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More Than Food:
VT General Stores
Community owned stores offer more than food. Let's look beyond the amazing food produced for “dinner tonight” or local favorites packaged family style, loaded up in freezers to have on hand when families need a break from hectic Spring time activities.
We love the meal preps, but check out what else our stores are offering!
There are game nights at The Genny, in Craftsbury & Albany, wine tastings at Pierce's, & art gallery exhibitions at the Tunbridge General Store. And that is just a start!
Let us not forget all the times folks help out their community with fundraisers & round-ups for change & even placing bets when ice is out at Joe's Pond or the big snow pile melts in Shrewsbury.
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Seasonal Shifts:
Chilling Out with Hot Pizza
It is Spring school vacation week. Things are shifting. It is all good. ‘At home’ dining schedules have loosened. Family time matters.
Taking a break is just fine.
The Middlebury Coop had two interesting visuals this week. One, a display of “make your own Vermont home-made pizza” with fixing for thawed dough & a luscious pizza sauce, both from Slice of Vermont, available through several distribution options, including Wilcox. For families hanging out at home, a night of pizza hot out of the oven always delivers!
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The other also, in the same cooler, a sign in place at an empty section of shelving informing shoppers that a supplier was taking the week off. They’ll be back, it’s just that a break is needed to be reminded of the power of chilling with family & friends.
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May the 4th Be With You
Calling all store buyers & distributors, join the VSFA at the Producer Expo in Montpelier.
The Vermont Specialty Food Association is hosting its first-ever Producer Expo on May 4, 2026 in Montpelier, VT — a new B2B trade show connecting Vermont producers with buyers, retailers, distributors, chefs, & industry partners.
Vermont products will be showcased with ample opportunities to connect with buyers, & grow your wholesale business in an accessible trade show environment.
Buyers will discover Vermont-made products, meet producers face-to-face, & take advantage of show-only wholesale pricing & incentives.
This event is designed to create real business connections & strengthen Vermont’s specialty food & beverage ecosystem.
See you on May 4th. Register here
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Green Up Days!
Mighty Food Farm in Shaftsbury is one of the many farms cranking in their greenhouse & their pick & pack area. Spring greens, will give way to the harbingers of summer, but for now spinach, baby bok choy, & wild crafted ramps say "YEAH"!
Produce buyers cannot get enough of the greens, as shoppers dive into the luscious flavors of early crops. There are many greens that lift us out of winter. Some Spring greens elevate our diets as bitters (think dandelion & watercress). Produce displays tend to pack a punch right now with the oncoming greens. Fresh local herbs are on the cusp too, another joy for produce teams to highlight.
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A Bump in Sales
Display decisions matter. Here is an example how to increase space for a sale or "new to the season" items. This 'bump out' allows for easy grab & go, highlights the 'deal'- be it a price drop or a special from a local producer.
When we create a display to match anticipated sales, we can better meet the sales & margin goals of the department. Remember sales goals also are tied to purchasing, pricing, quality, staff training, signage, marketing (& more!)
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Keeping It Real
Stores buyers (& farmers with retail operations) are successful when they understand the intricacies of both buying the product & selling the product.
Every decision rests on an intrinsic 'system' which always has to circle back to 'knowing your customer' however, that changes over time. Emerging food producers often rely on the narrative "story telling" aspect of their business, which can be favorable. Store buyers are looking at the economics of where the product fits in their mix & with the store's mission. The relationships of local producers continue to have value in the buyer's decision making tree. This includes visits to farms too!
"Buying our products & visiting our farm store supports our family farmstead & the growth of real, artisan cheese. Thank you!"
-Von Trapp Farmstead
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Spring It On!
Cows to Pasture
For the first time since last fall, the cow's of Miller Farm will be going out to pasture on April 30th at 8:30 am rain or shine!
All are welcome to join as they get to enjoy the green grass of spring. Cows enjoying the new grass revival are a beautiful site.
Everyone is welcom, including dairy buyers. Miller milk & Stonyfield yogurt will be available to enjoy too. Please let farm staff know in advance if you would like a tour of the farm or milk plant.
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Growing Your Food Business:
Think GS1 Barcodes
Over fifty years ago a system was created to standardize, identify, capture, & share information about products. Today as food businesses grow from the small direct to consumer sales -think farmstands or small local ‘gateway’ stores in their communities- they are required by stores & distributors to go all in with GS1 bar codes (&/or GTIN numbers).
Operated as a non-profit with global reach, GS1 identification enables information systems to accurately refer to real-world entities such as trade items, logistics units, physical locations, documents, service relationships, & can apply to food safety traceability. GS1 data capture standards include barcodes & radio-frequency identification (RFID). This ensures product & supply chain data can be easily collected, stored, analyzed, & shared to grow a business. VSFA members have found this site to be useful for small businesses.
GS1 Identification Keys & supplementary data can be attached directly to products, shipments, or locations for easy tracking. GS1 also ensures that scanners, printers, & software systems work consistently, allowing businesses to read, print, & process the data smoothly across different applications.
Purchasing bar codes through GS1 ensures your products have a distinct identifier for the life of the product. They would not be corrupted by ‘off market’ recycled, less expensive bar code numbers. Always purchase your barcodes from GS1 directly to save yourself years of headaches as your business grows through multiple distribution options.
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Alternative to Plastic
McLure Packaging Systems & Supplies designs & distributes 100% recyclable paper grab & go cartons to replace thermo-formed plastic clamshells once desired by grocers. Can you ditch the plastic? Contact McLure for info to update your packaging.
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Migrant Justice recently returned from a week in the Netherlands to take the fight for Milk with Dignity to the corporate owners of Hannaford Supermarket. The visit marked a new set of achievements in the campaign, by expanding essential protections for farmworker rights.
For years, farmworkers have called on Hannaford, one of the largest buyers of dairy in our region, to protect the rights of farmworkers in its supply chain by joining the Milk with Dignity Program. Thousands of workers & consumers have taken action to denounce abuses on farms supplying Hannaford-brand milk.
The visit also included meetings, presentations, & panels across the country with academics, labor unions, investors, & civil society organizations to build transnational solidarity & expand the Dutch base of support for Milk with Dignity. (Read a Guardian article here)
While Ahold has not yet committed to join Milk with Dignity, the CEO & top executives repeatedly affirmed the importance of the issue & committed to dialogue with Migrant Justice.The fight has returned to Vermont.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming May 1st all-day rally & picket of Hannaford Supermarket in Williston.
| My annual reminder that food banks are not part of our social safety net, they are a sign that our social safety net is not working. -Jenny Wright | |
Stores Just Say "NO"
In April, Vermont lawmakers introduced S.316 to prohibit card networks from charging swipe fees on taxes & gratuities when purchases are made with a credit card. With this new proposed legislation gaining momentum, the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association says “now is the time to act”.
Small businesses, feel the impact of hidden credit card swipe fees every day, & they need to be heard. These interchange fees, charged on every credit card transaction & paid to major banks & card networks, raise costs for businesses across the state. In 2024 Vermont retailers paid credit card companies $14.7 million in fees for the tax portion of their sales.
S.316 would ease the burden on Vermont businesses by preventing credit card networks from charging interchange fees on taxes & tips.
VRGA is standing up to the credit card companies, creating a television ad campaign featuring Vermont business owners speaking out against these exorbitant fees. They want you as a small business to join campaign by speaking out on camera. More info here & here
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Regional Food Wrap Up
Thanks to all the businesses that participated in the regional 2025 Local Food Count. This New England wide effort aims to measure how much food is sourced locally. All data submitted is confidential & presented in aggregate to show regional trends & future opportunities to strengthen the region’s food system policies & increase local food sourcing.
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Seasonal Farmstands
& Truck Routes
Summer season is a boost for our specialty food producers selling to area farmstands through direct-to-store delivery & through independent distributors & food hubs.
As readers of Small Bites know, each distributor is creating a product mix that sustains their business while meeting the needs of its customer base.
Summer requires a shift in truck routes for delivery & pick-ups. It becomes a balancing act of expanded product mix for farmstands & efficient delivery routes. Efficiency is especially true with the increased fuel costs as result of Trump’s war.
Our smaller distribution businesses rely on some of the same decision-making tools & methodologies as the larger ones. Specialized logistics software helps automate scheduling & reduce manual planning time, cutting delivery costs sometimes by 40%. They can help with geographical clustering by grouping farm stand stops creating a loop rather than doing back-and-forth trips. For rural areas it is important to map out routes that take into consideration low bridges heights, road restrictions, & truck weight. Software tools can also reliably help with “pick & pack” lists to organize inventory before loading to ensure the truck is packed in the reverse order of delivery (last stop first), making unloading faster at each farmstand. Reduced handling of products also reduces driver delivery errors.
As the season heats up, ‘winter’ delivery times are likely to shift at stores as more “summer” stops are added to the manifest.
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Freight Services
Provisions International offers dry, refrigerated, & frozen storage at highly competitive rates.
They are currently seeking new partners with warehousing & distribution needs. In addition to storage, reliable freight services to & from your facility, they offer streamlined logistics from production to delivery.
Based in White River Junction, Vermont, the warehouse is just across the border in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. Its location is ideally positioned to service producers throughout the Northeast, with easy highway access.
To learn more, request an estimate, or arrange a visit, contact Mark Bomalaski or 802-291-6100.
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Local Food in Practice
Restaurant & Farm Partnerships is a free event series for Vermont farmers & restaurant & store cafe buyers, produced in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.
Running from April 28th to September 1, 2026, the series explores real-world connections for the restaurant market channel through farm tours, restaurant visits, industry meet-ups, & a live webinar. All events are FREE. Registration is required. For dates and details visit https://shorturl.at/nKq28
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Vermont Business Support: WLEB Grant
The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) announces 34 awards totaling $1,047,320 to Vermont businesses & organizations in 2026.
The award categories are:
Service Provider & Producer Association Grants $370,000 awarded to 10 businesses & nonprofits to fund service providers & producer associations that work directly with working lands enterprises as they grow, pivot, & adapt to an ever-changing marketplace.
Business Enhancement Grants $647,320 awarded to 19 businesses to support farm, forest, & food businesses using Vermont-grown products with market development, infrastructure, equipment costs, & workforce development.
Trade Show Assistance Grants $30,000 awarded to five businesses that support agricultural, food, & forestry businesses with exhibiting & selling their products at trade shows targeting out-of-state buyers.
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Farmer as Retailer
Spring Into Action
Farmstand Spring Cleaning Tips:
Look at your dooryard with a critical eye as if you were coming to your farm for the first time; does it appear welcoming & safe? Clear out farm clutter to reduce any potential mishaps, tidy up flower beds at the entrance, & assess that signs directing to your entrance are clear.
Inside, a thorough cleaning & dusting is needed to present your farm for new & returning customers. Think of it as “detailing” as one might a car. Dispose of wrecked baskets or props that say, “my useful life has passed”. Replace with new display props. Another detail, check your product signage; start the year with freshly made signs. If self-check out make sure all instructions are clear & presented with fresh signage.
Sometimes closing down the stand in November things are left in a bit of a mess. Absolutely make sure you are “retail ready” both in the farmyard & inside your stand. Take what you learned in the prior year to improve your sales this year.
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Fresh Display Crates for Spring
Clifford Lumber in Starksboro,VT is a fourth-generation wood products business sourcing local white pine for their crates. They carry stock items including bushel & half bushel crates while also creating custom crates for food, beverage & gift companies.
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Farmstand Pricing
Your AH-HA Moment
No one says it better than Errol.
"Retailers think like portfolio managers." Everything needs to "earn" its place in sales & margin.
Retailers don’t manage SKUs; they manage blended margins. Your product is one tile in that mosaic.
Learning to price products is also a bit like operating a monopoly board with different money making opportunities. Think railroads & utilities as staples. "Boardwalk with two hotels" helps carry the store/farmstand."
Staples like milk & eggs are often priced near cost; higher-margin items like yogurt & snacks help pay for that. Your brand lives inside these decisions, not in a vacuum.
For success, your product mix & pricing relies on a dynamic process that includes decision making tools centered on creating returning customers. Need more on this? Sign up for Errol's Grocery Nerd & The Checkout.
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Cashout at Farmstands
One thing for certain in Vermont, farmers like sharing their practices with each other. As farmstands are getting underway for the season, farmer-to-farmer cash out options are a timely conversation. A recent post on the VVBGA list serv posed an inquiry for efficient self-serve cash out options.
Responses included KioskBuddy, a self-checkout app with Square Kiosk hardware. It integrates with Square POS allowing you to use your products /categories info that is already in Square. All the reports stay in Square. KioskBuddy is the customer facing app that displays on the tablet. The user interface is self-explanatory with smooth customer interaction. Payment options accepted in credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc, & can be set up other options for cash, check, Venmo, Paypal, etc.
It is important to create & review your product categories so that the customer has an easy go at check out. Sometimes farmers’ categories make ‘farm sense’ but customers need ‘check out sense' too. It helps to gather customer feedback as the season goes along. Stay tuned for more shop talk about check-out in future Small Bites.
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The Buddy System
Chandler Farm now accepts all major credit cards at its store. The era of the paper sales sheet has come to an end & they have a handy dandy new tablet for self-checkout. The Kiosk Buddy & Square set up has been rolled out with great excitement!
Credit/debit card? You bet
Tap to pay? Uh huh
Venmo and Paypal? Of course
Good old fashioned exact cash or check? Our favorite (no fees)!
They are thrilled to offer more payment options for all their products (including the donuts!). They encourage all their fans to "come on in, don't be shy, & give the new checkout a try!"
Chandler Pond Farm
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All Good Stuff!
Courses & Resources
Vermont Law & Graduate School offers a dynamic lineup of environmental law courses. This year’s Summer Session features the first-ever field study focused on agriculture & the environment at the Mountain School in Vershire, Vermont. All are welcome to these courses:
Intro to Food and Agriculture Law and Policy Session 1 (May 26 – June 11)
Aquaculture Law and Policy Session 1 Weekend Intensive (June 5-6)
Land Conservation Law Session 2 (June 15-25)
Ultra-Processed Foods and the Law Session 2 Weekend Intensive (June 20-21)
Farmworkers and the Law Session 3B (July 13-16)
Agriculture and Environment Field Study | Session 4A (July 20-23)
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Fruit & veg growers have access to a huge range of webinars that land as You Tube videos. The VVBGA covers operational topics from soil health through to distribution. In 2026 the series includes food safety & wholesale distribution costs.
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VSJF hosts a support series for Vermont business owners who are past the start‑up phase & beginning to navigate the next stage of growth. Each session taught by VSJF business coaches blends expert instruction, practical tools, & hands‑on work time.
Some of the sessions are online, while others are in person.
Find all the details for the series that runs from May 15 to November 12, 2026
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FACT advances a vision that all food-producing animals are raised in a humane & healthy manner. They offer a number of resources to help farmers embrace the mission of healthy animals, healthy food, & an improved environment. Check out the grants to farmers.
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