Bringing Local Food to Schools

It’s National Farm to School Month, and our Food Hub is excited to celebrate our partnerships with local schools. Did you know that we deliver regionally grown food to more than 30 schools in our area? Each new school we work with means more students have access to local and nutritious foods.

Since July 2021, K-12 schools have purchased nearly $100,000 in local products from Food Connects—that’s more local dollars going back to our community and farmers! Vermont public schools alone totaled over $70k, $43k of which came from Vermont producers.

The Windham Northeast Supervisory Union’s (WNESU) Farm to School Cafe is a major contributor to this success. Over the summer, Harley Sterling, the School Nutrition Director for WNESU, and his team made weekly food boxes for hundreds of kids, ensuring all students had access to food throughout the summer. Stay tuned for more about this project! Or check out their holiday highlight or Cafeterias Unknown feature.  

Other than these great stories, we’ve introduced some new, school-focused products to schools.

1. The Bread Shed: “Humble Whole Wheat Loaf”

   • At 54% whole wheat, this product meets USDA regulations for the National School Lunch Program.

   • We distributed samples to schools and sold over 200 loaves since the start of the school year.

2. Miller Farm: 8 oz bottles of whole milk

   • Since late August, Food Connects has already sold more than 600 bottles to school. 

   • The bottles work well in private schools and as a special feature or part of “a la carte” sections in public schools.

If you haven’t heard already, there is a new local food purchasing incentive for schools in Vermont. “Act 67 created a pilot program that would temporarily establish a tiered incentive for public schools to purchase food from Vermont’s farmers: buy 15% local products, receive 15 cents back for every lunch served. The law also creates 20% and 25% tiers.” This means that the more local food purchased and the more students served, the more school nutrition programs benefit. And our Food Hub is ready to help by providing a plethora of quality Vermont products through our wide network.

Since the start of September, Vermont public schools have purchased over $14k food from Food Connects. Between already established purchasing practices and the new local purchasing incentive, $11k of these sales are from Vermont producers—totaling over 75% of purchases. Some of the farms and producers that are seeing sales to local schools include:

• Eggs from Maple Meadow Farm in Salisbury, VT

• Apples from Dutton Berry Farm in Newfane, VT, and Green Mountain Orchard in Putney, VT

• Pears from Champlain Orchards in Shoreham, VT

• Yogurt from Green Mountain Creamery in Brattleboro, VT

• A variety of veggies from Harlow Farm and Allen Brothers in Westminster, VT, in addition to Milkweed Farm in Guilford, VT

We also have a new partner in Karen Russo, Director of the Child Nutrition Program at Orange Southwest School District. Karen started ordering from Food Connects at the start of the 2021-22 school year, and her passion to feed her students nutritious and local foods has been evident from the start of our partnership. In her first month of deliveries alone, she has purchased a wide variety of fruits and veggies, including local apples, pears, carrots, corn, peppers, tomatoes, and so much more! In partnership with their Farm to School Coordinator, they will be making kale chips to serve over 400 kids across all of their elementary schools. 

We’re so excited that the school year is off to a great start. We can’t wait to see where our partnerships and local food purchasing incentive take us this school year!

20 New Producers Added in 2020

2020 was a crazy year for many of us. As demand for regional food increased, Food Connects had the opportunity to expand our network of high-quality New England producers. Check out 20 that became part of the Food Connects family in 2020.

Atlantic Sea Farms - Saco, ME

Atlantic Sea Farms, created in 2009, is the first commercially viable seaweed farm in the United States. Their goal is to diversify how coastal waters are used, providing communities with a domestic and fresh alternative to imported seaweed products.

Featured Products: Fermented Seaweed Salad; Sea-Beet Kraut; Sea-Chi; Kelp Cubes; Ready Cut Kelp Slaw

Blue Ledge Farm - Salisbury, VT

Blue Ledge Farm is a first-generation, family-owned and -operated goat dairy and cheese-making farm just outside of Middlebury, VT. Owners Greg and Hannah now milk over 100 different goats and produce 11 different types of cheeses on their Animal Welfare Approved farm.

Featured Products: Camembrie; Crottina; Fresh Chevre; Lake’s Edge Mini; Marinated Chevre; Middlebury Blue; Richville; Riley’s 2x4

Champlain Valley Creamery - Middlebury, VT

Champlain Valley Creamery produces handcrafted, Certified Organic, award-winning cheeses. They make all their cheeses by hand, from the 100% grass-fed organic Jersey milk of Severy Farm in Cornwall, Vermont. They are handmade using traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization in a net-zero solar-powered building.

Featured Products: Organic Champlain Triple; Organic Champlain Truffle Triple; Cream Cheese; Queso Fresco; Pyramid Scheme

Grateful Greens - Brattleboro, VT

Grateful Greens, located in downtown Brattleboro, VT, uses creative, low-impact, indoor farming technology that utilizes solar, rainwater, and eco-friendly systems. They grow nutrient-dense sunflower greens and strive to strengthen local food systems and relieve our dependence on resource-intensive farming or shipping produce from distant lands.

Featured Products: Sunflower Greens; Sunflower Greens, Maple Dijon Vinaigrette Grab and Go; Sunflower, w/Buttermilk Ranch Grab and Go; Sunflower, w/Mixed Dressings Grab and Go; Sunflower, w/Sesame Ginger Grab and Go

Ground Up - Hadley, MA

Ground Up is a family-owned operation that offers a range of whole and bolted (or sifted) flours proudly milled to order from Northeast farms. Ground Up’s goal is to look back in another ten years and see more acres of grain, more thriving farms, more fresh and nutritious flour—all-important signs of a more sustainable and resilient food system.

Featured Products: All Purpose Flour; Bolted Bread Flour; Malted Barley Flour; Organic Rye Berries; Pastry Flour; Pizza Dough Flour; Wheat Berries; Wheat Bran; Wheat Middlings; Whole Rye Flour 

Hall Apiaries: Plainfield, NH

Hall Apiaries is an apiary producing chemical- and treatment-free honey with hives in both Vermont and New Hampshire. Owner Troy Hall considers his queen breeding program to be the heart and backbone of his apiary. All potential breeders are hardy stock who are at least two years old and have persevered through two New England winters without any chemical treatments.

Featured Products: Raw Honey, chemical- and treatment-free

Heiwa Tofu: Rockport, ME

Founded in 2008, Heiwa Tofu is a small family business committed to creating pure and wholesome foods that they feel good sharing with their community. Their tofu is handcrafted in small batches using organic, non-GMO soybeans grown on Maine and New England farms.

Featured Products: Organic Tofu

Maine Grains - Skowhegan, ME

Maine Grains is a grain mill located in a repurposed jailhouse that serves bakers, brewers, chefs, and families freshly-milled, Organic, and heritage grains sourced from the Northeast. Their traditional stone milling process ensures nutrient-packed products full of flavor and perfect for natural fermentation, baking, and cooking.

Featured Products: Organic Cornmeal; Organic Farro; Organic Heritage Red Fife Wheat Flour; Organic Polenta; Organic Rolled Oats; Organic Rye Flour; Organic Sifted Wheat All-Purpose Flour; Organic Whole Wheat Flour

Maine Sea Salt - Marshfield, ME

Maine Sea Salt is a family-owned operation that sells sea salt in health and specialty food stores and restaurants throughout the U.S. They’ve been creating sea salt that is solar evaporated and non-processed, with no additives, for over 20 years.

Featured Products:  Atlantic Sea Salt, Coarse or Full Crystals

Maple Meadow Farm

Maple Meadow Farm, owned and operated by the Devoid family since 1946, produces fresh shell, cage-free eggs. By Vermont standards of egg production, Maple Meadow is a large farm. By national measures, they’re tiny. Staying small allows them to remain family-owned and operated, and to focus on the needs of their birds, their product and their customers.

Featured Products: Large Chicken Eggs

Mi Tierra Tortillas

Mi Tierra Tortillas is the first authentic tortilla bakery in New England that creates tortilla chips from 100% Organic non-GMO local New England corn, ground limestone, and water. Owners Jorge Sosa and Michael Doctor came together in 2014 to create a delicious product for the community, featuring corn grown in Western Massachusetts.

Featured Products: Fresh Corn Tortillas (Organic or Conventional); Fresh Corn Tortillas, Thin Chip Style (Organic or Conventional)

Old Friends Farm - Amherst, MA

Old Friends Farm is a Certified Organic farm that grows food and flowers with integrity. They are widely known for pioneering Northeast-grown ginger and turmeric and their award-winning specialty products made with these powerful roots. Old Friends Farm manages its business with integrity, balance, and harmony, prioritizing their employees in their business decisions, including paying their employees a living wage and creating schedules for employees to thrive at work and in their off-farm life.

Featured Products: Ginger; Turmeric; Ginger Honey; Turmeric Honey; Organic Ginger Syrup

Parish Hill Creamery - Putney, VT

Parish Hill Creamery is a family endeavor focused on preserving traditional cheesemaking culture, collaborative farming, and contributing to their community’s overall health. These use raw milk from Elm Lea Farm at The Putney School, and they process all their cheese by hand.

Featured Products: Cornerstone; Hermit; Humble; Idyll; Jack’s Blue; Kashar; Reverie; Suffolk Punch; VT Herdsman

Rhapsody Natural Foods - Cabot, VT

Rhapsody Natural Foods is a family-owned business that produces high-quality Organic and natural artisan foods and supports local and regional sustainable food systems in the process. They purchase their ingredients from farmers close to their facility and other small, family-owned farms.

Featured Products: Organic Miso; Non-GMO Natto; Organic Tempeh; Tempeh, Ready to Eat (BBQ and Teriyaki) 

Schoolhouse Farm - East Calais, VT

Schoolhouse Farm thoughtfully raises their livestock in a pasture-based system, providing the community with pastured eggs from hens raised on Organic feed. Their chickens live out on pasture in mobile hen houses. Moved daily, they eat a wide variety of grasses and legumes and forage for insects in the soil.

Featured Products: Pastured Eggs

Smith’s Country Cheese - Winchendon, MA

Smith’s Country Cheese is a family-owned and operated working dairy farm and creamery. Their 200 Holstein cows live a happy life on 43 rural acres in Winchendon, MA, to produce their award-winning farmstead Gouda, cheddar, and Havarti cheeses. They use traditional recipes and fresh, raw milk from their farm to make delicious, artisanal cheeses.

Featured Products: Baby Swiss; Cheddar Cheese Sticks; Cheddar; Farmers’ Cheese; Gouda Spread; Gouda; Havarti

Starbird Fish

Captain Tony and his crew at Starbird Fish trek to Alaska every season to harvest wild salmon and white fish from “the most sustainable fishery in the world” using modern, low-impact techniques. They transport their fresh catches from the boat directly to an on-shore processor, where the fish is frozen and then shipped to Burlington, Vermont. Starbird produces all its smoked fish in Burlington, VT.

Featured Products: Alaskan Coho Salmon; Alaskan King Salmon; Alaskan Rockfish; Alaskan Sockeye Salmon; Smoke Alaskan Coho, Smoked Alaskan Sockeye

Sunnyfield Farm - Wilmington, VT

Sunnyfield Farm is a family-owned and operated farm located in Western, VT. From chickens to goats, their love and care for their animals produce high-quality products. And to top it off, they run a sugar-house, Sprague & Son Sugar House, making delicious Vermont-made maple syrup, candies, and more!

Featured Products: Pasture Raised Chicken Eggs

Vermont Cranberry Company - Fletcher, VT

Vermont Cranberry Company is Vermont's first and only commercial cranberry grower. They grow cranberries for wholesale buyers, and their products are available at markets, coops, and farm stores throughout the state.

Featured Products: Frozen Cranberries

Vermont Shepherd - Westminster West, VT

Vermont Shepherd is a 250-acre farm with 300-700 sheep (depending on the time of year), 2 Border Collies (who herd the sheep), and 8 Maremma (who protect the sheep from predators), and shepherds of all ages. At the farm’s northern edge is a cave, home to over 20,000 lbs a year of our artisanal farmhouse cheeses. This human-made cave is over 4 feet underground and is naturally damp and cool, the perfect conditions for cheese ripening!

Featured Products: 2-Year Aged Invierno; Fromage Blanc; Invierno; Smoked Invierno; Verano

Producer Spotlight: Ground Up

We are excited to introduce one of our newest producers: Ground Up. Andrea and Christian Stanley and Ben Roesch came together in 2010 to create Ground Up and together and continue to play a role in developing and supporting a local grain economy. Andrea took some time to answer our “get to know you” questions. Take a look!

What makes your products unique?

The most unique aspect of our flour is that 100% of the grains we mill are grown by farmers in the Northeast. We know them all and we have been working with many of them for over 10 years now. Almost all of the flour used today in the US comes from farms thousands of miles away and are supporting an extractive economy, not a local, circular economy, which we believe is the building block of a sustainable food system.

Our New American Stone mill also makes our products unique. Stone mills allow for a slower, cooler breakdown of the grain starches. Additionally, we sift our flours in a way that allows bran and other nutrient-dense parts of the whole grain to be kept in the flour, while still getting white flour.

And finally, we mill fresh to order. All of our flour is made after an order is placed, so you can be sure you are getting the freshest flour possible.

What was the inspiration to start Ground Up Grains?

The Hungry Ghost in Northampton asked us if we would be willing to add a mill to our malting operation in the summer of 2018. They are our favorite local bakery and so we looked into it. We have been running Valley Malt since 2010, turning local grains into malt for breweries and distilleries. We figured milling was a great way to diversify our business and be another way we could provide opportunities for local farmers to grow more grains.

What is your favorite recipe to make with your grains?

We love pizza and made a pizza oven with our kids a few years back. I follow an NYT recipe for the dough. We love the ritual of getting the fire going in the oven and making the dough the day before.

Why is selling locally and the local food movement is important to you? Are there any partnerships you want to highlight?

There is a lot about our world that we’d like to see change for the next generations. To make a real impact, we need to commit to the change we want to see. For us, this means supporting a revival of grain growing in the Northeast. Grains are such an important part of the human diet and they really add so much value to soil, water, and farmland. The first 10 years of this work have been challenging at times but we are starting to see some amazing progress and are committed to another 20+ years of working to make our food system in Northeast more self-sustaining. In doing this, we support farms who are struggling to find profitable crops to grow and we are providing fresh, healthy food for our neighbors. The Northeast Grainshed is a new organization we helped to start last year, it is the most exciting partnership of all the aspects of this grain economy from the wheat and barley breeders to the bars, bakeries, and restaurants that serve their local neighborhoods. One fun project of the Northeast Grainshed was to create a grain calculator so anyone could determine the impact of their grain consumption. Did you know that one 5 pound bag of flour, supports 97 square feet of local farmland? That is equal to 1/2 of a parking spot, so let’s get baking!

How does working with Food Connects help your business and what are you excited about in this new partnership?

Having partners that will market and distribute our flour and help to tell our story and the story of a localized food system is critical for our success. We all have unique and specialized roles to play and if each of us can exceed at our roles, we can make the lasting changes in our food system we are all working toward.

Any events coming up or fun facts about your business/products?

The thought of not having a 10 year anniversary in October 2020 for Valley Malt is a difficult one to swallow. So much bold sweat and tears were shed to make it for 10 years and our success is something we badly wanted to celebrate over beers with all our partners from the growers to the brewers and distillers.

We take the COVID-19 pandemic and public health very seriously and so there are no events to look forward to at the moment. When appropriate we will have an in-person 11 or 12-year anniversary party and it will be epic, you can be sure.

We are reworking our retail packaging. Sustainable packaging is really important to us and so we are sticking with our 100% cotton flour bags (Made in the USA) but we are adding other elements to improve how they sit on a shelf. We are partnering with local craft makers to repurpose any cotton bags that customers want to return to make beautiful rugs, bags, and other fiber arts. These will all be for sale on our website. Stay tuned!

And… We just got our second mill and are in the process of moving to Holyoke!

Producer Spotlight: Mi Tierra Tortillas

Have you ever had one of those perfectly warmed corn tortillas? Full of flavor? We have and they’re from Mi Tierra Tortillas. Co-owners, Jorge Sosa and Michael Docter, met an interesting way: Michael, a farmer, was a patron at the Mi Tierra restaurant in Hadley, MA that Jorge and Dora ran. Jorge and Michael came together in 2013 to bring high-quality tortillas that used fresh, local corn to the community. Michael took some time to share more about the business with us. Read more!

What makes your produce/products unique?

We bake our tortillas fresh from local and organic corn that is raised here in the Connecticut River Valley. We utilize the ancient Nixtamalization technique that has been used by the early inhabitants of North and Central America for the last few thousand years. Our recipe has been in Dora and Jorge's family for generations.

What is your favorite recipe to eat with your tortillas? Anything out of the ordinary?

At our house, we put just about anything on a tortilla and call it "Flex-Mex". Butternut squash, sauteed mushrooms, quick-pickled daikon radish. If there is something good in the fridge, it is going to be better on a toasted tortilla. Here is my son Jesse Docter's Chicken Tinga recipe. It's incredible!

Why is selling locally and the local food movement is important to you?

I started the Food Bank Farm in 1990. Since that time, the Hadley farm has donated over 200,000 lbs of organic produce to those in need every year. By localizing the food supply, we help make sure that everybody has access to good, healthy food. Local food also reduces our carbon footprint because it uses only a fraction of the fuel compared to the global food supply chain.

How does working with Food Connects help your business?

Food Connects has been an incredible partner by helping us find customers that love good tortillas and want to support local businesses. Food Connects has gone above and beyond to mesh their distribution system so that customers can get fresh tortillas on the day they are baked. The fact that the Vermont Food Bank is right next door to Food Connects means we can fulfill our mission of getting food to those in need at the same time.

Producer Spotlight: Grateful Greens

Meet one of our newest producers—Grateful Greens! Based in Brattleboro, VT, Grateful Greens is a new business that approaches farming differently. With an all-indoor facility and highly nutrient-rich soil, their greens are out of this world and will be accessible year-round. They are developing their systems to be as self-sufficient as possible and to have the largest positive environmental impact by using solar, energy-efficient GREE heat pumps for climate control, developing a rainwater catchment system to water the plants they grow, using plant-based PLA for all of their packaging, and looking to improve

Owner James Mayer took some time to share about this new business and what makes them stand out!

What makes your produce unique? Grateful Greens uses creative, low impact, indoor farming technology that utilizes solar, rainwater, eco-friendly systems, and Love. We grow in a nutrient-rich organic soil mix with organic seed from High Mowing Seeds to grow healthy, tasty, and extraordinarily sustainable crops, all year long.

What is your favorite product? Our Sunflower Greens! This is the first crop we're growing. The health benefits of sunflower greens are amazing. They're super nutrient-dense, and their flavor and appearance are so unique and pleasant!

Why is selling locally and the local food movement important to you? Strengthening the localization of our food systems is the main purpose of Grateful Greens! It is clear to us that local and proper food production and distribution are vitally important to the health of our selves, our local economies, and the Earth! Indoor farming is a valuable growing technique that can help us to be totally self-sufficient with our food needs, especially in the winter.

How does working with Food Connects help your business and what are you excited about in this new partnership? Partnering with Food Connects was a great accomplishment for Grateful Greens! The work that Food Connects does is so valuable to us all right now, such as their leadership in the Farm to School movement, their immense support of local food producers, and their curbside ordering program. Their vision for "healthy families, thriving farms, and connected communities" aligns greatly with the purpose of Grateful Greens to empower the food system of the Northeast to become healthier and self-sufficient, year-round. Partnering has given us a great opportunity to offer our Sunflower Greens to many retail and food service organizations in New England. I am especially excited to provide our nourishing greens to our schools in the region! Everyone at Food Connects is so kind and helpful and it's clear that they want to help us succeed.

What inspired you to start Grateful Greens? What are some of your hopes for the future? I have always been entrepreneurial and a lover of nature at heart. Before I founded Grateful Greens, I was working on a project that made me money and was helping others but did not have the immense potential impact that I knew I wanted to make. I got the initial inspiration from a YouTube video about indoor farming. Something instantly clicked inside me and I felt "This is it!" Since then, the vision has expanded greatly: from growing some greens in my bedroom closet, to a project that has the support of a very talented team of Vermont innovators (Delta Vermont) and is on the path of providing immense value to the food system and health of the Northeast. My biggest hope for this project is to greatly increase the self-sufficiency and health of the Northeast food system and its people.

Any events coming up or fun facts about your business/products? We are talking with the arts organization Epsilon Spires to collaborate on offering events at their venue, where leaders in the local food movement can visit to educate and provoke thoughts and discussion around improving our food systems, as well as empowering ourselves and communities. We are also composting all the post-harvest root, stem, and used soil material to be reused in community projects that will hopefully unite, heal, and feed our communities. We have no solid plans yet, but I am hoping to create some type of permaculture farm/garden or similar projects in Brattleboro and surrounding areas. If an organization or individual has any ideas or would like to collaborate, please contact us!

How are you responding to the COVID-19 Crisis? We are participating in the CARES Act's "Everyone Eats" program, donating to the Vermont Foodbank regularly, and hope to supply Sunflower Greens for the Farmers To Families Food Box program.

Anything else you would like to share? We will be expanding soon (creating another location) to grow several other crops to be locally available year-round. Let us know what crops you'd like to be locally available and fresh year-round!

Producer Spotlight: Hall Apiaries

Sugar! Oh honey, honey! That’s right—spring is here and we are thinking of something sweet. Have you tried any of the tasty honey from Hall Apiaries yet? We checked in with Troy Hall, owner of Hall Apiaries to learn more about them!

Hall Apiaries is located in Plainfield, NH and offers something pretty unique—honey harvested and bottled from an apiary that is not using any chemical inputs.

“It is a rarity,” says Troy. “Not that conventional and organic chemicals are "bad" nor if managed and applied properly do they impact the integrity of honey. It’s just nice to know that there are a few of us "working it out" among the bees with a paradigm that is treatment-free. If you are an individual who cares about food purity and integrity then I can stand behind the honey I harvest and sell knowing that it is what the bees intended it to be.”

And Hall Apiaries is more than just honey. Troy specializes in breeding queen bees—they are his partners in this endeavor. “If I can lump together all the things I produce in my apiary the queens would be it. You will not find them on the shelf next to the honey, but if you are a fellow beekeeper I may be able to help you out. Outside of the bees themselves I really enjoy the honey regardless of what size container its sold in. Every year the honey takes on different color and flavor profiles, all due to the nuances of the growing season, rain, flora, and fauna in bloom along with sugar content in the nectar.”

The local food movement is extremely important to Troy—he is a native of the Upper Valley region. “As a  small farm/apiary, rooted where I live, [the local food movement] its what I am. If there was no local food movement I don't think my vocation would be in bees.” And we are certainly glad there is one! We proudly carry Hall Apiaries honey and supply it to nourish our community.

“Food Connects helps me hold to my primary goal and focus. From the beginning I wanted to keep the honey local, available to those seeking out good quality honey. For the most part, Hall Apiaries is a one man show. Having a local distributor like Food Connects helps me reach the markets I don't have the bandwidth to reach.”

Producer Spotlight: Old Friends Farm

They may be called Old Friends Farm, but they are new to Food Connects! We are excited to have Old Friends Farm on as one of our newest producers. Owned and operated by longtime friends, Missy Bahret and Casey Steinberg, Old Friends Farm is located in Amherst, MA.

Their four Core Values are Integrity, Balance, Harmony, and Fun and exemplify those values through how they treat their employees. “We chose,” says Casey “to prioritize our employees in our business making decisions. One such way we have done this is committing to a $15 minimum starting wage as of 2019.”

Old Friends Farm is Certified Organic and is proud to be the recipient of multiple Good Food Awards (Winners and Finalists). They are widely known for pioneering Northeast-grown Ginger and Turmeric, and for the Specialty Products they make with these powerful roots. Which makes their products that we carry unique—the delicious certified organic ginger and turmeric which they grow on the farm!

Casey couldn’t decide on a favorite product. “That is always such a difficult question, as we love them all! We try our best to avoid 'playing favorites' because we want to make sure to give each product the full attention it deserves.” Our Marketing Manager, Laura Carbonneau, highly recommends the Elderberry Tumeric Honey to add new flavor to your favorite drinks.

Why is selling locally and the local food movement is important to Casey and Missy? “We strongly believe in knowing from where (and by whom) our food comes,” says Casey. “When you choose produce and products grown and made by Old Friends Farm, you know you are supporting a local business that prioritizes its employees above all else. In our eyes, sourcing local is only part of the equation. Other vital parts include fair pay to employees and owners, responsible stewardship of the land, collaboration between local and regional networks, and creating a positive, thriving workplace for all involved, and being financially secure.”

We just love the products we are able to provide from Old Friends Farm. They are, of course, delicious, but something unique to our customers. And Casey likes working with us too! “Food Connects helps us access customers and communities with whom we would otherwise not be able to reach. Our energy is best utilized by focusing on our farm, our production, and our crew. We are grateful for Food Connects for its strength in distribution and connecting with our larger food system community. It allows us to do the things we do well, and still having the confidence that someone else is doing the marketing, connecting, and distributing well. Thanks, Food Connects!”

Be sure to follow Old Friends Farm Instagram: @oldfriendsfarm and sign up for their newsletter on their Website: www.oldfriendsfarm.com.

Producer Spotlight: The Bread Shed

With International Women’s Day right around the corner, we are featuring a women-owned business as our Producer Spotlight this month.

From sliced bread to mini loaves to cookies., the Bread Shed in Keene, NH has a delicious array of baked goods to satisfies your whole family. Brittany Migneault, owner and founder of the Bread Shed, has baking in her blood—she grew up learning from her aunt and uncle who owned a traditional Italian Bakery. In 2011 Brittany opened the doors of her own bakery.

Their products are handcrafted and all-natural. They use only ingredients that can be recognized and that belong in real food. They offer a wide variety of shapes and sizes of products so that each customer can find the right size product to suit their needs. It is a product that you can feel good about serving.

It is hard to choose our favorite Bread Shed product (well maybe not for our Marketing Manager), but Brittany knows what she loves: “My favorite product of ours is the Toscano, hands down,” says Brittany. “It always has been and always will be. The Toscano is one of the first breads that I learned to bake from my uncle, but it isn’t my favorite just because of the nostalgia. I absolutely love the interior texture and the flavor of the wheat. The Toscano has a thin outer crust with a soft chewy interior. We offer it as our Rustic Baguette or our Toscano Deli loaves (which are spin-offs our traditional Italian Toscano loaf) and are more geared toward restaurants and cafes.”

You can find the Bread Shed in many grocery stores and schools in the area. And selling locally is important to Brittany. “I believe selling locally and the local food movement are important for many reasons. To start with, the food is cleaner. When you are buying from your local farmers and neighbors, the food is fresh and there aren’t any added preservatives. It’s also important that we put good food into our bodies. Also, I think the food is just so much more delicious! I also love seeing small businesses and my neighbors thrive. Great local food is becoming so much more accessible and it’s helping us build a stable foundation in our communities. It’s important that we can offer healthy, wholesome breads to our community and that we’re able to make it more accessible for everyone. I love being a part of the local food movement as a producer and a consumer.”

”Food Connects helps us reach territories that we currently do not distribute to. We do all of our own deliveries with exception to Food Connects, so we do not deliver very far beyond Southern NH and VT. Food Connects offers us an opportunity to share our products with more people which we love!” And we love working with them!

This incredibly delicious woman-owned business currently has 10 team members. “Our crew is extremely dedicated, and I couldn’t be luckier to have the team I do. We have been in business for about 9 years now and will be celebrating our 10th year next Spring.”

And if you are looking for something new from the Bread Shed, you’re in luck! “We have a newer product that has been exciting and popular. We make pretzels from spent brewers’ grains from local breweries. It’s a great way to reuse a product that otherwise will go to waste and they are amazing! We sell them to restaurants and breweries that freeze them and then bake them off and salt them as needed. They have been very popular and a fun recipe to develop!”

Producer Spotlight: Mayfair Farm

Photo by  Kate Preftakes Photography.

Tucked away in the quiet town on Harrisville, NH you will find a beautiful and family-run farm. Mayfair Farm, owned and operated by Sarah Heffron and Craig Thompson, is a mix of sustainable farming, culinary experiences, and spectacular events. Sarah, the chef, and Craig, the farmer, make for an excellent pairing and bring the delights of their farm to members all throughout the community.

“When I think about Mayfair Farm, I want it to be the type of place my grandfather would recognize from his farming days,” says Craig. “That means sheep on pasture, pigs in the woods, and diverse ventures including fruit trees, hay, and maple syrup. I also want it to be the sort of place that is welcoming to the public, a place where you might run into a friend or make a new one. I think we’ve accomplished that.” 

Photo from Mayfair Farm.

Mayfair Farm produces a variety of products, from meats and veggies to cakes and syrups. It is hard for us to chose a favorite! For Craig, it’s about the process “I like raising lambs more than anything. There are a lot of reasons to farm, but finding newborn lambs in the barn on a chilly morning has to be at the top of the list.” But for Sarah, it is a bit more difficult. “Choosing a favorite product is like choosing a favorite child: not possible! We love how versatile our cakes and brownies are. They are delicious as is or can easily be dressed up for a fancy dinner with whipped cream, ice cream, or fruit compote or coulis. Making made-to-order-cakes is always a special treat. We love sending out biscotti and our own maple syrup to friends across the country. And we also work with local designers to offer custom Mayfair products like tote bags and bandanas. Our customers can buy our products at retail outlets (thanks to Food Connects), online, and at the farm in our farm store.” 

No matter what their favorites are, they enjoy sharing them with the local community—and the local food movement is particularly important to them. “New Hampshire is a place where small, family-owned businesses still thrive. That goes for farms, too. It means something to us to know that we are a part of our friends’ and neighbors’ holidays and special occasions and that we’re not shrouded by anonymity or distance from our customers. We have a connection with our customers because they’re also our friends and neighbors.”

At Foood Connects, we are thrilled to start selling Mayfair Farm cakes after working with them as their vendor. “We spent the past few years breaking into the Boston market with our cakes, in December we introduced a new mini-almond cake for Whole Foods at their request, and now we are especially excited to find new outlets closer to home. We are happy customers of Food Connects, so we know how competent the organization is are and it is an exciting new relationship for us. We are thrilled to be able to share the local products that we love to make with all our regional neighbors.”

 On top of the delicious food they provide, Mayfair Farm hosts events throughout the year. Owning and operating a farm increasingly more and more difficult. Sarah and Craig understand the need to diversify their offerings and embrace agritourism. “The demand for weddings hosted and catered by Mayfair has never been higher. We love working with clients to create a unique, local menu and memorable event. Families and guests not only appreciate our sustainable approach, but also love our party barn, firepit, Airbnb rental house, hilltop view of Mt. Monadnock, and more. Weddings have become an integral part of our business model, alongside our farm store, farm dinners, and our diverse products sold through Food Connects.” 

Photo from Mayfair Farm.

Sarah and Craig take pride in feeding their clients like they feed their family. “Everything we create is ethically produced and made completely from scratch with ingredients from our farm and other local farms. That means our lamb, pork, sausage, cakes, and desserts not only taste great but support the local economy and are kind to the environment.”

So what are you waiting for? Try out their amazing, local products today!

Producer Spotlight: Vermont Salumi

There is a certain artistry when it comes to handmade charcuterie and Peter Roscini Colman, founder of Vermont Salumi, has it down to a science. Pete grew up on Cate Farm, a pioneer of Vermont's organic movement and spent summers in Umbria with his family. Through his family connections studied under famed butchers who taught him the methods, techniques, and centuries-old traditions of salumi-making.

Vermont Salumi the first company in Vermont to produce traditional Italian salami and sausage and Pete takes pride in his work, “I really enjoy each of the products we produce, if I don't like it, I don't make it!” And one bite of their Proscuitto Cuto will have you convinced.

But even with roots aboard selling his products locally it of the utmost importance to Pete. “The local food economy elevates the quality of food I eat and it keeps our dollars in the state supporting our neighbors. Food Connects helps us reach a new thriving customer base that we didn't have access to previously.”

And for the future of Vermont Salumi? “We are working on opening a new retail store front in Barre, Vermont—along with a slew of new products. We'll keep you posted!”

Producer Spotlight: Picadilly Farm

If you haven’t already, we recommend visiting Picadilly Farm in Winchester, NH. Owned and operated by Bruce and Jenny Wooster, Picadilly Farm is nestled among the fields and hills of southwestern New Hampshire, right along the Vermont and Massachusetts borders. For the past 14 years, the farm has grown certified organic produce for the region.

Known for their delicious produce, Picadilly boasts a CSA following of over 1,000 households. The land was a dairy farm for several generations and the farmers who lived here before the Woosters moved next door when they retired. “They come over and get a Picadilly Farm share with us—it's been a rich relationship!” says Jenny. Community connections are important for local farms to thrive and Picadilly is no exception. The Farm Fund through the Monadnock Food Co-op and Cheshire County Conservation District awarded Picadilly Farm a grant to add a 25-foot long storage space that accommodates another 18,000 – 20,000 pounds of root crops due to

“We are a big-little farm—big enough to hire a sizeable seasonal crew and have fleet of trucks and tractors, but too small to supply the grocery chains,” says Jenny. “We rely on a diversity of crops, rather than specializing in a handful. We've tried out a range of agricultural ventures, from laying hens, to turkeys, to winter greens. These days, Bruce is dabbling in growing popcorn commercially—we'll see! "Picadilly Popcorn" has a nice ring to it.”

Staying small allows them to focus on local customers. “Locally is the only way we want to sell. Our work is as much about relationships as it is about the products we offer. Locally oriented customers are at the heart of the success and sustainability of our farm.” Picadilly Farm not only sells produce through Food Connects, but buys it as well. “It's super convenient to work with Food Connects as both a grower, and as a buyer for our small farm stand. Growing for a local market means weaving together lots and lots of relationships, and often it means filling lots and lots of small orders. Consolidation through Food Connects is an obvious win, as we can reach more buyers in our region.”

With so many products it might be hard to choose a favorite. Jenny is a fan of growing, harvesting, selling, and eating the orange crops—cantaloupes, sweet potatoes, and fall carrots top her list. So what are you waiting for? Try out some of this great, local produce today!

Producer Spotlight: Harlow Farm

One of our strongest partnerships is with Harlow Farm located in Westminster, Vermont. Harlow Farm is a family owned operation, owned by the Harlow family since 1917. Paul Harlow owns Harlow Farm while his brother Dan owns Harlow Farmstand. Food Connects work closely with Evan Harlow, Paul’s son, and Cory Walker who manage the day-to-day operations of the farm.

Harlow Farms became certified organic in 1985. Paul recognized the benefits of organic farming early in the movement. They are now the largest organic vegetable operation in Vermont. They grow a wide variety of vegetables including lettuce, kales, collards, cabbage, broccoli, chard, sweet corn, carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, and winter squash. Evan’s favorite product they grow is kale because the plant continues to grow new leaves throughout the season and they get many harvests from each planting.

They distribute their produce locally through Food Connects along with other distributors but also sell to grocery store chains like Whole Foods and Price Chopper. In the summer it’s too hot to grow greens in places like Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida, so they ship produce to those regions through a broker. But selling locally is most important to them. They see it as an important part of strengthening their community.

“We like to provide quality produce to the people who live near us. Food Connects has been a valuable partner since we started working with them,” said Evan. In fact, Harlow Farm is a founding member of the Food Connects Food Hub. “It is useful for us to sell to many smaller outlets without having to deal with them all directly.”

Want to visit Harlow farm? Join them on July 24 for a pizza social in conjunction with NOFA-VT. They event is from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and all are welcome! You can RSVP to the event here. Harlow Farm is a member of NOFA-VT and planted an apple try this season as part of an orchard to honor former executive director Enid Wonnocott.