BREAKING NEWS OCTOBER 13, 2021:
Stonyfield Organic, the country’s leading organic yogurt maker, announces its plans to help save at-risk Northeast organic family farms by inviting a number of farms into their direct supply program during the coming months. The move comes after over 89 regional family farmers recently received notice that their contracts will be terminated by Horizon, owned by Danone North America – leaving them with no outlets for their milk.
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Small Bites October 13, 2021
dedicated to creating opportunities to promote & sell more VT products to more buyers
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Winhall Market, near Stratton MT meets the needs of locals & travelers during peak foliage
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Big Cheers for Big Sales
Our Vermont general stores, coops. independent supermarkets all had a banner 3 days of sales over Indigenous People’s Day weekend. With the foliage heading south & west sales will continue to be strong. Maple sales were high across the state & will continue as the foliage "ripens" downstate & at lower elevations. Fall is always a robust time for VT product sales, & so far this year it has been fantastic.
In addition, our local farms are still cranking out lots of produce with stores well stocked with wonderful fall crops. Prepared foods departments are incorporating more locally sourced ingredients. Winter squash, steam & braising greens, vibrant storage onions, & of course our expanding sweet potato crop are all outstanding & should be featured.
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Treats to Treat Hardworking Staff
VT Product Highlights
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Tips & Advice for Food Producers
Are you positioning to expand sales to distributors & through brokers? Take this advice from Equinox Food Brokers & the Team at Sunja's Kimchi. Based on experience, they want to help you learn the lay of the land. These tips can help you reduce some growth challenges while increasing your professional demeanor:
#1 You must have a proper sell sheet showing pack sizes, selling points, images of the product, pricing & "the story".
#2 Have your business positioned & ready for growth. Often seen by brokers & distributors, companies fall short on filling orders even though they push for more sales. Staffing, packaging & shipping, labels etc can get overtaxed thwarting timely deliveries & the new relationship
#3 When entering a relationship with brokers share information about your existing repeat sales to established businesses, local stores, or restaurants. Be willing to offer references with those businesses so the broker can best gauge future potential sales & building of your relationship
#4 Know that your cash flow will change with new operational costs & often with longer accounts receivables.
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Sunja's Traditional Kimchi has grown into a vibrant business selling through Upper Valley Produce, Associated Buyers & UNFI. They also have direct to store delivery (DSD) to stores in northern Vermont. This keeps them in direct contact with their local customers & allows relationships to grow in a personalized way. (When delivering directly, Dave loves that he can see peak foliage on his routes too!) By working with distributors of various scales & covering different market segments, Sunja's has built a distribution network that works well for their company.
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Expand exposure of your product at the Made in Vermont Marketplace 2021 November 19-21 in Burlington, VT. As an exhibitor, you will have the opportunity to showcase your VT products to an estimated 4,000 attendees. Lots of opportunity for exposure: sell your product on the trade show floor, take orders, & have a direct link from the Vermont Business Magazine website to your website for increased visibility.
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Vermont's Busiest Weekend Ever
It is said that this was Vermont's busiest weekend ever.
We know that means distributors worked like mad to get food to stores & restaurants. It wasn’t always easy or necessarily pretty but a HUGE shout out to all the warehouse workers, drivers, operational support staff, buyers & sales folks who made it through last week. Whew. And another whew because they worked really hard despite inventory gaps, short staffing & frustrated receivers.
With the peak foliage heading south & west, & warm temperatures all week & into the weekend it is a busy time for travelers to enjoy the state. Food sales across PYO orchards & farmstands, stores, food trucks & restaurants will continue to be strong. Delivery snags are likely to occur, as drivers will literally be moving tons of food per truck.
With all the travelers comes the uncertainty of Delta. We know we are benefiting from the uptick in sales. Stores & public facilities continue to uphold strict safety measures as we have many travelers from less covid-safe areas. Across the state, we continue to emphasize safety as we navigate the ongoing uncertainty.
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Give a hand for all the hard working drivers & crews!
Vermont Glove for are designed & made for hardworking folks. These sturdy gloves are perfect for warehouse workers, drivers, & farmers. The company is committed to functional design & using the highest quality materials. They value social & environmental sustainability as much as they value hard work. As they say "we are madly committed to using natural, renewable materials". The gloves are made for years of hard work & are a perfect way to show appreciation. Reward your team with a pair of gloves made in Vermont since 1920 by a company with an ethos that keeps dollars local. They actively advocate for environmental stewardship, economic equity & social responsibility. On top of all that, they make durable yet supple gloves for hardworking crews.
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Produce Farmers Take Note!
Through the VAAFM Produce Program forty approved applicants will receive a complete Produce Safety Supply Kit, including a bucket, brush, squeegee, & a custom number of crates &/or attached lid containers based on their request & supply. Vermont farms that grow, harvest, pack, or hold fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, or nuts, should apply at the Vermont Produce Portal.
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Across the state it's "orange food season", but it is also purple kohlrabi, red curly kale & red & yellow onion season. At many farms, peppers & tomatoes still offer a burst of color on the farmstand. In Monkton Full Belly Farm has strawberries picked daily for their stand. And next door at Yates Family Orchard apples & cider sales continue to be huge with help from their Dream Team that are serving the huge number of visitors. Like every apple orchard in the state, sales are incredible this year.
At stores, produce stockers utilize the white from leeks & the light tone of napa cabbage to provide a color break, which is so important in merchandising produce. And of course the vibrant freshly harvested & washed cut carrots provide an orange blast & are a great addition to the refrigerated display case.
Delicata, is an early season hard squash variety that makes fantastic "smiles". Cut lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, then cut again into 1/2 circle "smiles", roast until tender. See the video link above for more details. Super tasty served up hot, or as a cold snack to grab & go.
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Know Vermont's Local" Definition
When promoting local foods, be aware of the Vermont definition as enacted by ACT 129. Check out the fact sheet so that your purchasing values-based strategies & promotions comply.
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Through support from a USDA grant, content is created for farmers,
food manufacturers, distributors, grocers, & anyone else interested in how food moves
Contact: Annie H Harlow
smallbites802@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Nomadic Kitchen: Daria Bishop for Seven Days
Unless otherwise noted, photo credits are from company social media, websites or Annie Harlow
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