VFVC Food Forecast – now available!
From QuickBooks classes to an Ice Wine Festival, there is a lot going in our vibrant food community!
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VFVC Food Forecast – your connection to events in VT food!
Better get out your calendar! The latest Food Forecast is out with information on great events – everything from food safety training to an exciting networking opportunity linking food producers to local farmers: VFVC Food Forecast 2/1/2012
VFVC Food Forecast – Latest events in the VT food world
Click on the following link for information about food events such as the NOFA-VT Winter Conference and upcoming farmer webinars about farm business management: VFVC Food Forecast
Our Grand Opening Celebration!!
Come join us and help us celebrate!
12:00 PM Doors Open
Refreshments, samples and information available
1:00 PM Welcome and Introduction
Invited Speakers
- Chuck Ross, Secretary of Agriculture, Vermont Department of Agriculture
- Bill Davies, May & Davies, Board President of Northern Enterprises
- Marcus Brown, Select Board Chair, Town of Hardwick
- Tom Stearns, High Mowing Seeds, Board President of Center for an Agricultural Economy
- Matthew Suchodolski, Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration
- Molly Lambert, State Director, USDA Rural Development – Vermont/New Hampshire
- Gus Seelig, Executive Director, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
- Lawrence Miller, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development
- Jenny Nelson, Ag. Policy Advisor and Rural Development Specialist, Senator Bernie Sanders
- Patricia Coates, Office of Peter Welch
Key Note Address and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Senator Patrick Leahy
2:00 PM Guided Tour of the Vermont Food Venture Center with Tom Stearns, Board President of the Center for an Agricultural Economy
3:00 PM Guided Tour with Connor Gorham, Professional Production Assistant, Vermont Food Venture Center
4:00 PM Guided Tour with Elena Gustavson, Program Director, Center for an Agricultural Economy
Refreshments Have Been Graciously Provided by These Local Businesses:
Bonnieview Farm
bonnieviewfarm.org
Caledonia Spirits
caledoniaspirits.com
Cate Hill Farm
fruity@vtlink.net
Cellars of Jasper Hill
cellarsofjasperhill.com
David Lasch
laschd@comcast.com
Deano’s Jalapenos
deanosjalapenos.com
Farm-to-Institution Program
vermontfoodventurecenter.org
The Mapled Nut Company
MapleNut.com
Michelle’s Spicy Kimchi
facebook.com/MichellesSpicyKimchi
Mocean Mate
Moceanmate.com
Per’s Smoked Fish
per-nwd@vtlink.net
Sumptuous Syrups
sumptuoussyrups.com
Yeeyee’s Vermont Specialty Products
yeeyees.com
Vermont Bean Crafters
vtbeancrafters.com
Vermont Kale Chips
janiceblair@gmail.com
Vermont Refrigerated Storage
-sunriseorchards.com
Vermont Soy
vermontsoy.com
Vermont Switchel Company
vtswitchel@gmail.com
Yummy Yammy
yummyyammy.com
Open for Business
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Vermont Food Venture Center is Open for Business.
September 16, 2011, Hardwick, VT – The Vermont Food Venture Center (VFVC), a program of the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) is open in Hardwick and ready to support food based entrepreneurs. “The VFVC can support diverse food manufacturing processes with our wide selection of commercial processing equipment,” said George Keener, who serves as Operations Manager.
In the shared use kitchens, available for rent by the hour, the VFVC has slicers, mixers, grinders, several types of ovens, tilt skillets, blast freezers, vacuum sealers, labellers, and a variety of other equipment to process and package almost any type of food. Additionally, technical assistance is available for recipe development, business development, packaging selection and distributor access.
Lisa Johnson, owner of YummyYammy, in Norwich, VT creates dips made from northeastern grown sweet potatoes. “I have worked for three years to develop my food company.” Johnson said in a recent interview, “The VFVC helped me launch my product from a crockpot in my kitchen to a business prepared for national distribution.” Packaging company representatives brought to the area by the VFVC have significantly reduced Johnson’s container costs “I still have to put in long days of processing” said Johnson, “but thanks to the VFVC, I can efficiently turn out cases of product at a time.”
Carmella Ram, owner of the Magic Spoon Bakery in Hardwick, VT has operated a successful bakery from her second floor apartment for five years, but has outgrown her tiny space; she will be using the bakery at the VFVC to increase her production capacity, freeing up critical time for sales calls and distribution. Ram stated “I couldn’t grow any more in my space; the VFVC will let me increase the size of my company and offer more jobs to local people.” Like Johnson, Ram has utilized the diverse technical assistance offered through the VFVC. “I have learned about labeling and packaging that will help as my business expands” Ram said.
Heidi Krantz of the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) works with companies to grow and develop their businesses. Many of the food processors using the VFVC have accessed her services including Linda Fox of Sumptuous Syrups of Vermont, a manufacturer of “farm to bar” products for mixed drinks. “The VtSBDC has been such a help,” said Fox. “:Heidi coached me on my business plan which allowed me to access grant funds for web site development.”
Annie Rowell of the VFVC is developing the processing capacity to make the VFVC a resource to all Vermonters by increasing the accessibility and year-round availability of local food. Through minimal processing of local fruits and vegetables, the equipment and facilities at the VFVC can be used to bring more local produce into local markets, through both retail as well as farm to institution sales.
The VFVC is able to support recipe development and food safety procedures for food processors thanks to funding provided by the Vermont Agriculture Innovation Center. Dale Conoscenti, a research chef employed part time by the VFVC is available to processors using the facility to fine tune their use of ingredients, scale up production batches and develop quality control steps.
In addition to processing and technical assistance the VFVC rents dry storage, freezer, and cooler space to local businesses. Helm Notterman and his son Ben of Snug Valley Farm and the Frozen Butcher use freezer space to store their grass fed beef. “We are in a growth phase right now,” the elder Nottermann explained, “It is really helpful to rent freezer space while our business is expanding.”
Keener is overseeing the on-going development of the processing and storage capacity at the VFVC. “We are finishing up the final section of the building and can accommodate food product businesses that need to rent larger space on a long term basis.” The VFVC has a total of 2500 square feet that can be configured to accommodate flexible needs for potential clients. “At this point we can be creative in how the space is completed” Keener explained.
For more information or to arrange use of the facility, contact George Keener at george@hardwickagriculture.org of 802-472-5362 ext 1.
Media Contact:
Elena Gustavson
802-472-5840
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“Stock the Pantry” is a success at the Vermont Food Venture Center
September 9, 2011, Hardwick, VT – Over Labor Day weekend, the Vermont Food Venture Center (VFVC) gathered summer squash from local gardens and shred them for area food pantries. The lightly processed vegetables allows pantries to stock fresh, nutrient rich food for their clients, especially through the winter months, while making use of excess produce in neighbors’ gardens. With the newly built facility, The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) can continue to support its Food Access programs by providing opportunities for processing through the Vermont Food Venture Center. The VFVC, along with volunteers, shredded, packaged, and froze 448 servings of summer squash. This food was distributed to the pantries in Morrisville, Johnson, and Woodbury, while all other donated vegetables were delivered to the Vermont Foodbank.
The Center for an Agricultural Economy sees this event as the first of many to support their mission to increase access to local food. “Collecting and lightly processing donated summer squash for pantries worked as a great way to initiate important relationships with the area food pantries that really are on the front lines of fighting hunger in our community,” said Annie Rowell, Program Associate at the VFVC responsible for coordinating the event. Ms Rowell will continue to support Food Access and Security through her work with Farm-to-Institution and minimal processing at the VFVC, so that more locally grown food can be incorporated into the immediate community.
“This event highlights one of the roles we envision the VFVC will play in the community – a center for fresh, local fruits and vegetables to be collected and redistributed back into the community in a ready to use form,” explained Monty Fischer, Executive Director of the Center for an Agricultural Economy. Keeping local food affordable and of the highest nutritional quality is no small feat and the VFVC continues to develop and refine processes that make this goal a reality.
Media Contact:
Elena Gustavson
elena@hardwickagriculture.org
802-472-5840
Hardwick, VT, August 22, 2011 – On September 2nd and 3rd, the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) and Vermont Food Venture Center (VFVC) will receive and process home-grown garden vegetables and donate them to regional food pantries, including the Woodbury and Hardwick locations. Annie Rowell, staff and primary of the VFVC minimal processing project, is coordinating “Stock the Pantry” to process locally grown food and continue CAE’s ongoing efforts to support local access to local food.
Recently, the VFVC processed 250 pounds of zucchini grown by local farms and distributed it to schools and one senior center in the area. The experience was valuable in helping Rowell expand the minimal processing at VFVC to other crops like spinach, peppers and squash. “By utilizing the processing equipment at the VFVC”, Rowell said “we can capture food from the community that potentially could be wasted from sheer over runs.”
The CAE’s Food Access program focuses on bringing local food to all Vermonters, from their annual Pies for People/Soup for Supper events to monthly donations and the Food Access Fund, a program that reimburses the Hardwick Food Pantry for local food purchases. “By lightly processing vegetables into a more easily used form”, says Monty Fischer, Executive Director, “we can support local organizations that distribute food to those most in need and meet our goals of a healthy food system inVermont.”
People who are interested in donating their extra summer squash, sweet peppers or other excess vegetables to “Stock the Pantry” are invited to drop off their donations at one of four locations from September 2nd to September 3rd. The VFVC will donate unprocessed vegetables to the local food pantries along with the minimally processed squash and peppers. Donation locations on September 2nd will be the VFVC at 140 Junction Rd, Hardwick from 8am to 4pm; the CAE table at the Hardwick Farmers’ Market at Atkins Field on Granite St., Hardwick from 3pm to 6pm. Donation locations on September 3rd will be the C Village Store at 25 S. Craftsbury Rd, Craftsbury from 10am to 1pm; the CAE table at the Craftsbury Farmers’ Market on the Craftsbury Common from 10am to 1pm. Other donation locations to be announced.
To volunteer for the processing or to find out more, please contact Annie Rowell at the VFVC at 472-5362, ext 4 or at arowell@hardwickagriculture.org. For more information about food access and the Hardwick area food system, please visit the Center for an Agricultural Economy‘s website.
Vermont Get Online – Free Workshops
Google is sponsoring three workshops in the Burlington and Rutland areas that are free!
Get a free website
Create and publish a website for your business in less than 60 minutes at our event. Learn how to customize your Google Places online listing.
- Get a free, easy-to-build, professional website
- Get a free customized domain name and hosting for one year
- Claim and customize your free Google Places listing
- Learn how to optimize your new website to be found on Google
Running your business online
- Find out how to take advantage of online tools to run and promote your business.
- Learn more about Google’s top tools for small businesses, including Google Places, Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and Google Apps
- Discover how to get found and attract customers
Introduction to Google AdWords
This is a beginner’s guide to Google AdWords, including how to get started and how to improve your performance.
- Learn how to create your AdWords account, choose keywords, and write great ads
- Get answers to your questions from a Google AdWords expert
- Find out how Google ranks ads
- See live demos with step-by-step guidance
Register Here: http://www.vermontgetonline.com/events
July 7, 2011, Hardwick, Vermont-The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) and the Vermont Food Venture Center (VFVC) is sponsoring a ServSafe Class Thursday, July 28th from 8am -5pm at its new facility at 141 Junction Road, Hardwick, VT 05843. This class provides valuable skills and information for people who work with food – chefs, wait staff, and is required of all clients of the Vermont Food Venture Center.
Annie Rowell was a participant in a recent ServSafe class at the VFVC. “After taking ServSafe, I felt much more prepared to be a responsible user of a shared-kitchen space. There are so many hazards associated with food preparation and processing that I was not aware of, most of which are easily avoided when properly informed.”, says Ms. Rowell. “It is important to realize that all VFVC clients must keep the space clean, as the integrity of any product created at the VFVC relies on good reputation of clean production.”
Brian Norder, the instructor for the course is a food business consultant from Morrisville, Vermont. Former Project Director of the Vermont Food Venture Center from 1197 to 2010, Mr. Norder frequently speaks and consults on topics of food business development, marketing, food science and food safety and is a certified instructor of ServSafe and HACCP.
The registration fee of $135 includes the textbook and exam and light refreshments. Registration and pre-payment are required. Please see the www.vermontfoodventurecenter.org for more information or to download a registration form. Please contact Heidi Krantz at 802-472-5362 or hkrantz@vtsbdc.org to register or for more information.
Contact:
Heidi Krantz
802-472-5362
