Small Bites
August 11, 2023
Creating opportunities to amplify & sell Vermont products to buyers in the northeast & beyond through regional relationships
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Picking up the pieces, literally & figuratively, from recent flooding is where we have been in the past month. A serious round of recognition to our state agencies, nonprofits & businesses working to alleviate the stresses of not one, not two, but at least three significant flood events in the past month. As we focus on the foodshed in Small Bites, we are at the intersection of food production, processing, delivery & retail sales. Every aspect has had impacts of varying degrees depending on the flood(s).
The total loss of fruit, vegetable, forage & feed crops is yet to be fully determined but it well exceeds 15,000 acres. What does that mean to our food supply? We will look at the supply side in this Small Bites, while also sharing positive events & happenings at stores & farms that are pillars in their communities as places that support the local economy by purchasing products & places of solace in troubling times. Our stores, both large & small, are often the backbones of our towns often isolated by geography. Some of these community stores have reopened while still being repaired, or they are supportive of their customers with events that bring folks together to offset the otherwise dismal circumstances felt in pockets of the state in varying degrees.
Read on for updates, goings-on, & our 'darn tough' approach to an improved, collective sense of wellbeing as we retool, recover, & live our resilience that fosters our local food economy.
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On the Bright Side
Retail food stores are a never-ending complex of decisions. Events like we have been having add even more layers & more complexities to stores. When the floods came to towns up & down the state in July some stores were absolutely & literally underwater. In the back offices where the hub of accounts payable & revenue intersect computer systems were compromised. This created another layer of disruption, one that is hard to plan for complicated to recover from.
Bright spots come from communities coming together to help each other. Locals in Londonderry became haulers of debris & cleaners of all things needing to be cleaned (think: Jelley's Deli). Help also shows up as fundraisers to off-set lost revenue & keep staff on the payroll (think: Woodstock Farmers Market). Stores are also hubs that feed workers restoring power, roads, & other infrastructures. Other help comes in the form of locally owned banks stepping in when SBA loans were declined. (think: Cambridge Village Market)
Stores are key buyers of VT products & promote their choices widely (think: West River Provisions, among many other ones!) .
Our communities have been coming together in ways that lead to rebuilding physical spaces & buildings while also giving a helping hand to rebuild confidence that our stores matter as they are multiplier effects of connected businesses.
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"We had no idea that our work meant so much and was noticed & valued by so many people. We will keep working hard and baking our healthy and wholesome breads for the community" -RUB
In the Heart of Barre
Lies a Lot of Heart.
With the help of its community, Rise Up Bakery, is rising again after the flood waters receded. Amazing trades people stepped in to get the business back up in quick time. The wood fired bakery received a load of dry wood only ten days after the flood. That allowed the ovens to get heated up again & the scent of fresh bread soon was wafting through the community. Like all businesses they will continue to improve operations as time, money & other resources allow, but each reopening has sparked the resilience & 'darn toughness' of Vermonters.
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Signs of the Times
Stores & communities work together to help support communities with opt-in giving. Whatever we call it, Round-up, Change for Change, Rally for Change, the ‘small change” adds up making positive impacts.
The Springfield Food Coop July Change for Change program supported its local Meals on Wheels. These programs have proven very successful at independent stores, coops, & large regional stores to fill the gaps & meet society's needs. Below, at the Morrisville Food Coop, the general manager presents a check for over $2000 for Breakfast on Us, a community service that welcomed the community’s support.
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"What a wonderful way to help deserving organizations in your area. It’s impressive that customers are so willing to round up to make this possible." -Morrisville Coop Shopper
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Bernie was recently in Springfield & took time to visit the coop. He knows firsthand the value of localized economy & has long relied on coops to better understand the transactions that build our local food shed. He is fighting like crazy for changes in the farm bill, the insurance industry, & the many consolidated power structures that infringe on independent & coop businesses. In support of deconstructing corporate consolidation & reducing the pricing discrimination the Robinson Packman Act needs to be addressed. Let Bernie know you stand by relocalizing our Vermont economy. Read more about large retailers flexing their supply chain power to kill off small businesses.
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Customer Engagement:
Give 'em a Taste
Between covid & the overall lack of staffing bandwidth, service at retail food stores has gone through many changes in the past three years.
One thing that is back is product sampling & demo programs at stores. The engagement can really help a brand gain footing. You know we talk this up, for good reason, it is a win-win-win scenario. When a store buyer brings on a new local or regional product, exposure can make or break future sales. The one-on-one storytelling by the producer creates a connection for the shopper. Stores also benefit from the conversations & exchanges that take place on the sales floor. Strong sales aided by sampling & demos help the brand, the store, the shopper & the distributor too.
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Stores Take Note
SNAP EBT benefits can now be used at stores to purchase hot & prepared foods in Vermont effective through August 18. Retailers are encouraged to post signage in stores to let customers know that hot & prepared foods are eligible for purchase with SNAP EBT benefits.
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Attention All Food Retailers!
Words With Meaning
Vermont is the only state in the northeast with a local food definition. This came about over a long period of time & included quite the "thought process" of considering the many factors of our VT products’ brand identity.
The VT Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets and the State Attorney General which oversees consumer protections, & the legislature agreed on a uniform definition to protect producers & consumers & which went into effect July 2, 2020.
In the picture below taken at a Vermont store, the yellow sign from an in-store sampling does not comply with the definition; Granny Squibb's is from Rhode Island, making them a New England regional producer not a Vermont "local" one. Take a good look at it & become familiar with the definition to protect your shopper’s perception, & your compliance.
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Young Farmers: A Bright Spot
Vermont's Agricultural fairs are in full swing. At Addison County Field Days young farmers are showing their animals, fowl, vegetables, arts & crafts. Sure, torrential rains have been barreling through on most evenings producing mini floods. When it’s not pouring, the kids compete & tend to their animals with so much love & care. They of course love smiling & mugging for the cameras as caught by the Addison Independent. Their pride speaks volumes for the future of ag!
Well into September the fairs crisscross the state, where exhibitions will continue to showcase the best of Vermont's ag training & educating the public on the importance of good animal husbandry, attention to detail, & the value of all our crops including corn, & hay for feed.
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Mettowee Valley Day Tripping
Mach's Market in "downtown" West Pawlet knows how to make grab & go displays. Located on the western edge of Vermont near fun recreational activities including the D&H Rail Trial. The store serves up fabulous food & seem to enjoy making 'in-store theater'. By using cheese wheels, they have an eye for displays to sell the new line of Cabot flavored popcorn. Located between the deli & the cash out area, they generate sales by "making it easy to buy" fabulous VT products. Well done Mach's!
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Wayward Goose Farm, along the D&H rail trail in West Pawlet entices shoppers with a quality mix of VT & regional products. Bicyclist have direct access from the D&H bike trail.
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Main Drags & Side Roads
The role of distributors delivering to stores & farmstands cannot be understated. Each carries unique products, on distinct routes to meet the needs of stores serving their communities. Lesser, VT Roots, Pumpkin Village Foods, P&S, Kathy Killam are among some of the independent distributors driving the roads across the state.
Food Connects is part of a statewide food hub network that has been able to reach customers up & down the state despite ongoing flood related road closures. Deliveries are on track as they navigate their growing business with the construction of expanded facilities. In the busy summer season, they are balancing local & regional sales with operational, procurement & inventory management, with staffing capacity. While onboarding has been sidelined as the facility is being built, some new products have been added, Trenchers Pasta, Dosa Kitchen, & regionally sourced Fauxmaggio from Massachusetts are a few new ones gaining market access.
By the end of the year, it is expected that the facility expansion will generate more opportunities to strengthen sales of Vermont products to the northeast as well as introduce Vermonters to regionally sourced products. A win-win for New England.
One of their routes delivering to stores & cafes is the "Londonderry Route”, an area of the state flooded on July 10-11th. Some of the accounts remain closed, including the Garden Market, a staple in downtown that is working to reopen. Other stores including Winhall Market, JJ Hapgood, & the Londonderry Village Market have been able to keep serving their communities & stocking VT products.
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Retail: Changes
10-15 years ago, the Vermont Grocer Association counted about 250 country stores in the state. Now there are maybe 75. Each plays a pivotal role in their community, yet they also struggle against enormous market consolidation, pricing pressures, & inconsistent service from distributors due to the small size of their orders & often rural locations that are time consuming for drivers.
We boast the highest number of food coops per capita with an estimated 15, 11 of which are members of the regional Neighboring Food Coop Association. The association supports coops in many ways while also tracking the impact of the community ownership model. Their 2022 data determined Vermont's coops employed 940 people, generated over $147 million & sell more than $51 million in Vermont local products, & more than 2200 people joined coops across the NFCA members.
A few changes have taken place this year in leadership at three of the coops.
Springfield Coop has worked with Columinate Consulting to help navigate from interim managers to the hiring of a new manager. The coop has recently welcomed a new permanent manager to the staff.
Upper Valley Food Coop in White River Junction just brought on board Darrion Whalen as their new manager replacing long time manager & friend of Farm to Plate Sue Miller. He brings many professional experiences that align with coop principals, local farms & food manufacturers.
New management brings new opportunities for each of these stores to continue to professionalize the grocery sector & support the work of Vermont Farm to Plate to share retail training tools with staff to increase sales of our Vermont products.
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Farmers as Retailers
Across Vermont farmers are using the vibrant Vegetable & Berry Growers Association listserv as a tool to help each other in this stressful time. The impacts of multiple floods are not universal. Farms are sharing among each other: crops for resale at low or at no cost; tractors, tools, & even staff are being shared too. Retail farmstands are benefiting from this caring farmer to farmer approach.
Foot Brooke Farm in Johnson is riding the roller coaster post-flood dealing with all their variables. Resilient comes to mind as they post gratitude for area farmers providing produce for their farmstand. They are grateful to local families using their EBT benefits at the store. These have been bright spots for the farm. Their recovery is leaning to new farming ventures.
Overall, this has been a dismal growing year with one challenge after another. Remember the May 18th freeze? Well, it should be high time for blueberry harvest in every corner. But alas, it's not. We do have some excellent crop reports from Chittenden & Addison Counties & our summer rain has resulted in huge berries & abundant availability. Owls Head in Richmond had branches literally break from the weight of this abundance. Their weekly music series at the height of ripeness is a fantastic way to bring the crop in. In other parts of the state, blueberries were so severely impacted by the freeze as to have no yields at all.
Farmstands have been utilizing many of our independent distributors & food hubs to access products across categories. This includes cheese. Maple Wind Farm in Richmond has an ample selection of well displayed cheese (shown above) with labels facing out, & clean, uniform signs with pricing prominently indicated. This type of self-service operation creates an easy-to-use self-checkout. The clear signage can help expedite checkout.
So, between freeze, drought, excessive rain & floods it has been a hell of a growing year. These factors make it hard to have the produce availability shoppers have become accustomed to. That said, farmstands are doing the best they can. Our farmer-to-farmer support network, locally distributed products & artisan-maker items round out sales & revenue, while increasing margin opportunities.
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Drive Sales
A mixed inventory can help you with your farmstand sales & balance out perishable with non-perishable margin opportunities. Jubilee Farm located on the main road in Huntington is housed in a fabulous barn. It is part farm store, part vintage shop. The two enterprises make a dynamic shopping experience. Locally made crafts, gifts, & antiques that lean farm & food help create a fun spot in the heart of the snug valley.
The farm fresh produce is complimented by products locally sourced & some delivered by Lesser Distribution are among some of the VT producers rounding out the mix. The inventory on hand makes it easy to grab freshly harvested produce, & ingredients for dinners from many local producers including Trenchers Pasta, Krin's Bakery, & Sweet Rowan Milk, Cool treats for hot days & all kinds of gifts for all kinds of occasions make for a great farm store experience.
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It hasn't been the hottest summer, but it is still Creemee Season! Of the many farms selling the summer delight is Randolph's Silloway Maple. Using a locally sourced creemee mix, they blend it with their own maple syrup which is made by boiling sap in the traditional wood-fired method during the end of winter. Their connection to the forested landscape is steeped in history & their creemees are steeped in the flavors of their woods & dairies of Vermont.
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Usually by now, our farms are loaded with corn, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant & other "hot weather crops". The rains this year & lack of sun have thwarted crops growth (let's leave flooding out of this scenario). We do have them, but not in our usual abundance & maybe even in limited varieties. This is true not only at our farmstands but through the wholesale channel as well.
Prices will remain high & unstable as the market adjusts to gaps in production. Buyers at the distribution level, as well as direct to store deliveries, are juggling many variables to keep produce departments robust. There may be less variety, but there will still be products to choose from.
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Flood & Recovery Resources
A dedicated state website helps individuals & businesses impacted by heavy rain & flooding recover from home, vehicle, financial & business losses.
Flooding & harvest & post harvest info:
Farm First or call 1-877-493-6216. Please consider this valuable resource during & after the emergency; Vermont farm owners can access free technical, legal, financial, & mental health services
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Procurement faces persistent challenges across the board, lingering effects of the pandemic, staff retention issues, increased costs & decreased availability, human-induced climate disruption, & dwindling budgets all have to be navigated throughout the full connection from farms to stores. |
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Small Bites comes to you via USDA & High Meadows grants. Content is created for farmers, food manufacturers, distributors, & grocers to increase VT food sales
Small Bites supports the New England State Food System Planners Partnership
Contact: Annie Harlow
smallbites802@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, photo credits are from company social media, websites or Annie Harlow
Addison County Field Day pictures courtesy of Steve James for Addison Independent
All info is subject to change; thank you to all who contributed to this issue
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