because high demand requires new staffing, they are hiring to increase output of their line of products. Explore the line of seitan offerings

Something else we have been hearing, people want this shirt. You might have seen them at the Farm to Plate Annual Gathering. Available through the ACORN Food Hub. Grab some while supplies last & give them this season

Hyper Local

Across the state on any given day our farmers & food manufacturers drive to stores & farmstands delivering goods. Each stop is a relationship on their route, & each relationship provides opportunity not only for product, but also connecting store staff to store operations. Direct to store delivery (DSD) can be a step in a small operation’s growth or a deliberate choice to manage all aspects of distribution, including product pricing & quality so important in vendor-buyer relationships.

Chef’s Market, a small footprint natural & specialty foods store in the heart of Randolph, has DSD vendors across all categories. Strafford Creamery Eggnog, a highly anticipated item this time of year was the talk of the sales floor as shoppers lined up for it. Customers often see the delivery interactions which reinforce the value of their shopping experience.

Wholesaling Organic Produce

Jericho Settlers is a 200 acre certified organic & Real Organic Project farm selling through several market channels including CSA, farmstand, & wholesale. To help store buyers learn about their farm they have a dedicated "wholesale tab" on their website. This attention to detail helps potential new accounts with a first-step in accessing details about ordering & delivery. Do you have a wholesale tab on your website?

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. Stay tuned for the announcement of the March Madness series designed to shed light on what buyers seek in working with farmers & ways to prepare your farm for wholesale.

Save the Date! January 20th for the Annual Meeting of the VVBGA at Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee, VT. Stores & distributors are welcome to join farmers in becoming members supporting our farm community.

Errol Schweizer's

Voice Matters

The crisis in the grocery industry starts with market concentration and the price gouging & profiteering. You know it in your bones. Farmers. Food manufacturers. Distributors. Stores. We are all impacted by the extensive interconnected national turmoil.

Errol has completed comprehensive research & analysis (his Substack #117) aligns with the VT Grocers Project. We are grateful for his thorough summary & sharing to help inform Small Bites readers. Please dig in & learn from him about the 'food system".

Though I share a link, below are a few of Errol's salient points that intersect with all our work in the grocery, wholesale, production sectors.

"Compared to 2021, food prices are up 25%, according to data provided by NIQ, whose syndicated data is used across the food industry to track pricing and product trends.

The total units sold, on the other hand, are down 5%. In total, grocers sold over 13 billion units less than in 2021, a massive realignment of demand elasticity, not even adjusted for population. Grocery industry sales jumped almost $225 billion since the pandemic ended, but that growth is all price inflation. People are buying less food. A lot less.

When we look further back to the pre-pandemic days of 2019, grocery prices are up over 35%. The top 10 most consumed categories, including beef, soft drinks, eggs, milk, salty snacks and coffee, have experienced an average price increase of 60% since 2019, with a 1.3% decline in unit volume. The top 25 items are up 44%, the top 100, up 36%. " & read more here

We recommend catching Errol on his Substack or listen to his Checkout radio podcasts.

Business Support Services

Plan Ahead for 2026

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.

It is Snowball Season!

How appropriate that Sage Farm Goat Dairy offers a hand-formed "Snowball" chévre. This award winning cheese is aged 2-4 weeks, resulting in a tannish-white, wrinkly geotrichum /penicillin rind. This intentionally small dairy is committed to producing high quality products from high quality animals. Milking around 20 does they reach their goals of high standards & was ACS 1st place winner, 2022!

Correction: In the November issue of Small Bites we included a section of text titled “Updates from Partners CAE." Under that headline was a paragraph of commentary before the start of text that we pulled from the CAE newsletter. This commentary was from Small Bites & not from the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE). CAE's mission of building a more interconnected local food system intentionally focuses on radical inclusion, & the belief that the local food system needs all of us at the table. The Small Bites team is sorry for any confusion we caused.

'Let’s talk about the real reason we have an entire generation working full-time and still needing food assistance: Congress, led for years by Mitch McConnell, voted over & over again to keep the federal minimum wage frozen at $7.25. Eleven times they refused to raise it. Eleven. While the cost of housing, groceries, childcare, and medical care exploded. Maybe if Congress didn’t treat workers like disposable labor, we wouldn’t have 40 million people on SNAP.' -FCWA

Apologies for any oversights & typos.

Special thanks to CAE for bringing the above correction to my attention.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue

Created with gratitude for the support from the Canaday Family Charitable Trust 

We directly support the New England State Food System Planners Partnership effort to strengthen the regional food economy.

Contact: Annie Harlow

smallbites802 @ gmail.com

All info is subject to change.