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Small Bites March 24, 2022 creating opportunities to promote & sell more VT products to more buyers

The Grocer Project is ambitiously working on several fronts to expand production & distribution of VT products both within the state & regionally. Through our work we collaborate with private businesses & public agents in a wide network of partnerships. Small Bites is one of the projects highlighting food manufacturers, distributors, & stores’ commitment to local products. We also share a range of merchandising & operational resources.   Currently we are updating a database of producers & their methods of distribution that help identify scales of businesses by product categories & by methods of getting products to buyers. Using the information may consist of assisting a store with specific items. For instance, one that is looking to expand their selection of Vermont produced frozen items, the data base can utilize several filters such as frozen or by current distributors they are using. It is a total joy to speak one-on-one with our food manufacturers to get a pulse of the current market they produce for. So much information is shared including the greater impacts of global supply chain disruptions & changes in customer shopping habits throughout the pandemic. We are grateful for the insightful conversations & willingness as we update the information & expand visibility of our food manufacturers & support the various methods of distribution.

Increase Maple Sales With Mixed Up Mud It is maple season & unless you live in a hibernation den you know it is also one heck of a mud season.   Mixed Up Nut Butter has created a way to enjoy the best of March & April aptly called Mud Season! It is a premium blend of almonds, cashews, cacao nibs, VT maple sugar, VT-roasted coffee, vanilla bean, & sea salt muddied together as a perfect blend. Just like the end of ski season, it's bittersweet & caffeinated.   This must-have seasonal food represents the sludgy cocktail of snow, rain, unpaved roads, & mud boots. The freeze-&-thaw weather cycle makes it ideal for making Vermont's sweetest treat: maple Syrup & muddied with other premium ingredients- Mud Season nut butter is a sure seller in our ski town stores.   Sold through VT distributors Pumpkin Village Foods & VT Roots & shipped through Mable. YIKES! But no worries the maple sap was fine Store & distributor buyers love when food manufacturers take the time & make the effort to create functional "sales sheets". They know that a well-crafted sell sheet is a reflection on the business.   Pin-Up Pickles is growing. By creating an effective sell sheet with specs that make it easy for buyers to onboard their line of premium pickles, pickle sales will continue to grow. Streamlining communication with buyers is seen as a priority for saving time & help increase sales. The multiplier effect of keeping dollars local increases as they purchase VT grown ingredients direct from area farmers.   A Good Food Award winner, the pickles are available through VT Roots, & shipped through Faire. Sourcing Ingredients & Supporting Local Farms Green Mountain Pot Stickers is bringing the flavors of Taiwan to stores with their handmade potstickers. Available frozen DSD to area grocery stores, healthy food markets, & direct to shoppers at select farmers’ markets.   They purchase direct from many farms including ethically raised meat from Maple Wind & Pigasus & produce from Lewis Creek & Bear Roots. This small-scale operation has a sweet spot of purchasing locally & selling in a small area. Contact them for current distribution route.  WDEV: on location Vermont's well regarded independent radio station WDEV has been jaunting around the state interviewing owners of general stores. They have livestreamed from The Elmore Store & Hastings Store in West Danville & several others. They are insightful featuring the role each store plays in their unique community. Rutland Area Food Coop is one of the several stores participating in a local products assessment through the Grocer Project. By working with us & consultants from Columinate, they are fine tuning operations & assessing their inventory management with a possible upgrade in attributes in their POS system.   The Coop purchases many VT products direct from local producers including meat from Walnut Hill Farm in Pawlet & Chaga Chai in Rutland. Lesser Distribution rounds out their product mix across many categories.  Is your food prep/cafe seeking more Vermont foods sold in food service pack sizes? Reach out to us to help increase your purchases. Are you a food producer shipping in bulk pack sizes? Make sure we have your info to share through the Grocer Project.

Local Distribution: Service & Dedication Independent distributors servicing Vermont are the backbone for many of our products making it to our stores. Of course, Chittenden County, home of our largest towns is a money maker for manufacturers & for our distributors. However, rural routes play a huge role in getting our food to market.   Distributors create a product catalog that supports their sales to meet their customer needs while creating their own niche. Think of Provisions International & their focus on our artisan cheese producers & specialty foods. Kathy Killam is well known for prioritizing baked goods; Wilcox sells & ships BOL frozen foods as their specialty, & Lesser Distribution carries both shelf stable & frozen products. VT Roots crisscrosses the state with a generous selection of shelf stable goods.   By matching their product mix with stores on their routes, each is making more VT products available to stores. Our local distributors often offer better margins for all involved with less trade allowances for food manufacturers. Also, freight shipping rates tend to be far better priced than the national companies.   Are you looking for certain products? Check the VT Products from your distributors or reach out to us & we will use our database to assist you in rounding out your mix.  Farmers With Retail Farmstands Are you looking for new products to round out your inventory or offer up add-ons to your summer CSA? Let us help you identify potential products.    You may want some adventure foods like Battenkill Wholesome or Good Mix. Perhaps you want to offer a signature farm-based beverage such as Savoure. Or a grab & go from Sherry's Trail Bars . Or, maybe something completely different: body care products from Caroline's Dream a wonderful woman owned business often delivering with her cargo e-bike! Listen to this Happy Vermont podcast for more on this VT body care biz.  "This has all been extremely hard, but it’s getting better & we feel blessed to have had the support of this community every step of the way. We did it together." -Putney General Store on changes in mask wearing "Looks like everything is going to be OK today." Caring Community The past two weeks we have seen significant changes at stores regarding mask wearing. The Putney General Store which had a rough patch with omicron, is grateful for the ever-present support of their community.   Recently the mask signs came down. Though their team has continued to wear them. They are "very appreciative of all the customers who put them on out of respect for our business, some in solidarity with our team. It’s time to leave the issue to the individual. Many will continue to wear them for any number of reasons, & we support that."   Many stores have expressed variations of community support & willingness to be respectful of the choices around mask wearing.  Calling All Store Buyers! You can still sign up for the Sustainable Business Network virtual tradeshow. Distributors & stores buyers are encouraged to sign up. Many Vermont companies will be participating. One goal is to help Vermont food manufacturers reach new market channels & meet regional store & distributor buyers. Provisions International picks up Mt Mansfield Creamery cheese for the March Cave to Coop Program through the Neighboring Food Coop Association. WHOO HOOO! Be in the know: Vermont's Local Food Definition.

Small Bites: The archive is loaded with info to explore

Small Bites comes to you via USDA & High Meadows grants. Content is created for farmers, food manufacturers, distributors, grocers to increase VT food sales Contact: Annie H Harlow smallbites802@gmail.com  Unless otherwise noted, photo credits are from company social media, websites or Annie Harlow All info is subject to change; thank you to all the folks who contributed to this issue!