Small Bites December 20, 2021

creating opportunities to promote & sell more
VT products to more buyers
It seems every corner of the country has strong community connections. Some may even say strong senses of independence.
 
Here in rural corners of Vermont, we see stores & food businesses working together to help support each other. We also see community members stepping in too. Check out some of the connections from across every hill, valley, & down isolated rural roads. The connections help get food to market & to bring well appreciated connections & exposure. Our food sales benefit when we are working together. Consider how Wood Meadow Market in Enosburg receives deliveries for Main Street Market in Richford. The ten miles down the road is just a bit too far right now for Pumpkin Village Foods to make it a stop on their route. Down in Londonderry, Mountain Energy Market has become the sole store to introduce Buster & Bella's Goat Milk Fudge to their community. And across in Norwich, shoppers have stepped in the stock shelves & run registers at Dan & Whit's, which has receive loads of national attention recently through a story on CBS news.
 
There is a renewed uncertainty due to the new omicron variant. With the end of the year holidays upon us, some stores are taking this as an opportunity to close for several days so staff can be with family & recharge after a tumultuous year.  Looking ahead, community connections will continue to reign supreme. You continue to build amazing alliances while playing key roles. In gratitude to you all, we hope you find some peaceful moments & some well needed time off as the year winds down.
Mountain Energy Market

This small but important market continues to increase its local food footprint while reducing energy use. In the heart of ski country Donna's connections to community introduce her customers to a wide range of specialty food producers from local muffaletta from Karen's Food Company to Buster & Bella's fudge.
 
After doing cost analysis on her inventory & margin, she switched sourcing from a large national/local distributor to Food Connects. Though both distributors had overlap in their product catalog, Food Connects had much better pricing & a favorable minimum order. This decision has helped her expand VT products to her local & seasonal Londonderry customer base. Her business really picks up after Christmas when skiers & second homeowners fill their baskets with Vermont products hand selected for optimal sales. By working closely with local suppliers, she receives products direct from producers which helps her round out her inventory for seasonal shifts. She has cultivated many community relationships & has many loyal customers that continually allows her to expand local products to meet demand. 
Seasonal Resets Promote
Cocoa & Hot Chocolate

It's December. It is hot chocolate season, especially true now that we have snow & cold.
 
Increase sales opportunities with a simple reset & front of the store promotions. Use premium shelf space to increase visibility of our excellent hot chocolate & VT cocoa mixes. Often relegated to the top or bottom shelf in summer, it is time to move them front & center for seasonal sales. Not only will optimal product placement make sense, but it will also increase product turns; these products are designed for holiday sales & school vacations.
 
With signage at your Vermont milk products in your dairy cooler, remind shoppers of your Silly Cow, MOCO, Lake Champlain Chocolates or other hot chocolates you have brought in.
 
'Tis the season for hot chocolate which can conveniently be cross-merched with Vermont artisan coffee & 2021 Good Food Award winner Abracadabra Coffee. Based in Woodstock they won for their Mexico Finca Santa Cruz Natural Coffee, check out their wholesale info.
Dairy Feature

Across the state we have small dairies serving their community. Even small stores like MT Energy Market in So Londonderry help farms gain exposure & an outlet for steady sales.
 
At Middletown Farm, they are focused on producing quality over quantity to make the most natural milk possible. Keeping the cows happy & healthy is their first priority. Their herd management program includes regular veterinary & nutritionist visits. The cows are fed only locally grown hay processed on their farm. Through diet & herd management they achieve lower somatic cell counts & higher component averages of protein, fats, vitamins & minerals than conventional milk. This is the basis for A2, milk that contains only Beta Casein protein making their milk more easily digested. Many people who believe they are lactose intolerant are actually just reacting to the A1 protein.
 
Middletown Dairy sells DSD to stores including Nature's Market in Manchester, The Dutton Farm Stores & others on their distribution route. For more farm or route info contact the farm.
Vermont Farmers Food Center, a food hub in Rutland has just taken a hit. After many years building a
marketplace in tandem with food processing & distribution contaminants were detected through state inspection. October testing found concerning levels of trichloroethylene, or TCE. The winter farmers market & food processors are
seeking a new location. Read more from a recent article in the Rutland Herald.
Teaming Up for Stronger Sales

You can't tell from the picture, but the cracker-jack team taking over local food sales at the Main Street Market in Richford are smiling BIG smiles.
 
Working the Farm to Plate, they are identifying opportunities to introduce more Vermont products. As a non-profit affiliated with the NOTCH Center for Health, they aim to increase healthy food options & expand local products. Miranda & Nathan are simultaneously cleaning out slow sellers while beginning to introduce products made from within their community. Just last week they onboarded locally produced Nothin' But Curds to their product mix.
 
They are also working on tightening up VT product attributes in their POS system so that they have real-time data on sales of Vermont & healthier food. (This will help them share sales in the 2023 Local Food Count too!)
 
2022 is going to be another year of fabulous changes at the Main Street Market as the team sets goals that includes more partnerships with distributors & local partners. By working within their broader community, the team will be offering healthier choices with an increase in local products, including more VT products in their ready to eat program. 
Specialty Food Member Drive

Vermont Specialty Food Association seeks to end the year with new members. We remind you that distributors, stores, supply-side companies are all invited to become members. A strong membership supports services that help our food manufacturers increase sales through operational & marketing efficiency.
What a year it has been & we still have 11 days to go! A shout out to all our store owners & managers navigating intense decisions. Our distributors trying to keep pace (& communication) with supply shortages, food manufacturers dodging gaps due to lack of packaging & shipping materials & farmers who have been on the front lines of so many changes this year from climate to labor shortages.

Sadly, 2022 is looking like it might be 2020 too.
Community Goodwill
Support for Full Belly Farm

A letter sent through the VVBGA farmer listserv has been shared widely through local organizations.

Dear VVBGA community,

Many of you know Sarah and Stephen Park of Full Belly Farm in Monkton. They were in a car accident while visiting family in Tennessee. It sounds like they are all OK but Sarah was 29 weeks pregnant and had an emergency C section, delivering a 3.6 lb baby boy Adrian, who will be in the ICU for up to 2 months in TN. They will need lots of help for staying in TN and for their farm here back in VT, so Stephen's sister started a GoFundMe page, where you can find more information about their situation. https://gofund.me/17393b9a
Be proactive & share your business news to be broadcast to the network.

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