December 29, 2022

Spotlight on Jasper Hill Farm

If you’re a lover of Vermont artisan cheese, then you’re likely no stranger to the producer basking in the glow of this week’s Member Deals Spotlight — Jasper Hill Farm. And we think you’ll be thrilled to hear that from December 29th – January 4th, Co-op member-owners can enjoy a 20% discount on their full lineup of award-winning local cheeses – just in time to put together a crowd-pleasing New Year’s Eve cheese board! Read on to learn more about the brothers behind this epic operation, their innovative approach to cheesemaking, and the legendary underground cellars where they age cheeses to ripe perfection:

Deep in the heart of the dairy country of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is a dairy farm like no other. A glimpse of the main barn, painted deep-space blue with cows in astronaut attire and a moon made of cheese, provides the first hint that you’ve landed somewhere unique. Brothers Andy and Mateo, along with their wives, Victoria and Angie, knew they needed to do something different when they purchased this derelict dairy farm in 1998 — the same year that one-third of the neighboring dairy farms in the community sold their cows under intense financial pressures. Small-scale farms like this were becoming more difficult to keep up and running – a 50-cow farm like theirs would have to compete with average herd sizes of about 900 cows out west, as all of that milk is priced by the same commodity market. But the brothers were eager to find meaningful work in the place that they loved and wanted to demonstrate the ability to make a good living milking 45 grass-fed Ayrshire cows on a rocky hillside in Vermont.

Brothers Andy & Mateo Kehler. Image by Colin Clark.

Over the next 5 years, they worked hard to patch up the barn, build up their herd, improve their pastures, construct a creamery, and carve out a cave that would provide the ideal conditions for aging European-style natural rind cheeses. By 2003, they were ready to sell their very first cheeses and quickly amassed a strong following in the burgeoning American artisan cheese market. An interesting call from neighboring Cabot Creamery would change the course of their plans and set them down a path that involved creating opportunities for other local cheesemakers to get their product to peak potential. Like most cheesemakers, Cabot lacked a space dedicated to cultivating natural rinds. In fact, their warehouses were focused on keeping surface mold away from cheese. The Kehlers were nearby, hungry to grow their business, and most importantly, had a temperature and humidity-controlled space designed to grow natural rinds. The result was Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and the awards and accolades soon followed, as one of the first batches took home Best of Show at the 2006 American Cheese Society Conference. Andy & Mateo recognized the potential in these kinds of collaborations and drew up plans for an expanded aging facility beneath one of the pastures of Jasper Hill Farm.

Two years later, they formally opened the Cellars at Jasper Hill — a 22,000-square-foot aging facility featuring seven vaults specifically calibrated for various cheese types. This allowed them to partner with a network of other local cheesemakers and reduce the barriers to entry for those interested in value-added production. According to their website, “ripening work for natural-rind cheeses takes up more than 70% of the labor for a batch of cheese, over its lifetime. By pooling these efforts, farmstead producers could spend more time focusing on the true drivers of cheese quality: milk production and cheesemaking. Instead of sending hundreds of small boxes through the post, refrigerated trucks now pick up pallets of cheese destined for regional and national distributors. The Cellars is now the final stop for cheeses coming from six different creameries. Its mission is to be the standard-bearer for quality and innovation in the artisan cheese industry.”

The award-winning *Harbison*. Image by Bob Montgomery

Andy & Mateo have a knack for distilling the local landscape into their cheeses. They took this approach to new heights in 2013 when they opened a state-of-the-art laboratory on their farm, complete with a staff of food microbiology experts. The idea for this new endeavor was sparked by their partnership with Harvard scientist Dr. Rachel Dutton in 2010, who was using cheese as a model to research how small microbial communities interact. One of the profound discoveries of Dr. Dutton’s work was the notion that the environment (cows, cheese caves, pastures) and methods (washing, salting, managing acidity) were as important to the development of cheese rinds, if not more so, than the ingredients. Microbes, including yeast and bacteria, are critical partners in the cheesemaking process, turning milk into solids, and those solids into cheeses with distinctive aromas, flavors, and textures. American cheesemakers have very limited options when sourcing the cultures for their cheeses, as there are only three domestic suppliers of these critical microbes, all of which are multinational chemical corporations, including DuPont and Cargill. This significantly limits the number of available cultures and stifles the individualism that artisanal cheesemakers crave.

The happy grass-fed cows of Jasper Hill Farm. Image by Blake Noyes.

With strong science to support Dr. Dutton’s findings, a new lab, and a team of microbiologists lending their expertise, Jasper Hill Farm has been able to experiment with creating their own microbial cultures, which are sourced directly from the milk produced by the cows on their farm. They have also found that their raw milk cheeses, like Winnimere, contain all of the microbes needed to produce a fantastic cheese, thus avoiding the need to add microbial cultures. While this all may sound very high-tech for something as rudimentary farmstead cheese, Andy and Mateo are quick to point out that a cheese will never be better than the milk that it’s made from, you can’t make good milk without healthy animals, and you can’t have healthy animals without a healthy landscape filled with nutrient-dense forage. The microbial ecology of raw milk is the sum of these practices on a farm.

The proof of success lies in the supreme quality of the cheeses coming out of the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Their cheeses have garnered a long list of awards including ‘Best American Cheese’ at the World Cheese Awards and ‘Best in Show’ at the American Cheese Society for Harbison; an American Cheese Society ‘Best in Class’ for Bayley Hazen Blue, and two Top 20 nods at the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest for Highlander and Lait Bloomer. Bayley Hazen Blue was even featured in a White House dinner when the Obamas held a State Dinner in honor of the French President. If you’re worried it might all be going to their heads, a quick trip to their YouTube channel will reassure you that they’re not taking themselves too seriously. The documentation of a recent escape attempt by a wheel of Cabot Clothbound will also be sure to leave a smile on your face, the music video parodies are a must-see, and you won’t want to miss this clip of their Bayley Hazen Blue being shot into Earth’s outer atmosphere with the help of a weather balloon, an HD camera, and GPS tracking software. The cheese was successfully lofted 100,000 feet up and then retrieved where it parachuted down a couple of towns to the west of the Greensboro, VT launch site. Talk about stellar cheese!!

The Bayley Hazen Blue Moon launch. Image by Ryan Nolan.

Jasper Hill Farm from The Editorium on Vimeo.

December 22, 2022

Spotlight on Ursa Major

The holiday season is in full swing and we’re shining a bright Member Deals Spotlight on a local body care company that offers a fabulous lineup of gender-neutral products that make great last-minute gifts for the natural skincare enthusiasts on your list! All Ursa Major products are 20% off for member-owners from December 22nd – 28th. Read on to learn more about this forest-infused, adventure-inspired body care company and the folks behind the brand who remain steadfastly committed to a fresh take on skincare:

Ursa Major (the ‘Great Bear’ in Latin) is the largest visible constellation in the northern sky and has long been used to find True North. To the folks at Ursa Major skincare, it’s a powerful reminder to follow your inner compass and forge your own path in life. It was in this spirit that founders Emily Doyle and Oliver Sweatman started their “supernatural” skincare brand a decade ago after leaving New York City for the pastoral hills of Waterbury, Vermont. Inspired by adventurous days on the trail, they created Ursa Major to help others – no matter where they live – get that “healthy mountain glow”. Pure, powerful, and refreshing, their forest-infused formulas harness nature’s most effective ingredients to help you achieve clear, healthy skin.

Ursa Major founders Emily Doyle and Oliver Sweatman

Their website reminds us that they’re not some “huge, soulless company churning out cost-optimized products to maximize their bottom line”. Rather, they pursue this path because they’re obsessive about the craft of making stellar natural skin and body care products and will accept nothing less. In keeping with this ethos, they also avoid the typical marketing-driven launch timelines, only launching a product once it checks all the boxes, no matter how long it takes.

They also offer a fresh take on the tired skin care binary, instead offering gender-neutral skin care products in recognition that skin is skin. Whether you want a fantastic sulfate-free face cleanser, a natural deodorant that you can really count on, or a face wipe to reboot skin on the fly, they’ve got you covered.

When you purchase their products, you can feel confident that they’ll contain powerful, active ingredients with refreshing natural aromas and lightweight textures. What you will not find are harsh additives such as petrochemicals, SLS, SLES, parabens, synthetic fragrances, colors, silicones, or PEGs.

Sustainability

As a Certified B-Corp, Ursa Major takes their commitment to people and planet seriously.

All of their products use only healthy ingredients keeping your skincare routine and our waterways clean.
All full-time employees have stock in the company. Ursa Major believes this enables and inspires a more meaningful relationship with their work.
When not working from home, their company headquarters are 100% carbon-neutral.
All Ursa Major employees participate in a volunteer program aimed at giving back to their community and surroundings. Their goal is to dedicate 20 hours per employee each year.
Over half of the Ursa Major leadership team identify as female.

They’re also committed to smart, sustainable packaging and are constantly evaluating and looking for ways to optimize packaging materials and production methods. Whenever possible, they max out on post-consumer recycled content and use renewable energy to manufacture and source from within the United States to lower their carbon footprint. Many of their products are offered in recyclable glass, they recently transitioned all 8 fl oz bottles to at least 50% PCR content, moved to FSC-certified paper stock for the majority of their secondary packaging, and they produce over 90% of their cartons at a carbon-neutral facility with 100% renewable energy.

They are proud to be one of the first Plastic Negative clean skincare brands. In partnership with rePurpose Global, they remove two plastic bottles from the environment for every bottle they sell.

If you’d like to check out their full B-Corp Impact Report, click here.

Giving Back

To help offset their impact, Ursa Major partners with a range of organizations, many of which are located right here in their Vermont community, to protect and preserve the planet while promoting accessibility to the great outdoors. In the past year, their team participated in 11 events and put in 243 hours of community service. In addition, to date, your Ursa Major purchases have funded projects at the Rokeby Farm, Zeno Farm, Outdoor Afro, the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, National Park Foundation, Clean the World, Vermont Land Trust, One Tree Planted and Outward Bound for Veterans (and more).

The Ursa Major team volunteering at Rokeby Museum.

December 15, 2022

Spotlight on Trois Petits Cochons

We’re shining our Co-op Spotlight this week on one of the most awarded specialty food companies in North America- Trois Petits Cochons! Les Trois Petits Cochons has produced award-winning, all-natural pâté and charcuterie since 1975 by crafting small, handmade batches using only the finest high-quality ingredients. Their full product line is 20% off for member-owners from December 15th – 21st – just in time to pick up something special for your holiday feast. Read on to learn more about this company that has been producing high-quality, hand-crafted products for nearly 50 years!

Heritage:

Trois Petits Cochons first opened its doors as a small charcuterie in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1975. Founded by two French chefs who met in Africa while gallivanting across the globe, they decided to open in the bohemian Village, and with the help of an American backer – the third piggy – the shop was born. It has since grown to become the leader in the pâté and charcuterie industry, offering a complete line of artisanal pâtés, mousses, terrines, sausages, saucissons, smoked meats, and other French specialties. Their products have garnered a long list of SOFI awards, earning great respect in the culinary world.

Mission:

Three Little Pigs is on a mission to create more enjoyable, everyday moments through casual, well-made charcuterie that is as fun and easy to enjoy as it is high-quality and delicious. They are committed to continuing the tradition of making delicious, authentic, and quality pâté and charcuterie for their customers.

Environmental Commitment:

The team at Les Trois Petits Cochons is committed to sourcing and producing the highest quality all-natural specialty food products in a responsible and sustainable manner.

They believe in:

Transparency – Customers should be able to know where their food comes from and be able to buy from companies committed to sustainable animal husbandry.
Trust & Relationships – They believe in partnering with those who can make the best product in the most responsible manner. They personally visit all of their major suppliers, the majority of whom are family farms, to make sure they are upholding the standards set by Les Trois Petits Cochons.
Local – Les Trois Petits Cochons always begins their search locally. Many of their suppliers come from within 100 miles of their production facilities, but sometimes to find that special ingredient they need to go further afield, including to France where they source many of their ingredients like wild mushrooms or espelette pepper.

Be sure to check out the fabulous collection of recipes on their web page!

December 8, 2022

Spotlight on Champlain Valley Creamery

We’re casting our Member Deals Spotlight on a local organic creamery that produces delicious award-winning cheeses just a few short miles from the Co-op. Champlain Valley Creamery uses traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization to produce their cheese entirely by hand in a net-zero solar-powered facility in Middlebury. Member owners can enjoy a 20% discount on Champlain Valley Creamery’s fantastic lineup of cheeses from December 8th – 14th — just in time for those holiday parties! Read on to learn more about this fabulous local creamery and the people who make it shine:

Champlain Valley Creamery was first established in 2003 by founder and owner Carleton Yoder. With a graduate degree in food science and a background in wine and hard cider making, Yoder was eager to run his own food business. With Vermont’s abundance of amazing local milk, small-scale cheesemaking just made sense. Yoder began his adventures in cheesemaking in a facility in Vergennes where he focused on two products: Organic Champlain Triple and Old Fashioned Organic Cream Cheese. Both have been awarded well-deserved honors from the prestigious American Cheese Society.

Over the years, the creamery has continued to grow and expand its offerings, eventually moving into a net-zero solar-powered facility on Middlebury’s Exchange Street in 2012. Yoder and his small crew now produce an expanded lineup of cheeses including Queso Fresco (available in original, house-smoked, and pepper varieties), Maple Cream Cheese, a pyramid-shaped triple cream with a layer of ash known as Pyramid Scheme, and, most recently, they began importing Italian truffles to produce the Champlain Truffle Triple.

The Creamery also made a switch last year to using 100% grass-fed organic milk from the Severy Farm in Cornwall. The milk only travels a few short miles from the farm to the creamery, where the cheesemaking begins within hours of arrival. The use of grass-fed milk results in a richer, creamier cheese that displays subtle seasonal changes reflective of the changing diet of the cows as the seasons progress. It’s truly the terroir of Addison County in each decadent bite of cheese.

Yoder is supported by a small crew that is just as dedicated to the craft as he is. They use traditional techniques and small-batch pasteurization to produce their cheeses entirely by hand. A recent visit to their facility found the crew in constant motion, measuring, stirring, monitoring temperatures, and generally putting every bit of the day’s fresh batch of milk to good use. The bulk of the cream and whole milk is used to produce the Organic Champlain Triple, Champlain Truffle Triple, and the two varieties of cream cheese. The part-skim milk is then transformed into each of the three varieties of Queso Fresco, and the whey is drained off to create hand-dipped, basket-strained ricotta that is only available to a few select restaurants in the area. The only remaining by-product is a small amount of whey, which is sent to feed the happy pigs at Hinesburg’s Full Moon Farm, resulting in an operation that is hyper-local with very minimal waste.

According to Yoder, “cheesemaking is hard work but we strive to let the milk, cream, culture, salt, and mold shine through with their amazing flavors.” It’s this minimalist approach and the desire to honor the high-quality local ingredients that make Champlain Valley Creamery’s cheeses shine.

Picture hanging above Yoder’s desk made by his son, Nate

November 30, 2022

JEDI Growing Pains

The Coop board has been actively engaged in justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity (JEDI) learning during the past five-plus years. Our learning has taken place through workshops, training, book group discussions, board retreats, and participation in the NFCA DEI Community of Practice group. In 2020, the board decided to form a JEDI Committee and appoint a committee chairperson to ensure the continuation of this important work.

I have observed and experienced that JEDI learning takes place on both a group and individual level. This is the beauty of the experience for me. Each board member brings a unique perspective that has been influenced by their own cultural and familial experiences since birth. These experiences have informed our individual sense of identity and how we perceive the world around us. My own learning and self-awareness have been greatly enhanced by the richness of multiple perspectives.

My JEDI learning curve has been steep, and I don’t imagine it will end anytime soon. My learning journey began in a community meeting shortly after Charles Murray visited Middlebury College in 2017. This was the first time I heard the term “white supremacy” used to describe organizations and institutions. I honestly didn’t understand the reference and asked for clarity. The response I received was “figured it out yourself.” I share this experience because it was a learning moment for me despite the feeling of shame of not knowing. A participant at the meeting shared an article about structural racism with me and the invisible became visible.

In 2018, I had an opportunity to participate in an implicit bias workshop in Boston. We were a diverse group of participants which made my workshop experience especially meaningful and memorable. We engaged in an activity called “The Privilege Walk.” Our group of 40 participants formed a straight line across the room and were asked a series of questions. If we answered “yes” we took one step forward and if we answered “no” we took one step back. After the activity, we were asked to look around and share what we observed. The front and middle portions of the room were populated predominantly with white people and the back of the room was predominantly populated with people of color. This was my introduction to the term “white privilege.” This term is defined as the unearned set of advantages, entitlements, and benefits granted specifically to white people over other racial groups. Another eye-opening learning moment for me, my understanding of privilege was expanded in a way that increased my self-awareness about the advantages that I have experienced because I was born in a white body.

There has been lots of research and much written about bias. I have learned that every human brain has biases that allow us to use prior knowledge and experiences to inform our decisions and actions in the present moment and that biases can be conscious or unconscious. Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and social stereotypes informed by culture, media, and our individual upbringing that occur automatically and unintentionally. Implicit biases affect judgment and decisions and are often incompatible with one’s conscious values.

A few years ago, I had two experiences close together where I became aware of my own implicit bias about how I unconsciously defined the meaning of the word “spouse.” In each experience, I made a quick and unconscious assumption about the sexual preference of the person I was speaking with when they referred to their partner as “spouse.” I apologized immediately and was met with the kind words, “it is ok.” But my judgment and behavior were not ok and out of alignment with a conscious value that I hold. I am grateful for these experiences because they revealed a form of implicit bias that I held that was harmful and outside my conscious awareness.

The Coop board recently met for a full-day JEDI retreat to continue our discussion about bias and structural oppression. When we began this training several months ago, the facilitator mentioned that our work together would be hard and painful. So true, and at the same time, it has been illuminating. I am grateful for the many opportunities that I’ve had to learn in the community and I attribute my personal growth to the many learning moments that felt exceedingly uncomfortable and shifted my perspective in meaningful ways.

Lynn Dunton is a Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op Board Member

November 30, 2022

Spotlight on La Panciata

Our Member Deals Spotlight shines brightly this week on a local Italian-style bakery hailing from Northfield, Vermont — La Panciata! Their full lineup of local bread and baked goods is 20% off for Co-op member-owners from December 1st – 7th. Read on to learn more about this second-generation family-run bakery and their commitment to carrying on their family’s Italian bread-baking traditions:

Founders Glenn and Lori Loati began baking for their community back in 1992 when encouragement from a friend prompted them to begin selling their loaves at the Montpelier farmers market. By the end of that first summer, the Loati’s had garnered a dedicated following who hoped to continue being able to buy their favorite bread year-round, so Glenn and Lori forged a relationship with Hunger Mountain Co-op, and the rest, as they say, is history. The business continued to expand, as did the offerings, which began with a small selection of traditional Italian breads and has since expanded to include sliced sandwich breads, cookies, English muffins, and several varieties of authentic Italian biscotti — all original family recipes. They continued to upgrade equipment and facility space to accommodate the increasing demand and expanded their delivery networks to include a few more Vermont Co-ops and local retailers like ourselves.

Glenn and Lori Loati at the bakery in 2012

Glenn and Lori are Vermont natives who met at Spaulding High School in Barre, though Glenn’s family roots are in Italy. He traveled back to his ancestral home in the early 1990s and apprenticed with a baker in Carrara on the Italian coast to hone his craft. This experience allowed him to develop the traditional family recipes that continue to be the mainstays of La Panciata’s lineup while also influencing the development of their signature American-style sliced breads and baked goods by adapting Italian techniques to produce a new range of flavors, textures, and styles. The name “La Panciata” is an Italian expression meaning ‘fat and happy,’ like the feeling you get when you finish a great meal with a full belly and a sense that life is good.

In keeping with the family tradition, Glenn and Lori passed the torch in 2016 to their son Justin and his partner Bonka. Both in their early 30s at the time and equipped with degrees in computer engineering, Justin and Bonka were excited to update and streamline the business operations at the bakery while still staying true to the original family recipes that their community has grown to love. They continue to run the business with the originality that Glenn and Lori initiated while bringing new life and individuality to the bakery.

At the Co-op, you can find a rotating lineup of La Panciata’s products including their traditional Italian Pane Toscano and Pane Siciliano and authentic Italian biscotti in four flavors. You’ll also find several varieties of their sliced sandwich bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and English muffins. The Loati family feels confident that once you have tried La Panciata bread, you will be hooked and ready to sample the broad range of flavors, textures, and styles that they have to offer.

November 30, 2022

Co-op Connection Business of the Month – Waterfalls Day Spa

Can you remember the last time you pressed pause on the frenzied pace of everyday life and allowed yourself to relax and unwind? If you are struggling to recall the last occasion of such a rare, rejuvenating event, we invite you to check out our featured Co-op Connection business for December – Waterfalls Day Spa! They offer a very generous 10% discount to card-carrying Co-op member-owners! Read on to learn more about the extensive list of services offered by their skilled team of practitioners:

Waterfalls sets the standard for excellence in the salon and spa community with exceptional customer service and the technical skills of their therapists. Clients can expect to receive a treatment customized specifically to their needs.

Whether you’re looking for a massage, hair treatments, skin therapy, nail treatments, hair color services, or lash extensions and tinting, Waterfalls has got you covered! For facials, their estheticians are proud to use a combination of products from Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare and Dermalogica. Massage techniques range from a relaxing Swedish massage to a soothing CBD massage to deep sports massage to a soothing warm stone massage, and even prenatal massage!

Hair services at Waterfalls begin with a thorough consultation followed by a hair bath and mask before receiving a style or color treatment tailored to their individual needs. Clients will leave with the knowledge of how to recreate their style at home and recommendations for products to help them achieve their look. At Waterfalls, they understand the importance of holistic hair care and use only non-toxic products free of unnecessary chemicals when coloring hair. They are proud to exclusively use Simply Organics’ Original & Mineral, Oway hair color, or Goldwell. Their goal is to provide customers with a professional service using much healthier options than what is available at a traditional salon.

They also offer an impressive menu of hair, nail, waxing, and skin treatments uniquely suited to men, women, and teens. To view the menu and daydream about your next visit, click HERE!

Planning a wedding or bridal party? Waterfalls offers a lovely list of services to make every bride’s dreams come true. Click HERE to check them out!

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone special, pick up a Waterfalls gift card!

In short, if you’re looking to escape, relax, and restore – Waterfalls Day Spa is your destination. Just don’t forget to mention that you’re a Co-op member-owner!

November 26, 2022

Spotlight on Grace & Miss Mouse

Our Member Deals Spotlight shines brightly this week on a local family-run soap company hailing from Bellows Falls, VT, known as Grace & Miss Mouse Soaps! All of Grace & Miss Mouse’s soaps and bath bombs are 20% off for member-owners from November 26th – 30th — just in time to pick up a few stocking stuffers! Read on to learn more about the mother-daughter team that brings you these body care products and the inspiration behind their unique scents and product names:

Over 15 years ago Judy Lidie’s eldest daughter treated her to a special birthday trip to an inn and spa nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont, which would ultimately spark the inspiration for Grace & Miss Mouse Soaps. While enjoying her stay at the inn, Judy fell in love with the little handmade soaps they offered, which smelled amazing and made her skin feel softer than she’d ever felt. She knew right away that she had to learn to make her own soap and began her quest immediately upon returning home. She bought books on soap making and spent countless hours reading, researching, and experimenting through good old trial-and-error with friends and family who were willing to help her test and adjust her recipes until she felt satisfied that she’d made the perfect bar. She decided to name the company after her greatest inspiration, her granddaughter Grace.

Judy’s cold-process soaps are made in small batches right here in Vermont using only the highest quality ingredients. Each bar is hand-cut and produces plenty of lather that is kind to the skin and never drying. The unique and cleverly-named scents are long-lasting, but never overpowering. And they leave your skin feeling every bit as soft and luxurious as those initial spa bars that Judy first fell in love with 15 years ago. After her first few years in business, Judy began expanding her product line to include colorful, fragrant bath bombs and other fun body care products.

For the first 12 years that she was in business, Judy was a one-woman show, handling all aspects of the business while also working a “day job” and raising her three daughters with her husband Roy. She was eventually able to take early retirement from her job and, for the past three years, Judy is thrilled to have her daughters and her husband helping out with the soap business, allowing her to expand production and enjoy a lot more family time while doing the work that she loves. Her eldest daughter Jessica makes all the bath bombs, sugar scrubs, bubble bars, and does a lot of the labeling and shipping, Middle daughter Danielle (usually known as DL) makes all of their beautiful soaps, and Michelle, the baby, creates their labels and all company forms. Husband Roy handles the large deliveries throughout Vermont and picks up the oils and lye needed to make their products. Roy also custom-built all of their wood soap molds, their bath bomb press, and handles all shop maintenance. That leaves Judy to handle all of the accounting, billing, purchasing, inventory, and customer service.

We were curious to know the inspiration behind the clever names and scents like Little Black Dress, Hippy Dippy, Dragonfly, and IPA Suds. According to Judy, “some of the names originated with off the cuff comments one of us said when we smelled a new fragrance, some of them are just good old traditional names, and some are named after family members, like Missy Shell (Michelle), Biker Chick (named after Jessica, who is an avid bicyclist), and Amazing Grace, after the namesake of the company, my only granddaughter, Grace Elizabeth.” When asked about the family favorites, Judy says, “it’s hard to pick one favorite! I love Honey Comb, Champagne Sparkle, and Holly Jolly. Jessica loves Biker Chick and Holly Jolly. Danielle loves Sweet Pea & Rhubarb and Michelle loves Missy Shell!

We hope you’ll try them all and let us know your favorites!

November 17, 2022

Spotlight on Lake Champlain Chocolates

We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight this week on a local favorite – Lake Champlain Chocolates! All of their mouth-watering Fairtrade Certified chocolates are 20% off for member-owners from November 17th – 23rd. Read on to learn more about this local confectionery that has called Vermont home for almost 40 years and its commitment to responsible sourcing:

History:

The story of Lake Champlain Chocolates began back in 1983 when founder Jim Lampman dared his pastry chef at Burlington’s Ice House Restaurant to create a better truffle than the ones he had been buying for his staff as holiday gifts. Together they began making the most amazing hand-rolled, creamy truffles and the rest, as they say, is history.

Sourcing Matters:

From the very beginning, long before eating local was cool, Lake Champlain Chocolates has been committed to sourcing Vermont-grown ingredients whenever possible. They knew that using high-quality Vermont honey, maple syrup, and fresh dairy from local farmers and producers would result in superior chocolates.

The goal is to bring you their best. To make high-quality chocolate that amazes with exquisite flavor and creates a moment of pure joy. It’s also why they’ve never added preservatives, extenders, or additives, and why they’ve worked diligently to remove GMOs from all of their chocolates and use organic and Fairtrade certified ingredients whenever possible. With each new product, the goal remains the same – to create something special, and to give you the best experience.

A Family Affair:

Lake Champlain Chocolates is a second-generation, family-owned business, just like the generations of Vermont family farmers that provide them with fresh butter, cream, maple syrup, and honey. And just like the generations of cacao farmers in places like the Dominican Republic and Guatemala — with whom they have direct partnerships. Today, Jim’s son and daughter, Eric and Ellen, are defining the future of Lake Champlain Chocolates by developing award-winning organic products and spearheading sustainable sourcing initiatives. Along the way following the Lampman family principles: Dare to do better. Always do it with Passion. And do it your way.

Fair Trade:

Making great-tasting chocolate is hard work and the team at Lake Champlain Chocolates believes that every person in this process should be treated and compensated fairly and that their actions should make a positive impact on local and global communities. When you purchase Fairtrade chocolate, more money goes back to the farmers, allowing them to lift themselves out of poverty and build a better life for their families. It also allows these farmers to invest additional Fairtrade premiums in community development, ensures a ban on forced labor and child labor, and encourages environmentally-sustainable farming practices. Go ahead and indulge your sweet tooth and feel good knowing that 100% of the chocolate they use at Lake Champlain Chocolates is Fairtrade certified.

Why Buy Fairtrade Certified Chocolate?

Farmers and workers are justly compensated and have safe working conditions (this includes prohibiting the use of forced labor and child labor).
Farmers are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty and help to build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities.
Cocoa farmers and co-ops receive an additional premium for investing in community development.
Farming communities develop skills that help them use the free market to their advantage.
Farming villages become better stewards of the environment — using sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices to preserve local habitats and increase biodiversity

B Corp Certification:

Lake Champlain Chocolates joined a growing community of more than 2,500 certified B Corporations worldwide who are united under one common goal – to redefine success in business. Rather than focus solely on profits, 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. Unlike other certifications that look at individual products, B Corporation evaluates the entire business — assessing the yearly impact on the environment, workers, customers, community, and government. This new type of corporation is purpose-driven to create benefits for all, not just shareholders, working together to be the change we seek in the world.

For Lake Champlain Chocolates these performance standards provide a valuable third-party measurement tool, assuring customers and suppliers that LCC’s business practices meet the highest standards. “Achieving B Corp Certification is the next step towards fulfilling our company’s vision to become the gold standard of chocolate companies in the United States, a respected leader other companies aspire to be,” says Eric Lampman, LCC President. “For more than 35 years, our practices have been guided by one core value – ‘everything must measure up to the chocolate.’ And this includes making a positive impact on our local and global communities by respecting our employees, fostering long-term partnerships with our suppliers, and practicing environmental responsibility.”

November 10, 2022

Spotlight on Elmer Farm

We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Elmer Farm this week to celebrate this 90-acre organic farm and the farmers who bring it to life. Member-owners can enjoy 20% off their glorious spread of organic vegetables from November 10th – 16th! Read on to learn more about the history and heritage of this farm, which has been providing food for this community since the early 1800s!

Driving into East Middlebury on Route 116, it’s hard to miss the beautiful patch of flowers bordering the white farmhouse at the entryway to Elmer Farm. What you might not see from the road are the amazing fields of vegetables that are grown on this fertile, organic soil. Elmer Farm is a conserved 90-acre farm growing 8 acres of mixed vegetables, flowers, and herbs, all of which are certified organic. Annual inspections and certification by Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) ensure that the crops are grown responsibly and safely without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides.

The farm originally belonged to the Elmer family in the early 1800s and has a long heritage of providing food for its community. The receding glaciers bestowed the farm with a wonderful mix of fertile soils and sandy loam, perfectly suited to growing vegetables and grains. It’s on this fruitful land that Elmer Farm now grows more than thirty-five different vegetables, an array of flowers, and culinary herbs. This includes over 200 different seed varieties, many of which are heirlooms. With a goal of maintaining long-term soil health, the crew at Elmer Farm also manages an additional 15 acres of rotating cover crop, keeping one-third of their acreage in production and two-thirds resting.

A number of years ago, representatives from HOPE, Middlebury College, ACORN, and the local business community, along with several local farmers, including Spencer from Elmer Farm and Will Stevens of Golden Russet Farm, got together to discuss the possibility of increasing the amount of locally grown food offered at HOPE’s food shelf. This group recognized that Addison County farmers grow vast amounts of beautiful, healthy organic fruits and vegetables, which are often unavailable or too pricey to those who need it most. They also recognized that these farms often had excess produce available that would not be destined for retail markets, which could instead be diverted to the food shelf. Fast-forward to the present day, and the idea hatched by this group has evolved into an incredibly successful program that is bringing thousands of pounds of healthy, local foods to those in our community who need it most while also diverting a lot of food from the waste stream.

At the Co-op, you can find Elmer Farm’s organic red, green and napa cabbage, kale, onions, butternut and delicata squash, baby bok choy, radishes, leeks, chard, garlic, turnips, rutabagas, beets, parsnips, and, of course, their famous carrots!

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