Frisky Cow Gelato Certifies as a B Corporation

Frisky Cow Gelato has been certified as a B Corporation joining 12 other NH B Corp businesses, committed to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.

Keene-based gelato producer, Frisky Cow Gelato has announced today its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. 

Frisky Cow Gelato has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met the highest social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit. To receive this certification, Frisky Cow Gelato underwent a rigorous assessment that measures and verifies the entirety of a business's operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Customers, Community, Environment, and Workers.

“We wanted to focus on more than just the bottom line with Frisky Cow Gelato, which is why we incorporated as a NH Benefit Corporation in 2018,” says owner, Linda Rubin. “This means we were legally committed right from the start to doing environmental and social good.” 

According to Ms. Rubin, the B Corp certification process took nearly two years requiring the business to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy, supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency. In addition, every company must legally embed their commitment to a purpose beyond profit in their company articles which Frisky Cow Gelato did when it incorporated in 2018.

Frisky Cow Gelato is now part of a community of 4,600 businesses globally (13 in New Hampshire) who have been certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the US, representing a broad cross-section of industries and sizes, comprises over 900 companies and includes well-known brands such as Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc., Cabot Creamery, King Arthur Baking Co., Tom’s of Maine, and Pete & Gerry’s Organics. In New Hampshire, Frisky Cow Gelato joins well-known local corporations including Badger and Mascoma Bank.

Frisky Cow Gelato has a history of social responsibility. Since its inception the company has donated a portion of its revenue to nonprofit organizations building the local food system including Food Connects, the Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition and the Cheshire County Conservation District. In 2021, the company launched a Keene State College signature flavor – Mint Owl Crunch – and donates a portion of the sale of every pint to address food insecurity among KSC students. 

“As a NH Benefit Corporation sourcing ingredients, services, and other goods from local companies was extremely important to us, says Rubin. “Donating a portion of our revenue to area non-profits was also high on the list.” 

Jorge Fontanez, CEO of B Lab US and Canada, says “We are delighted to welcome Frisky Cow Gelato to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how the business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support Frisky Cow Gelato in paving the way for a new way of doing things in the food sector”. 

“When businesses are intentional about meeting social and environmental standards—and focus on more than just the bottom line—we can all affect change while making ourselves more competitive along the way,” says Ms. Rubin. “That’s what the B Corp movement is all about, using business as a force for good.”

About Frisky Cow Gelato Founded in 2018, Frisky Cow Gelato specializes in creating premium artisan gelatos that are dastardly delicious. Their products are sold in more than 50 retail stores in NH, VT, and MA. They also operate a gelato scoop shop in Keene and provide a gelato bar for weddings, parties, and community events.  Frisky Cow Gelato creates all its gelatos from scratch at its licensed NH dairy processing facility on Krif Rd in Keene.

Frisky Cow Gelato is a NH Benefit Corporation and certified B Corp and donates 2% of its annual revenue to local organizations working to build the local food system, fight food insecurity, and address environmental issues. 

About B Corporations Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. They meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. There are more than 2,000 Certified B Corporations in over 130 industries and 50 countries with 1 unifying goal – to redefine success in business.

About B Lab B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the Best for the World®, and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net and www.benefitcorp.net.

Food Connects Fresh Bites: May 2022

May Newsletter

A Day in the Life at the Food Connects Food Hub Part I: Pickups

Producer Spotlight: Peachblow Farm

Culturally Relevant Foods

Food Hub Special Schedule: May-June 2022

Meet our New Marketing Coordinator

Promos: Chi Kitchen: VT Bean Crafters, Katalyst Kombucha

Food Connects Receives Agency of Agriculture Grant

VT Open Farm Week

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Culturally Relevant Foods: Bringing Halal Chicken to Our Community

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Over the past few months, Brattleboro has welcomed Afghan refugees into our community. We have seen community members rallying behind our new neighbors, providing a variety of support services—it’s been truly inspiring.

Food Connects has been eager to support our new neighbors, as well. Some of our staff members have cooked meals, and our Farm to School team has supported efforts in schools to welcome their new Afghan students. And now, our Food Hub has the opportunity to make an impact as well.

At Food Connects, we value inclusivity in our food system. That means access to nutritious, culturally relevant foods and participation in the food system. We believe that individuals should have the right to self-determination and food sovereignty—the right and access to make decisions over the food they eat. If you haven’t had Afghan food before or do not know a lot about it, there are flavors and cultural differences that are crucial to honor. One significant barrier to our Afghan neighbors accessing and cooking traditional dishes was the lack of Halal-certified chicken.

First—what is Halal? 

According to the American Halal Foundation, “Halal (also spelled halaal) is an Arabic word that means ‘lawful or permitted.’ It is a term that is used in the Islamic religion in contrast with the word haram (which means ‘unlawful or not allowed’). These terms indicate which life practices are allowed or not allowed for those who practice Islam (Muslims). While halal refers to much more than just Islamic dietary practices, the term is most often thought of when talking about food, drinks, and other products.”

Second—where can you get Halal products? Well, in the case of chicken, there was a resounding silence in terms of local production. So, when the Vermont Foodbank approached Food Connects about sourcing options for Halal chicken, we were on the case. Food Connects worked diligently with Common Wealth Poultry to create a source for this much-needed chicken. 

We had the opportunity to talk with Zach Hebert, Associate Manager of Community Engagement: Southern Region for the Vermont Foodbank, about the project to learn more about how this partnership came to be and its significance for the Afghan refugees. We also talked to Trey LaPorta, Wholesale Manager from Common Wealth Poultry, about the process of certifying their chicken. Check out the conversation below.

Tell us a little bit about how this partnership came about.

Zach: A few months ago, back in the thick of winter, when Afghan refugees began arriving in Brattleboro, I had been in close conversations with the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) about ways the Vermont Foodbank could support our new neighbors with nourishing and culturally relevant foods. We took some initial actions, such as partnering with the local Everyone Eats program to make familiar meals and preparing welcome boxes full of familiar foods. As our new neighbors began to settle in our community, one need we continued to hear was a demand for halal meat products. To try to meet that need, several staff members at the Vermont Foodbank started exploring regional Halal meat options that met the scale of the need for our communities across the state.

You can read more about the Vermont Foodbank’s work here.

Why did you decide to reach out to Food Connects?

Zach: Food Connects has been a close partner of the Vermont Foodbank for many years. While we haven’t been a direct customer of its Food Hub until the past two years or so, its Farm to School Team has always played a vital role in improving food security within our local community. The staff there have always been close thought-partners and change-makers for our work.

From a purchasing perspective, the Vermont Foodbank has a strong commitment to working with Vermont and regional producers whenever it makes sense, and it aligns with responsible stewardship of our donor’s donations. Having a pre-existing vendor relationship with Food Connects, after they became a Vermonters Feeding Vermonters partner with us last year, made the decision to reach out to Food Connects around sourcing this product a no-brainer for us.

In this particular format of working with Common Wealth Poultry, this partnership came about after some exploratory conversations between myself and Tom Brewton, Food Connects Food Institutional Sales Associate. Tom and I are close friends outside of work, and it is always a nice confluence of “small-town life” when we’re able to come together to create something where both Food Connects and the Vermont Foodbank can play a vital role in supporting our community. After a few initial conversations, it became clear that there was a mutual interest in sourcing some halal meat for the local community, and that Food Connects would be well-positioned to identify the best producer to do that.

What excites you about this partnership?

Trey: We are very excited to be working with Food Connects for many reasons but most importantly, to be working with people who share many of the same values as the folks at Common Wealth Poultry. Especially those around creating a culture of transparency, honesty, and getting everyone the opportunity to have the highest quality food and to know where it comes from. We love working with people and companies that are passionate about the products they produce and distribute.

Why are culturally relevant and appropriate foods important?

Zach: Culturally appropriate foods are important because everyone deserves to have nourishing and comforting food in their lives. Food is so much more than just calories we consume—it emotionally recharges us, provides nourishment, and acts as a facilitator for equally healing moments of connection and conversation. Everyone deserves food that is appropriate for the culture and the dining room where they prefer to eat and build community. In this situation, where our new Afghan neighbors are dealing with so many unknowns as they enter a new part of their life, this feels like an important step in remaining committed to making their meals that much more accessible and familiar.  

Why are you eager to help support our Afghan neighbors?

Trey: We love our Afghan and African neighbors because many of them are included in the Common Wealth Poultry family. Our employees come from around the globe, so for them to be creating food that gets put directly into their culture and community brings us so much joy.

How has access to the Halal chicken impacted your lives (or the lives of your community members)?

Zach: While I can’t speak directly to the impact this has had on people’s lives, I know from how quickly our first order moved out of our warehouse that there is a clear need in the community for the halal chicken. The first “pilot” pallet we ordered has already been mostly distributed to our food pantry partners (and from there on to our neighbors). From the feedback I’ve heard, this Halal chicken has allowed families to prepare well-rounded meals for their families. I can’t speak to the specific challenges of our Afghan neighbors, but I know that transportation barriers are a constant challenge for the folks we work with, so I’m sure being able to access this chicken from the same place they are already going for other foods without having to spend precious time and resources searching multiple stores or locations has been a huge relief.

What did the process look like to become Halal certified?

Trey: We started our Halal slaughter specifically to allow our employees to enjoy the products they make every day. We want our employees to be proud of the work they do and to be able to bring it home and enjoy it with their families, which fortunately leads to a whole new community of people we are able to service.

Food Connects is incredibly proud of this great community partnership as a way to welcome our Afghan neighbors and create a thriving and inclusive food culture in our community. We hope that this story will help inspire you to get to know our new neighbors and support their transition into our community. 

Are you interested in working with Food Connects to create Healthy Families, Thriving Farms, and Connected Communities? Reach out to us at info@foodconnects.org on ways we can work together.

Photos courtesy of Common Wealth Poultry.

A Day in the Life at the Food Connects Food Hub - Part I: Pickups

By Kristen Thompson

Stops on this late March Food Hub pick-ups route.

Emma Bliss, Food Hub Operations Coordinator and sometimes driver for Food Connects, already has Food Hub Van 2 packed when I arrive. I hop into the van, and Emma sets up her music. 

“Music is essential,” she tells me.

We’re driving on the Food Connects Westminster Pick-up Route in late March. Emma tells me March and April are the hunger months—when the storage crops are running low, and spring produce isn’t ready to harvest yet. We’re stopping at Harlow Farm today—an especially important producer this time of year because they grow many storage crops. We’ll also be picking up from True North Granola, FinAllie Ferments, Basin Farm, and Green Mountain Orchards. This is one of our shorter pick-up routes, but in the summer, with more fresh produce in season, this route will be much busier with stops at farms like Allen Brothers.

(Left to right) Food Hub Operations Coordinator Emma Bliss and Marketing Coordinator Kristen Thompson are your guides on this “day in the life” doing pickups for the Food Connects Food Hub.

We pull out of the parking lot at Browne Court and head towards downtown Brattleboro. Our first stop is The Cotton Mill, home to several start-ups and small producers, including True North Granola. As we drive through downtown Brattleboro, I ask Emma about the Food Hub’s business model as an entrepreneurial non-profit.

“We really prioritize the farmers and producers,” she explains.

In 2021, Food Connects returned over $1,270,000 back to farmers and food producers in our community.

At The Cotton Mill, we park the van by the main loading dock and head inside. Across from Tavernier Chocolates, we find the door to Truth North Granola’s facility and knock. One of the True North Granola Team members brings our order out to us. We can carry this week’s order in one trip, but orders vary from week to week.

We thank them and head out to the van, where it’s starting to drizzle.

Emma drives Food Hub Van 2 through downtown Brattleboro.

Back on the road, I ask Emma whether there are ever any deliveries on this route. We do have a Westminster delivery route, but as Emma explains, “it’s logistically complicated to do pick-ups and deliveries together, so we try to do them separately.” Some farms, such as Scott Farm, are on our delivery and pickup routes, Emma tells me. It’s exciting to see partners participating as both producers and customers in our food system network.

This route usually has many Just-In-Time pickups, meaning we pick up fresh produce to fill customer orders we received that week—saving on food waste and ensuring fresher produce for our customers. Food Hub employees have told me, “It’s more work, but it’s worth it to provide the freshest, highest quality produce for  our customers.” 

Our next stop, FinAllie Ferments, takes us up 91 North to Bellows Falls.

As we pass through downtown Bellows Falls, Emma points out the opera house, where you can get a great deal on movies and snacks, and the thrift shop she likes.

Emma picks up our FinAllie Ferments order.

“If you ever want to plan a day trip in the area, I can give you a full itinerary,” she tells me. Emma grew up in Southern VT, making this tour an introduction to Food Hub pick-ups and the region Food Connects calls home.

As we pass the Bellows Falls Middle School, we start talking about the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union and Farm to School (FTS). FTS is where Food Connects began, and it continues to be a core component of our work, including in our Food Hub.

“Bellows Falls Middle School is a big delivery for us, and they also did a summer food box program for students. It’s really important for students to have proper nutrition. I think people are starting to acknowledge that more than when we were students.”

We arrive at the warehouse where we pick up FinAllie Ferments, and Emma looks up the code to enter the building. We stack the many boxes of Curry Kraut, Black Garlic Kimchi, and more onto the handcart we’ve taken out of the van—where it usually sits seatbelted against the wall. 

Part of the art of pick-ups is keeping the products organized by flavor so the team can easily organize the boxes when we arrive back at the warehouse. We put flavors of the same type in stacks together at the front of the van.

Emma picks up our FinAllie Ferments order.

Behind those, we’ll be loading our Just In Time orders from Basin and Harlow Farms. Those pickups take us to Harlow’s barn-turned-warehouse in Westminster, VT. Harlow is holding both our orders from them and Basin. It’s one of those simple but inspiring examples of cooperation among our partners.

Before pulling up to the loading dock, Emma stops the van and gets out to open the back doors. Then we back the rest of the way up to the dock and splash through the muddy road to the barn's side door. We’re the only ones there, but Emma knows the routine. We open two sliding doors and use a pallet lift to carry our pallet of carrots and potatoes to the van.

Emma tells me about the benefits of partnerships with our comparatively larger producers like Harlow.

“They’re a very key central producer for us, making up a lot of our produce for the whole season,” Emma explains, “And they’re glad to have someone distributing locally so they can sell their products locally.”

As we approach Green Mountain Orchards, Emma lets me in on a secret—they have the best cider doughnuts and the nicest people of all time.

Emma brings our Green Mountain Orchards order to the van.

When we arrive, I meet Andrea Darrow, Co-Owner of Green Mountain Orchards, who steps off her elliptical to greet me. She tells us about all the delicious food that people like to come into their store for, which is also, in some ways, a museum—with old cars and farm equipment displayed around the room.

On the road home, we pass one of our customers, the Putney Food Co-op, and Emma offers to stop to pick up snacks. Riding along with Emma on her route, I feel just how close-knit our network of producers and customers is.

Emma says she hears good feedback from the customers she meets.

“The feedback is that we’re very communicative and friendly at all levels [of the organization].”

There’s one more stop today, the Food Connects loading dock, where we’ll see our pick-ups safely to the warehouse. More of the Food Hub Team is ready to help us when we arrive. Scott Berzofsky, Food Hub Warehouse Coordinator, and Raymond Johnston, Food Hub Warehouse Specialist, carry pallets over and begin unloading the van with Emma.

Emma and Scott Berzofsky, Food Hub Warehouse Coordinator, unload Van 2 at the Food Connects Food Hub loading dock.

I’m at the end of my trip shadowing Emma on the Westminster Pick-up Route, and there’s a lot to take in. Even though Emma drives these routes alone, I’m struck by the connections she facilitates and participates in within our community food system. It truly takes the whole team of customers, producers, drivers, warehouse coordinators, and more to build this system of healthy families, thriving farms, and connected communities.

But my day isn’t over. Next, I’ll be shadowing Raymond in the Food Hub warehouse and learning about yet another crucial piece of the local and regional food distribution puzzle. But for now, it’s time for my lunch break. Stay tuned for more!

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Producer Spotlight: Peachblow Farm

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One of our favorite parts of running the Food Connects Food Hub is distributing local and regional food to local and regional people. Peachblow Farm shares this mission, focusing on crops that thrive in our region and that local customers demand. With Food Connects customers, that’s their hardy and delicious asparagus! We had a chance to ask Heidi Fuller of Peachblow Farm about the family farm and their approach to growing food in New Hampshire.

How was Peachblow Farm started? What was its inspiration?

Peachblow Farm has been in the Frizzell family for almost 100 years, and it spans four generations. Theodore and Martha Frizzell purchased the farm, and for many years it was dairy and poultry breeding. It was passed to Robert (Bob) Frizzell in the late 1960s and was primarily dairy at that time. In 1988, the dairy was sold out to a federal milk surplus program, and the focus shifted to crops. Pick-your-own strawberries were started prior to this and continue to this day. Asparagus, hay, and seedless straw have also been added.

What makes your products unique?

Robert Frizzell was born and raised on Peachblow Farm. He has seen the progression of the farm from animals to crops and has enough experience with all of it to know what works best.  Our products come out of his 84 years of experience and expertise.

Can you tell us more about your approach to farming?

Our approach is threefold—we seek out crops that grow well in our area; they must be crops that are in demand, and they must fit into our labor availability.

We have found success with asparagus because our land has the right type of soil and our family has expertise in how to successfully plant it. So in the past 30 years, we have grown to about 10 acres of asparagus, with some of the fields still gaining in production as they mature.  This is the product we sell most to Food Connects. We have found that there is a great demand for the asparagus as we seem to be one of few farms in the area growing it. It fits into our labor availability because it is the only crop in the spring.

What is your favorite part of farming?

Robert believes that to be a successful farmer, you have to be an inventor of sorts. In order to make machinery that fits your fields and does all the required tasks, you must be able to create new and unique pieces of equipment.  Robert enjoys this part of the farming, and it is what has enabled him to have a farm that fits the Farm of Distinction criteria for the state of New Hampshire.

What is one of your favorite recipes you make with your produce?

Our favorite way to eat asparagus is to steam it and top it with a family aioli recipe.

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

As we said in our approach to farming, we choose crops that grow well and are in demand in our area. That feeds right into the philosophy of the local food movement.

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

As our production of asparagus has grown, we are not able to sell it ourselves and need to find outlets like Food Connects that have the market for what we are producing. In that way, we can continue to focus on increasing the production and make sure it is satisfying consumer demand.

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

Our asparagus runs into our Pick-Your-Own strawberry season coming up in late June. This year we may also have pick-your-own sunflowers to add.

Anything else you would like me to feature? Anything that you are doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis?

One of the by-products of producing strawberries was the production of seedless straw to mulch the strawberries. That has become its own market because, without seeds, the straw can be used in many more applications such as landscaping, straw bale gardens, and even home insulation material.  You can read about the harvest process for seedless straw on our website, PeachblowFarm.com.

We found that Pick-your-own strawberries was very popular during COVID-19 because it provided families with a wholesome activity they could do safely outdoors. Our family has had Pick-Your-Own strawberries for over 40 years, and we welcome children. We have people who picked here as a child bringing their own children. It is very gratifying for us to be able to continue this tradition.

Food Connects Fresh Bites: April 2022

April Newsletter

Crafting a Local Lunch: How Windsor High School is Shifting School Meals

Spring Produce Preview

Food Hub Special Schedule: May-June 2022

Vermont Way Foods: A Catalyst for Change

Producer Spotlight: Hosta Hill

Promo: Frisky Cow Gelato; Bear’s Fruit Kombucha; Jaju Pierogi, Boyden Beef

Food Hub Special Schedule: May-June 2022

We've created a special summer order and delivery schedule to accommodate Food Hub holiday closures. Download the schedule below!

2022 Food Connects Food Hub Summer Holiday Schedule

Monday, May 30: Monday deliveries will proceed as usual. The Food Hub office will be closed.

Tuesday, May 31 - Friday, June 3: The Food Hub office will be closed, and there will be no deliveries.

Monday, June 6: There will be no Monday deliveries. The Food Hub office will be open.

Pre-orders/Special Orders:

* Bread Orders: Bread orders will be due by 11:00 AM on Friday, June 3, for the week of June 6, as usual.

* Cheese Special Orders: Cheese special orders will be due by 11:00 AM Monday, May 23, for delivery the week of June 6. Bell & Goose cheeses will not be available for this order cycle.

 

Questions?

Contact Sales@FoodConnects.org

2022 Spring Produce Preview

We’re on the edge of our seats, anticipating new spring produce! But are you wondering what to plan for your menus and orders? We’re here to help! Here is our 2022 spring produce forecast to help you get the most from the season!

April

Throughout April, we’ll still be at the cusp of spring harvests in our region, but you’ll be able to purchase indoor and high tunnel-grown crops and storage crops! Here’s some of what you can expect…

  • Mushrooms

  • Potatoes

  • Salad mixes

  • Spinach

  • Baby bok choy

  • Beets

  • Carrots

  • Greenhouse tomatoes

  • Microgreens

May

The first new field produce will start to pop up in May! You’ll find these fresh veggies on shop.foodconnects.org…

  • Asparagus

  • Fresh herbs

  • Kohlrabi

  • Lettuce

  • Radishes

  • Rhubarb

  • Salad turnips

Please note: Food Connects will be closed for spring break the week of May 30th. There will be no deliveries that week.

Early June

Spring has fully sprung, and summer is just around the corner! We’ll have lots of new fresh produce coming your way…

  • Beet greens

  • Broccoli raab

  • Chard

  • Collards

  • Escarole

  • Kale

  • Mustard Greens

  • Pea shoots

  • Strawberries

Late June

Some of our favorite early summer treats will show up in your shopping cart! Get ready for…

  • Celery

  • Cucumbers

  • Garlic scapes

  • Fennel

  • Napa and Tiara cabbage

  • Sugar snap peas

  • Summer squash

  • Squash blossoms

  • Zucchini

  • And maybe even some broccoli and broccolini!

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Producer Spotlight: Hosta Hill

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We love ferments in any season, but as storage crops empty out and we hold our breath for spring produce to ramp up, we’re incredibly grateful for Hosta Hill’s delicious ferments. They’re so crunchy and flavorful, they have customers saying, “it tastes so fresh!” Host Hill is a family-owned, women-run business based in the Berkshires. Their business is all about making delicious and nutritious food to sustain communities in the Northeast. Maddie Elling, co-founder of Hosta Hill, took some time to share their story with us.

How was Hosta Hill started? What was its inspiration?

Abe and I started Hosta Hill in the spring of 2011. We were working for a blue cheesemaker and started selling the cheese at a farmers' market in Connecticut. At the time, we were inspired by the food scene in the Berkshires and wanted to start something of our own, specifically related to food and farming. On the side, we were playing around with growing food, raising animals, and fermenting things—tempeh, krauts, and beer. We realized that no one locally was making veggie ferments (or tempeh, which was a product we sold in the first few years of the business). Every week we went to the farmers’ market, we thought ‘we could have so much more on our table!’ We eventually got organized and started selling our sauerkraut, kimchi, and tempeh (a cultured bean product). Being young and ambitious, we also grew the vegetables for our ferments. The goal was to be vertically integrated. We farmed on our own and then in collaboration with another farm until about four years ago when it got to the point of being too much work and needing to focus on our product line of ferments. Since then, we have moved into a larger kitchen and facility that we rent, which has allowed us to scale up. We are figuring out what's next!

What makes your products unique?

People often say our ferments are so fresh tasting, which makes me laugh because they are usually aged four to six weeks at a minimum. That said, I think what makes our products stand out is the fact that they are vibrant and crunchy, giving that feeling of “freshness.” Over the past ten years, we have built our brand organically and with lots of love—literally with blood, sweat, tears, and support from our community and families. I think that shines through the product in a way. We make our food for the people and love to offer a delicious and healing product. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Can you tell us more about the farmers you work with?

The vegetables that go into our ferments are sourced from regional, organic farms. This means we process in line with the harvest season. We have about four farmers we set up contracts with, and they grow specifically for us. This gives both us and the farmers security around growing and sourcing. MX Morningstar Farm (Hudson, NY) and Whistle Down Farm (Hudson, NY) grow the bulk of our daikon radish. Atlas Farm (Deerfield, MA) and Markristo Farm (Hillsdale, NY) grow most of our napa, red and green cabbage, carrots, and onions. Then we have an array of farmers who will call us up (or vice versa) if they have a bumper crop of something we use or if one of our farmers has an issue with a crop. Luckily we have many talented farmers to call on to supply us.

What is your favorite part of making ferments?

Capturing the harvest! When we receive pallet bins of freshly harvested cabbage and turn it into a bunch of kraut that same day, that is very satisfying! 

What is one of your favorite recipes you make with your ferments?

I love pairing the ferments with so many foods at all mealtimes. Simple ways like curry kraut or kimchi on an egg sandwich are classic. I also really like our crimson kraut on middle eastern foods like falafel or hummus plates—the crunchy, sour veggies complement the savory falafel flavors very nicely. 

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

I believe buying and selling locally is going to become more important over the next few years. Between climate change and supply chain disruptions, what we can grow or produce in our region and work in collaboration to distribute to communities is going to be (needs to be!) commonplace. As a business, our model has been to process regionally grown ingredients into locally made products and sell them within our region, and we plan to keep it that way. We don't plan to go national anytime soon (though, to be transparent, we do ship from our online shop across the US, but 80% of our sales are in the Northeast and New England). There are veg ferment companies our size doing the same thing in California, Florida, and Colorado, so we figure: keep it local!

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

There are distributors who are all business, and then there is Food Connects. Working with Food Connects feels more like a partnership and less transactional than some of the larger distributors we work with. We feel like we can call up Food Connects with a question in relation to our distribution or to talk about a challenge we might be facing, which allows each of us to understand each other more holistically. We value these human connections and feel that the future will be better with more understanding and collaboration within like-minded businesses, which I hope will ripple out into our communities for the better.

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

We attend our local Great Barrington Farmers’ Market each season, so we’ll be there on Saturdays from May to November. It’s a great farmers' market and a good reason to visit the Berkshires! Many festivals are coming back this year, and we hope to be at the Bennington, Vermont May Fest on Memorial Day weekend. Fun fact: we used to head up The Berkshire Ferment Festival, a lively one-day festival in the fall featuring an array of fermented food vendors, workshops on all things cultured, music, and more food. It was a super popular event we are considering bringing back this year. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or signup for our newsletter to be in the know about all things happening with Hosta Hill!

Crafting a Local Lunch: How Windsor High School is Shifting School Meals

“90% of the cooking we do in our kitchen is from scratch,” Craig Locarno, Director of Food Services for the Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) told us. “I am lucky to have a great team. I’ve been in school food service for almost 19 years, and I have the strongest team that I’ve ever had.” 

Food Connects began delivering to Windsor High School at the start of this school year. While Food Connects delivers to the high school, Craig distributes the product across all his schools. And you might be surprised to hear the impetus of this partnership was… bread.

With the closure of the Vermont Bread Company, Craig Locarno was looking for a way to continue providing the students in the WSESU with locally made bread. Although the food service program is independently run and does a lot of scratch cooking, baking bread isn’t part of their daily routine. Luckily, Food Connects already has a partnership with a great local bakery that makes delicious sliced bread—The Bread Shed, located in Keene, NH.

Since our partnership with the WSESU began, we have delivered more than 1,000 loaves of bread from The Bread Shed. Food Connects and The Bread Shed worked together to develop and offer an affordable, child-friendly bread loaf that meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) nutrition requirements for school lunches. Craig was one of the first school districts to jump on this opportunity. In the past few weeks, he has increased his standing bread order from 45 to 75 loaves per week as part of their new soup and sandwich day on Thursdays—which has been a hit!

Craig is always open to new products that could be integrated into his menus, so he didn’t just stop with bread. Throughout the school year, he has purchased eggs from Maple Meadow Farm located in Salisbury, VT, and potatoes from Szawlowski Potato Farms located in Hatfield, MA, among other producers (read the interview below to hear about more). We are also connecting Craig with Carissa Brewton, from Grateful Greens, to introduce him to their Food Access program—an initiative to make sunflower greens more accessible and affordable for schools.

We had the opportunity to talk to Craig about the WSESU nutrition program to learn more about what has been a success in schools and why increasing the students’ access to local food is important to him. Check out the interview!

Can you tell us more about WSESU's independently run food service?

I think what makes us different is that we emphasize supporting local and making that a priority. We’re creating a program around what we can purchase locally. Of course, we are still a public school, so we have to follow the rules of USDA, consider cost restraints when buying from food contractors—but making education and supporting local farmers a priority. And I think there are a lot more directors doing that. A lot of directors believe in the same story and the same mission. It’s still pretty new, so I think we need to push the envelope, show this story, and show what’s possible. I think it starts with the administration and board. Thankfully I’m in a school district that cares about Farm to School. 

What made you decide to work with Food Connects?

You’re the closest to me in the Upper Valley. It is important that I connect with the biggest liaison between farmers and schools. And Food Connects can help me to continue to build and grow a quality program.

What products have been successful so far?

So, I think The Bread Shed bread is a big hit. It’s the only bread we offer! Our vision and mission are to support local producers. If we continue to always give them the local and the commercial options, they’ll probably choose the commercial because it’s familiar. But we’re here to educate kids and expose them to farmers and food producers in our larger community. We make maybe 600 sandwiches a week on The Bread Shed bread. And the kids are enjoying it and come back the next week and get the same sandwich.

The fish sticks from Red’s Best were a huge hit. We haven’t served fish sticks in a while since COVID-19 hit. It’s really good to hear the positive feedback about them compared to some of the more processed fish stick options. We also served Vermont Salumi’s sausage, and the kids really enjoyed it!

We hear you have an upcoming pilot of Grateful Greens. What interests you about this product for the kids?

Sprouts are a tough sell in school, but my schools are small enough that I think it will be a good fit for the two programs we’re testing it out in.

We’re going to have Carissa from Grateful Greens come up and do a sampling in April. We’ll probably introduce it that day when she comes in, and then we’ll probably run it in the fruit and veggie bar to get the kids used to it before working it into salads like our soup and salad days for our spring menu.

Why are you interested in having regionally-sourced foods in your cafeteria?

I think it’s a combination of supporting local agriculture and educating kids. They are our future, and we need to educate them about what sprouts from a local farm taste like, what fresh asparagus, and what green beans taste like and look like. I’m in school food service to show kids what local Vermont food tastes like.

It’s nice to be able to support the good things in the communities, and it’s important for kids to understand the importance of eating good local food. We still have a lot of work to do on educating kids. We’re looking for more promotional materials for the local farmers and producers for students to help them learn more.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

We do Harvest of the Month taste tests, and we do a lot of other Harvest of the Month work. Plus, we’re in the middle of trying to get school compost up and running.

Behind the Scenes: Just-In-Time—How Food Gets From the Farm to Your Shelf

At Food Connects, we are committed to offering our customers fresh, high-quality, source-identified products. Because we desire to cultivate a transparent value chain, the Food Connects team wants to share with you each week’s sequence of events to offer all our customers access to an array of fresh, regionally sourced products. 

To maximize freshness and quality, most of our perishable product is received into our warehouse within 24-48 hours before being delivered to our customers. These products are what we classify as Just-In-Time (JIT). Sometimes the product stays in our warehouse just a few minutes before it goes from the farm field or the bakery to the customer—all on the same day!

Generally, most JIT products are received into our warehouse on Tuesdays for Wednesday and Thursday customer deliveries and received on Thursday for Friday and Monday customer deliveries. Rather than purchasing excess and keeping the product in our warehouse for an extended period, we purchase JIT items “to order” based on customer demand for each given order cycle. In addition to ensuring maximum freshness, this model also helps to reduce food waste. On the other hand, we make sure to keep on hand a readily available supply of all our shelf-stable dry, refrigerated, and frozen products.

Food Connects sources products from 36 JIT producers to fill customer orders every week. The fact that we have not one but two weekly order cycles means that we often receive products into our warehouse from the majority of our JIT producers twice per week. 

The national food industry generally does not lift up and promote the names of all the frontline workers. Without those workers, our chain grocery store shelves would not stay filled. In contrast, the Food Connects team knows that collaboration and strong relationships are vital to building a vibrant and healthy community. We want to know who is part of getting your food from the farm to the table every step of the way. We celebrate and thank each of those individuals for helping us bring fresh, regional food to our community.

Want to see an example of how we make that happen in practice? Check out the timeline we’ve created! We encourage you to take note of all the people whose actual hands are involved in handling this product.  

By Monday at 10:00 AM, John Truncale, Produce Manager at the Brattleboro Food Co-op, places an order including a few cases of red leaf lettuce from Harlow Farm located in Westminster, VT. Our Procurement Specialist, David Paysnick, sends out orders to all our JIT producers by noon that same day, including to Harlow Farm. Then the job passes to the Harlow Farm employees, including Leroy Campbell, Raymond Carridice, and Gerald Berry. Throughout the remainder of that day and into the following Tuesday, they pick, wash, fill, sort, and stage our order of red leaf lettuce in addition to any other fresh veggies that our customers ordered.

On Tuesday, one of our drivers, Bob Blackmer, picks up our order from Harlow Farm and several other JIT producers, including Echo Farm Puddings, Kitchen Garden Farm, and Orchard Hill Breadworks. Once Bob returns to the Food Connects warehouse, members of our operations team, including Scott Berzofsky, Raymond Johnston, and Emma Bliss, receive, sort, and stage orders ready to be delivered to our customers. By Wednesday afternoon, another driver David Pontius delivers the cases of red leaf lettuce to the Brattleboro Food Co-op, ready to be received by their dedicated staff, who will then display the product on their shelves for customers to purchase. 

As you can see, it takes a host of people to grow, process, aggregate, distribute, and sell fresh products. Our Just-In-Time distribution model requires significant coordination across every organization and every set of hands to move the product along the value chain. 

From an aggregation perspective, we admit that it would be more efficient for Food Connects to buy fresh products in bulk instead of only ordering enough products to fill customer orders for a given week. However, this process would lead us to compromise on one of our core values: doing our best to offer our customers fresh, long-lasting products. At Food Connects, we refuse to jeopardize product quality and are willing to put in the required time and effort to aggregate and distribute fresh, perishable products on a Just-In-Time schedule. 

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Producer Spotlight: Hudson Valley Fisheries

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When it comes to regional food producers who align with our values at Food Connects, Hudson Valley Fisheries’ (HVF) dedication to “healthy, sustainable, and local” food fits the bill. As a new producer to the Food Connects team, HVF's high-quality trout is both delicious and a product we know is doing its part to help steward the environment. We chatted with Harry Kalish from the HVF team to understand more about their work and mission, check out some great recipes, and learn about some new products on the horizon.

How was Hudson Valley Fisheries started, what was its inspiration? 

Hudson Valley Fisheries is inspired by its desire to develop a model of local, sustainable aquaculture in order to improve our seafood supply chain. This is why we raise our steelhead trout using an advanced technology called RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System). This eliminates the health and environmental risks commonly associated with traditional fish farming while allowing us to grow delicious fish free of mercury, microplastics, antibiotics, and growth hormones. 

What makes your fish unique? 

Today, 90% of seafood in the United States is imported and over 50% of it is farmed. What makes our fish unique is that it is grown, processed, and distributed locally. We are committed to working with local businesses in the Northeast and the vast majority of our customers, wholesale & retail partners reside within 200 miles of our farm. The close proximity of our customers reduces the time and carbon emissions that it takes to get our fish to their fridge. Local aquaculture allows us to enjoy fresher fish all year-round with a small carbon footprint. 

Furthermore, we raise our steelhead trout to the highest standard of aquaculture. Our 3-star BAP certification ensures that our farm meets a strict set of guidelines with respect for the environment, our team and community, and the fish themselves. Each star represents a different part of our production chain including the nursery, feed, farm, and processing. BAP is one of the highest awards a fish farm can receive because it is an annual onsite audit that consists of an extensive list of qualifications. As a result, the quality of our fish is the best because of all the attention and care we put into our farming practices. 

What is one of your favorite recipes to use your trout for? 

Pan-Seared Steelhead with Dijon Butter Sauce 

1. Pat the filets dry with a paper towel in order to remove any unwanted moisture. Pro tip: drying the skin of the fish will ensure crispy skin when cooking. 

2. Before cooking it is encouraged to leave the fish out at room temperature for about 10-15 min. This process is called tempering, in which we attempt to increase the internal temperature of the protein to allow for even cooking throughout. 

3. Season fish with salt and pepper. 

4. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and add olive oil.

5. Place fish skin side down into the pan, away from you so the oil does not splatter. 

6. Allow fish filet(s) to cook for about 3 minutes until the skin is crispy. It is important to not move the fish around while it is searing. The goal is crispy skin. 

7. Once the skin is nicely browned and crispy, flip the filet over to finish cooking the flesh side, reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Please note that a thicker filet of fish will take longer to cook. Please be mindful. 

8. Once the fish is cooked remove it from the skillet. Add chicken stock or vegetable stock and allow to reduce to half the volume. 

9. Lower heat and whisk in dijon mustard. Whisk sauce with butter to thicken, emulsify, and round out the flavors. Adjust seasoning with some fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper. If desired, add chopped fresh herbs. 

10. Plate the fish, spoon over the sauce, and enjoy! 

Could you tell our readers a little bit about any sustainability initiatives Hudson Valley Fisheries has? 

Our recirculating technology (RAS) continuously converts our fish’s waste into organic fertilizer then filters the water back into its system. This allows for 95% of the water to be recycled throughout our process. The nutrient-rich wastewater is diverted to our greenhouses to grow crops, and any additional waste is converted into natural fertilizer to be used on local farms. Unlike most traditional forms of aquaculture, there is no risk of fish escapes, chemical runoff, or any other detrimental effects to the ecosystem. Additionally, HVF minimizes its carbon footprint by only selling its products to the local communities within 200 miles of its facility. 

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

Very often, locally grown foods are not only better for the environment but are also a healthier alternative to mass-produced and imported goods. Our fish serves as an example of that philosophy. The local food movement is vital in order to get healthy, nutritious, and sustainably sourced products into more people’s homes. Moreover, as HVF expands its footprint, it is committed to bolstering the local economy through jobs and partnerships with other local industries. 

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

We are thrilled to be working with Food Connects because we feel aligned with its sourcing values and attention to education. Like Food Connects, we aim to provide the healthiest and tastiest fish while teaching our customers about its significance at the same time. 

Additionally, we are excited to enter the Vermont and New England markets alongside Food Connects. With most of our efforts focused on New York, we believe there is a lot of opportunity to grow with Food Connects. 

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

In an effort to use our entire fish from nose to tail we are launching a smoked trout spread in March. Made with our hot-smoked trout, this spread has a decadent texture and smokey richness. It’s perfect for salads and appetizers, and for spreading on your favorite toasts, crackers, or bagels. 

Anything else you would like me to feature? Anything that you are doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis? 

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, HVF has donated thousands of pounds of premium quality fish to food banks, soup kitchens, and hospitals in an effort to alleviate so much of the suffering that was induced by the pandemic. We have partnered with non-profits such as the Regional Food Bank of New York, Feed the Frontlines, and Hudson Valley Agribusiness several times over the last two years in order to get more fish to more people in need. COVID-19 demonstrated that our local food systems are vital to the health and resilience of our communities during hardship.

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Producer Spotlight: Winter Moon Roots

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It’s root season and that means Winter Moon Roots’ operation is in full swing. Based out of Hadley, MA, Winter Moon Roots specializes in just that—winter roots. These hearty and often sweet vegetables store well throughout the cold winter months and provide a much-needed pop of color (and source of vitamins) when the days are short and dreary. We were able to talk with the Winter Moon Roots team to learn more about this longstanding and environmentally focused farm.

Can you share some of the history of Winter Moon Roots and how it started? And what inspired you to start farming?

Michael Docter started Winter Moon Roots almost 15 years ago with the goal of providing premium quality local Organic roots while minimizing their carbon footprint. We built a storage facility designed to use winter nighttime temperatures to cool the crop instead of energy-intensive refrigeration. Michael and his buddy Merve Brussard have consistently delivered over 20,000 lbs of roots every year by bicycle (sorry they don't bike to VT!)

Rosendo Santizo began working for Winter Moon Roots in 2009, harvesting, washing, and packing roots, and slowly taking over production responsibilities. Originally from Guatemala, Rosendo had worked on many farms throughout his life and was happy to put down roots (no pun intended!) at Winter Moon. Within the next year, the ownership of Winter Moon will transfer to Rosendo and his wife Genevieve, who are excited to continue providing roots to Winter Moon customers.

What makes your produce unique?
Winter Moon root vegetables are super sweet and super fresh. We harvest all of our roots as late as possible in the season, in November, right up until the ground freezes. These cold temperatures allow for sugars to accumulate in the roots, giving them amazing flavor. We choose our varieties carefully for flavor, and also take great pride in caring for our amazing Hadley loam soil, which supports our Certified-Organic production. Our roots are stored dirty and washed up to order, which keeps them fresh all winter long. Roots are our specialty - we don't grow any other crops - so we are able to give our roots the time and attention needed to produce high-quality harvests.

Environmental sustainability is also a driving mission of Winter Moon Roots. Our storage facility uses cold winter air to keep our roots cool, and solar panels on our storage barn offset any electricity we do use. Michael also delivers to our local customers by bike, pulling up to 1000 lbs of roots on a bike trailer throughout Hadley—see photo!

What is one of your favorite vegetables you grow?

It's hard to choose just one! Our carrots are really special—they are nothing like a grocery store carrot from California. They are sweet from the cold fall temperatures, thin-skinned so you don't have to peel them, and even the largest carrots remain tender. You may find some unique shapes in our bags of carrots—intertwined or branched roots. We focus on flavor and our customers have grown to love a few unique shapes in combination with the premium flavor of our carrots.

One of our other favorites is our purple starburst radish. This is the radish for people who don't like radishes. It has beautiful purple skin and a striking flash of purple inside. It's super mild, very juicy, and crunchy, with a little sweetness. They're a staple in the fridges of many of our customers— they're great sliced up and drizzled with lime juice and salt for an appetizer or snack, they make great toppings for tacos or other savory dishes, and of course, they're perfect for salads or dipping.

Do you have any recipes you recommend for your produce?

Often, we find that complicated recipes aren't necessary to produce tasty dishes with our roots. Some of our favorite ways to prepare our roots are:

  • Parsnips sliced thin and sauteed on medium heat in butter + a little oil until tender and golden. This is great with our fall parsnips but even better with our spring-dug parsnips, which remain in the ground all winter and are unbelievably sweet when we harvest them in March. No joke, they taste like fried plantains when fried in butter!

  • Starburst salad (see photo!): Chop into 1-cm-square pieces: starburst radish, tomato, avocado. Mix, and add finely chopped onion and cilantro, fresh lime juice, and salt to taste. The colors and fresh flavor in the midst of a gray winter are invigorating!

  • Root vegetable tacos: The key to a great setup of tacos is to get all of your ingredients prepped, heated, and ready to go. Then heat corn tortillas on a hot skillet - top with any combination of cheese, beans, roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, turnip - anything is great!), grated fresh carrot or radish, salsa, cilantro, sour cream.

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

Food is a central part of everyone's lives and it brings folks together. COVID opened many people's eyes to weak points in our national and global food distribution system, and we are really proud to be part of the local food system that works to provide the Northeast with fresh, Organic produce all winter long. Buying local means supporting individuals - farm owners and farm workers—in your community, and that support makes real, substantial differences in the lives of small farm owners. And, if you taste one of our carrots compared to one shipped from California...you'll never go back!

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

We've been so happy to work with Food Connects over the last year. We share a common goal - to increase access to local, healthy, delicious food throughout the Northeast. Food Connects has helped us efficiently reach customers that we can't deliver directly to, and we're excited to expand those markets and get more local, Organic produce to more people through our relationship with Food Connects.

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

The big next step for Winter Moon within the next year is the transition of ownership from Michael Docter, who started the farm, to Rosendo Santizo, who has worked at Winter Moon since 2009. Rosendo and his wife Genevieve are excited to carry Winter Moon into its next chapter and to continue growing and distributing roots to all of of you!

Anything else you would like me to feature? Anything that you are doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis?

We had a great harvest in fall 2020, and we were proud to be able to donate around 20,000 lbs of roots to the Greater Boston Food Banks as well as several non-profit, food access organizations throughout MA. The 2021 growing season was more difficult with the persistent rains, but we were still able to make sizable donations to the Food Banks and other non-profits and we are proud to continue working with them in future years as well.

Food Connects Fresh Bites: January 2022

January Newsletter

Dublin & Dairy: How Dublin Christian Academy is Honoring Its Roots

Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund

Food Connects and the Vision of New England Food Systems

Producer Spotlight/Promos: Sherpa Foods

Essex High School Partners with Food Connects

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Producer Spotlight: Sherpa Foods

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Food Connects is delighted to introduce one of our newest producers, Sherpa Foods. Founded in 2015 with the mission of bringing traditional Nepalese delicacies to its customers, Sherpa Foods provides delicious flavors you won’t want to miss. Sherpa Foods uses local, fresh, and natural ingredients in their prepared foods, showing their commitment to quality. We were able to chat with Nurbu Sherpa about the company and their outstanding products.

Can you share a little about Sherpa Foods and how you started?

My wife and I were living in NYC. I was working at Macy's as a business manager and my wife worked at JFK airport cargo division. Our parents were already living in Vermont and we used to visit them at least once a year. We always thought Vermont was a great place to live due to its environment, people, and laid-back nature compared to NYC. Once we had our son, our parents wanted their grandson near them. So we were asking them to move to NYC and they were trying to get us to move to Vermont. After many back-and-forths, we decided that Vermont would be a great place to raise a family. So, before we moved to VT, we came up to see what we could do here once we moved here.

I had always wanted to start my own business even when I was going to college at the University of Texas. So, I felt like this was a blessing in disguise. When we came here to look around we saw an opportunity in the food supply industry. There were not a lot of ethnic food options in stores like in big cities in NYC, Dallas, etc. There was just 1 Nepalese restaurant but nothing in retail stores. Most people usually think about opening a restaurant but I wanted to try something different. So, I thought maybe we can combine my family's delicious cooking and my business background and start a Nepalese food supply startup. There were no businesses that supplied Nepalese food to retail stores so we became the first company to do so in the U.S.

Some of our readers might not know a lot about Nepalese foods, could you share some information about it, its highlights, and its flavors?

Nepal has a very diverse culture, tradition, food, etc. Nepal's national foods are rice and lentils but the unofficial and the most popular food is momo. If you ask any Nepalese what their favorite food is, the majority will say “momo.” There is this joke that there are more momo restaurants in Kathmandu (capital of Nepal) than McDonald's and Starbucks combined in NYC. Nepalese food has a lot of flavor as most of the Nepalese food consists of turmeric, coriander, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and other spices.

What makes your products unique?

Momos are fairly new products in the US. It is the Nepalese version of dumplings. Our ingredients make it and give a unique taste than other dumplings from other cultures.

What is one of your favorite products (we know it's hard to choose)?

Vegan momo and beef momo.

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

The local food movement is very important to us as it helps our local farmers, producers, and local economy.

How does working with Food Connects help your business?

Food Connects has been a tremendous help in expanding our market and introducing our products to stores which would have been impossible for us to do on our own.

I know that right now you don't sell in bulk, but we would love to know your experience with working with institutional buyers (like schools and hospitals).

We actually used to sell our products in bulk by the pound to City Market, Healthy Living, and other stores for their hot bars. But after the pandemic, stores closed their hot bars and stopped supplying bulk products for the time being. We are hoping to restart selling bulk again soon.

Any events coming up or fun facts about your business?

We are hoping to start our own brick and mortar cafe that is right next to our production facility. It has been ready since last July but due to shortage of labor we have not been able to open the cafe yet.

Anything else you would like me to feature? Anything that you are doing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?

We are not allowing anyone to come into our production facility except for USDA inspectors with masks. All the delivery drop offs and pickups are done curbside only at the time being.

Dublin & Dairy: How Dublin Christian Academy is Honoring Its Roots

If you’re from New England and read the news often, you have probably caught wind of how dairy farms in the region are struggling. And they’ve recently hit an even deeper blow when Danone announced they would stop purchasing dairy from over 90 Northeast dairy farms. In our role as a food distributor, we have a responsibility to our farmers to help them find solutions to problems like these. 

When Pete Miller of Miller Farm (you might remember reading about them last year) came to Food Connects looking for ways to get his Vermont dairy into schools as another market for his high-quality product, we were a bit stumped at first. Schools often have milk available for students in single-serving small bottles. For many public schools, purchasing local milk every week just wasn’t financially feasible—making it a tough sell for Pete to invest in the special bottling equipment needed. 

Enter Dublin Christian Academy (DCA). DCA is a local pre-K through 12th-grade private school in Dublin, New Hampshire. And a staple of most private schools is their school nutrition programs are often independently run, are not limited by the same USDA purchasing standards, and have larger budgets. When we approached DCA about purchasing Miller Farm milk, it was a no-brainer—the school itself used to be a dairy farm. And now, they have a standing order which makes creating the 8 oz single-serving bottles more sustainable for Pete. Knowing that he will have a consistent buyer for the products makes it easier to sell to other schools with less frequent purchasing schedules.

And since August 2021, DCA has purchased more than 2,600 8 oz bottles of Miller Farm milk!

We chatted with Bethany Paquin, Director of Development, to learn more about the school. We wanted to get to know DCA a little bit better and why they’re on board to help local dairy farmers like Pete. 

What made you decide to work with Food Connects?

In 2020-2021 we weren’t able to offer a foods service program to our students because of COVID-19—we provided food to dorm students, but not our normal mass lunches. This gave us the opportunity to look at how our meal service worked. We wanted to offer different food choices and responsibly grown and raised products.

Our values align with “community,” and we love to source our food from farms and local producers. The campus was originally Staghead Farm, before the lands and buildings were donated to become a Christian school in 1964. At first, students were running the farm, which wasn’t sustainable for the school, but our early experiences have left us with very nostalgic feelings about that part of the school’s heritage.

How has the students’ response been to the Miller Farm milk? Are they excited that it is sourced locally?

The students are really enjoying having the local milk available. The younger students are especially enthusiastic about the maple and chocolate milk, which they haven’t had in the past. 

Is there any feedback from the field trip to Miller Farm? What did the students learn? 

Our seventh, eighth, and ninth-grade classes visited. The students are at a point where they are thinking more about where their food comes from and how it is produced. The students said they had a lot of fun and enjoyed learning about the milk bottling process and seeing all the animals, especially the cows that produce the milk. Silas Paquin, an eight grade student, said he drank a whole pint of milk and it was really good. Seventh-grader Sarah Ryan was amused by watching the chickens jump on the cows!

How has this benefitted your students?

There are certainly all the nutritional benefits. But it also develops connections for them in the community. More and more, the students get to recognize the businesses in the community where they get their food from—deepening their sense of place.

Anything else that you would like to share?

This past fall, we had an alumni dinner and featured some Food Connects producers, like Grafton Village Cheese. And this is just another opportunity to build some connections between these farms and the extended DCA family which includes alumni, former faculty, and former parents and grandparents.

Our parents are also really glad to see this partnership—knowing that their kids are getting good quality food from farms and businesses in the community that they trust. It’s a win-win!

Essex High School Partners with Food Connects

When you were in school, did you know where your food was coming from? Was your cafeteria sourcing from a local farm? Were you excited about food and learning more about it? Luckily, the answer to most of these questions for students throughout the Essex Westford School District is a resounding “yes!”

Essex High School, and the district at large, started purchasing local food from Food Connects in late 2021. The school nutrition program started with products like cheese from 5 Generations Creamery (over 80 lbs already!—that’s a lot of cheese!) and sparkling beverages from Samara. As they continue to experiment with more local foods, the students are the ones who will see the real benefits.

To learn more about the program and where they are heading with local foods, we chatted with Meghan Martin, the Child Nutrition Administrative Assistant.

What made you decide to work with Food Connects?

We were looking to expand our local food purchasing. Food Connects has direct connections with farms in Vermont and it makes it easier for us to put a name to the food that we’re serving our students. We have had that direct connection to farms in the past and we are excited to be able to continue highlighting a wider variety of local food producers. Starting slow but hoping to expand the local offerings in the future.

Parfaits made with Narragansett Creamery yogurt.

What products have been successful so far?

We purchased Narragansett yogurt and beef from Boyden Farm. Because the high school is a larger kitchen they can do more cooking with different local products and try out more recipes to see what works best. Those two items worked well!

Right now, the local food we are purchasing is just going to the high school and occasionally gets sent out to other schools. We tested out yogurt at the 3rd through 5th-grade school which was successful. With the larger kitchen size and student body at our high school, we find that it’s easier to start there with our scratch cooking products with the goal of then expanding our offerings into our other schools to the roughly 4,000 students district-wide.

Why are you interested in having regionally-sourced foods in your cafeteria?

The Farm to School movement is so prevalent right now. We have dabbled in it here and there. What we really want is to bring whole fresh foods into the district while supporting the local economy. As much as we are able, we want to close the gap between our students and the local food system and create a lasting connection between the two. It’s exciting that we are able to expand their horizons with their culinary palette and teach them what types of food we have available in our area. 

Spaghetti and meat sauce made with Boyden Farm beef.

We saw that this year meals in the Essex Westford School district are free for all students 18 and under. How has this impacted your meal program?

This was through USDA waivers. With the help of these waivers, we have been able to put more focus and resources back into our meal program and we’ve seen that on average 67% more students are choosing school meals. That’s significantly more engagement and more bellies full with high quality and nutritious foods.

Additionally, Scott Fay, Senior Child Nutrition Manager, and Andrew Peet, Child Nutrition Site Manager, really wanted to work with Food Connects because of the Vermont Local Purchasing Incentive. Both this incentive and the USDA waiver put more funds back into the program and the food we provide, which allows us to get higher quality products.

How has this benefitted your students?

The students are able to access more food through the school. The more nutritious food the kids eat, the more they are ready to learn and be active throughout the day. There is already lots of positive feedback about the meals we serve—the students and staff are excited about the fresh, local food they are getting each day.

Anything else that you would like to share?

This year we have tried to revamp the menu, with the hope that it will bring in more participation and therefore revenue for the program. This includes more scratch cooking with fresh, whole produce and ingredients and so far, we are getting lots of positive feedback from changes especially when we can serve foods like Shepherd’s pie using beef from Boyden Farm. It has definitely been a process doing it on a large scale and district-wide but we have an amazing team and we’ve been working out all the details with staff over the years. We’re very excited about all the new menu changes.

Additionally, we have a Farm to School program and have done cooking activities with students and taste tests in the past. Most of that has put that on hold due to COVID-19 but we have started small again by doing more school-wide taste tests with the younger students. Our hope is that we can do these taste tests to gather feedback from students and update our menu with their input. We are also looking forward to the possibility of incorporating more Farm to School and nutrition content into the curriculum.