Meet Our Farmers and Friends!

The family-run farm at Boston Post Dairy is located in Enosburg Falls, Vermont across from the scenic Missisquoi River with a view of the beautiful Jay Peak. Boston Post Dairy is named after the Old Boston Post Stagecoach road which runs straight through the farm property. The farm is owned and operated by Robert and Gisele Gervais and their four daughters: Anne, Theresa, Susan and Annette. Robert and Gisele along with their family of 15 children have been farming since 1962. They bought the Boston Post Dairy with their four daughters in 2007 and today have 60 dairy goats and 70 dairy cows. They have recently added a cheese-making facility along with a small retail store where they sell their cheeses, goat milk soaps, maple syrup and bakery items which are all made right on the farm. The cheese room was made with viewing windows to allow visitors to watch the cheese making process.
 

Plymouth Cheese

The Plymouth Cheese Factory, located in Plymouth, Vermont, is the second oldest cheesemaking operation in the United States. John Coolidge, the father of President Calvin Coolidge, started the cheese factory in 1890 and Plymouth Cheese as we know it today was born. Plymouth Artisan Cheese creates raw whole cow’s milk cheeses by hand in small batches. All of their milk comes from a dedicated herd close by in Tinmouth, Vermont. They continually monitor the herd for quality and test the milk to ensure the best dairy practices are being kept and the milk is free of hormones, additives and antibiotics. They are committed to the ideas and philosophies of the Slow Food movement, as well as protecting and promoting the working landscapes of Vermont

Establised in 2000 Blue Ledge Farm is a small, first generation, family owned and run goat dairy and cheesemaking operation. Their mission is to create a high quality product built on the cornerstones of respect for consumers, land and animals as well as their local community. They were honored to receive two national awards for their cheeses in 2006, as well as being listed in Wine Spectator Magazine as producing one of the "100 Greatest" Cheeses in the world in 2008, and were part of a Vermont cheese story in the November 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine!

Blythedale Farm of Corinth, Vt., has been producing a line of award-winning artisan cheeses for nearly 20 years. Though the Green Mountain State is known for its Cheddar, proprietors Tom and Becky Loftus focus on five other varieties of All-Jersey cheese: Camembert Vermont Cookeville Grana, Green Mountain Gruyere, Jersey Blue and Vermont Brie.  Blythedale uses all of the milk produced by its resident herd of 36 Registered Jersey cows to meet demand for its cheeses. Blythedale Farm cheese is sold to retail outlets across the country by distributors in New England, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. The cheeses are also carried in many local stores and restaurants and sold through mail order. Camembert Vermont is a featured cheese of the well-known Zabar’s in New York City and was served at the White House during the Bush administration.

Vermont Bean Crafters was named with a great deal  of intention. They are not producers; they are crafters. Sourcing beans from their own farm, as well as regional bean growers through out Northern New England, Joe Bossen and his fellow artisans hand craft these beans into delectable patty, humus and falafel. Smack dab in the middle of a community of growers and eaters as serious about localized food systems, organic practices, and nutrition as we they are, Vermont Bean Crafters has been a partner with these farms in helping diversify crops and being an outlet for the results. This week, try Falafel from local beans

A small family dairy operation located in Shoreham, VT, Millborne Farm creates delicious drinkable yogurts that are a step above the rest. Owners Gert and Arda Schut initially immigrated from Holland to a small dairy farm in Connecticut in the early ‘70s, ultimately settling with their two children at Millborne in 1998. The scenic farm is spread out on 400 protected acres, where approximately 150 Holstein cows graze freely on grass, alfalfa and corn silage. As the milk used for the yogurt is taken directly from the cow and never cooled before mixing, Millborne Farm Drinkable Yogurts are extra fresh and flavorful compared to other products milked and bottled in separate locations. Packed with probiotics, protein, calcium and vitamin C, the yogurts offer an array of health and longevity benefits. They are available in a variety of flavors including orange, strawberry, pomegranate, vanilla and peach.
 

Otter Creek Farm is located on a beautiful bend of the Otter Creek River in Panton, Vermont.
"We’re a family owned and run farm that produces a great variety of Organic Vegetables, Fresh and Dried Herbs, Fresh Jams and Jellies, Pickled Products, Maple Syrup, Flowers, Eggs, Free Range Poultry and Holiday Turkeys.
In the summer you may ride by our self serve farm stand on Basin Harbor Road, part of the “Rebels Retreat” bicycle loop.  You will also find us at the Vergennes Farmers’ Market every Thursday through the summer and online at YourFarmStand.com.
Our farm host school field trips and educational outings.  We love to give youth the experience of planting, harvesting, sugaring or the most popular, collecting eggs. Outings always end with yummy samples from the gardens, often getting kids to taste something new.
Otter Creek Farm is very involved with the farms to school program in Vermont. We provide many local schools with fresh produce, spend time in the classroom and help process vegetables for year round use."
 

Founded in 1979, Butterworks Farm in Westfield, Vermont originally produced small batches of yogurt and cottage cheese on a wood cook stove and delivered them door-to-door around Northern Vermont. Today, it is a thriving dairy farm that produces an array of exceptional quality yogurts, cream, buttermilk and kefir that are now sold throughout the Eastern United States. The decadent yogurts, sold by the quart in lemon, vanilla, maple and plain, are unquestionably the stars of the show. The Lazor family attributes Butterworks yogurt’s excellent quality and flavor to the protein-rich milk from their family of prized Jersey cows, whom they call “divine bovines,” all born and raised on the farm without antibiotics or hormones.

Vermont free-range turkeys and naturally-raised chickens from Misty Knoll Farm are the world standard for healthy and tasty poultry. By allowing their turkeys to range freely on their pristine Vermont meadows and their chickens to roam in a spacious environment, the family farmers at Misty Knoll provide their birds with the natural, stress-free life and healthy diet that nature intended. This family-owned and operated farm produces the finest naturally-raised free-range turkeys and naturally-raised chickens available from Vermont. They have a wide, loyal following of award-winning chefs and home cooks with high standards. Misty Knoll’s farmers follow sustainable farming practices to ensure their cropland will be productive for future generations and raise their birds with the utmost care, feeding them whole grain free of antibiotics and animal by-products.

TTwig Farm is a small goat dairy and cheese-making business run by Michael Lee and Emily Sunderman located in West Cornwall, Vermont, about 10 miles south of Middlebury. Twig Farm lovingly produces award-winning aged raw-milk goat cheeses, all of which are made by hand and patiently aged in their aging cellar. Twig Farm is perhaps best known for the award-winning Goat Tomme and Square Cheese, both aged for about 80 days and recognized throughout cheese-making circles for its distinguished flavors.

Maple Meadow Farm is family owned and operated by George E. & Jackie Devoid, the second generation of Devoids, along with their daughter Jen and son Niles. They produce fresh eggs for sale throughout Vermont and beyond. Being a “little guy” allows the Devoid family to remain focused on their business, their product and their customers. Unlike factory-farmed eggs, these eggs are 100-percent traceable eggs, ensuring you freshness and safety.

Norma and her husband started the farm in 1973 as a dairy farm.  In 1985, they  diversified into strawberries, and then raspberries and blueberries. In 1996 they sold the cows and began growing pumpkins, corn and other vegetables. After becoming widowed in 2004, Norma runs the farm and raises her 2 grandsons, 13, and 16. They have about 6 full time seasonal workers. The farm consists of almost 200 acres but only about 30 acres is used for fruits and vegetables the rest is rented to a dairy farmer.  In 1993, Norma began making her famous Summer In Vermont Jams.  There are 13 different jams and jellies to choose from,  all homegrown and homemade.

The Castleton Cracker may be one of Vermont’s best-kept secrets, but not for long. Castleton Crackers are mixed, rolled, baked and cracked by hand in Castleton, Vermont. These artisan crackers have a beautiful rustic look and are made with all-natural ingredients. Available in five flavors, including Middlebury Maple (great for s’mores!), Rutland Rye, Windham Wheat, Putney Pumpkin (with dried cranberries and thyme) and Richmond Rosemary (with cornmeal and sea salt), they contain no trans fats, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Try these crisp, delicious crackers in soups and salads, with dips and your favorite Vermont cheeses or on their own. You may never buy another cracker again!

Roland LeFebvre, a French-Canadian from South Barre, Vermont, started the smokehouse as “Roland’s” in 1962, just a mile from its current location. Roland based his now-famous recipes on traditional Vermont methods and ingredients. He brined his bacon and ham with Vermont maple syrup, then smoked them using natural and local smoke fuels, corncobs and maple wood. Under the leadership of Chris Bailey, Vermont Smoke & Cure now offers natural bacon, ham and sausages made from pork naturally grown in Vermont. Their Vermont-grown pigs live on pasture during much of the year and in barns with deep-bedded packs during the winter and early spring. Vermont Smoke & Cure also refrains from using farrowing crates. These pigs eat only grains and legumes, minerals and pasture or hay. By keeping happy, healthy pigs raised without any antibiotics, their practices are beyond the specs of Certified Humane by Humane Farm Animal Care.

Nitty Gritty Grain Company of Vermont is a small family-owned Certified Organic farming operation in Charlotte, VT committed to producing delicious, wholesome locally-grown products. Their mission is to participate in the cycle of sustainability, both nutritionally and environmentally, by growing Certified Organic grains. They are reaping the bounty of what the earth has to give and returning the gift by preserving the land for future generations. They offer you the knowledge of where your food comes from so you can rest assured that it is truly healthy and wholesome.

Situated in the Green-Mountain town of Londonderry, Taylor Farm has been a family farm for the last 20 years and a dairy farm for the last 180. Over the last couple decades, Taylor Farm has diversified their animal stock--50 Jersey and Holstein cows in a free stall barn as well as pigs, fowl, horses, and goats--as well as their available products--including cheeses, maple syrup and jams. Taylor Farm is a wonderfully entertaining farm to visit: Families can enjoy sleigh rides, a farmstand, and educational activities while enjoying the delicious farmstead cheeses such as their award-winning gouda. With hormone-free dairy, rotationally-grazed pastures and naturally fertilized hay fields, Taylor Farm  is a prime example of why sustainable agriculture is the way things should be.

Gary Beal and his mother, Roni, began making Mama's Special Organic Kettle Corn just a few years ago when they decided that Roni's recipes were too good to keep to themselves! Based in Hyde Park in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Gary and Roni make their kettle corn in small batches with the utmost love and care.

Stonewood Farm was founded by Paul and Frances Stone in 1976 on 600 acres in Orwell, VT. Though they also produced four children of their own, Paul and Frances started raising all-natural turkeys in 1987 and have brought Stonewood to be the largest producer of turkeys in Vermont. The farm is now 1,000 acres and also features nearly 100 heifers and hundreds of acres of cropland, tended today by the second generation: Peter Stone along with his wife Siegrid and their 3 kids. Stonewood does not use antibiotics or growth hormones on its animals and has a USDA processing plant onsite for the best-tasting, freshest and healthiest turkeys possible!

Tom Duclos and Lisa Thompson spend their days on their beautiful 75-acre farm in Weybridge, VT. With over 50 antibiotic- and hormone-free pigs as well as lamb, sheep and beef cattle, the farm sells most of its meat to local shops and restaurants and sells the remainder of their meat right on the farm. A natural neighborhood farm in the truest sense, Duclos & Thompson meats are a common local favorite.

With market demand for soy foods steadily increasing, Todd Pinkham (co-owner of Vermont Soy in Hardwick, VT) studied value-added agricultural products at the University of Vermont with food functional scientist Dr. Guo. Dr. Guo, who came to teach at UVM from China, taught Todd how to craft authentic tasting soy foods. These time honored and traditional processing techniques, combined with Todd's passion for premium-quality, fresh, organic, and local ingredients, is the essence of Vermont Soy's product line. Andrew Meyer (also co-owner of Vermont Soy), who grew up on a dairy farm in Hardwick, believes in creating healthy food systems that support local economies and sustainable agriculture. Andrew furthered his passion and dedication to family farms as an undergrad at the University of Vermont, as well as through his work on agricultural policy with U.S. Senator James Jeffords. Old friends with a new vision, Todd and Andrew decided to join forces. They created Vermont Soy in 2007, a business dedicated to buying organic non-GMO beans locally, and processing these beans into healthy, authentic-tasting soy products.

Vermont Coffee Company is a small-town roaster located in Middlebury, Vermont that embraces fair trade relationships throughout our coffee business. Fair trade is a philosophy, not a flavor! They roast certified organic coffees, and have developed a roasting style that creates Big, Bold Coffee! They treat coffee like produce, and want all of their customers to enjoy it fresh. Their motto, “Coffee Roasted for Friends,” is more than a slogan. It’s really their mission, their reason for being in the coffee business. Coffee is a social stimulus that brings people together to share ideas and stories, and when people come together, a community is formed and friends are made.

The Vermont Peanut Butter Company was founded of three parts to create one ultimate mission. The first was to provide a quality, locally made and crafted product that is free of harmful preservatives, hydrogenated oils, GMO's , palm fruit oils, excess sugar and salt. A product that tastes great in the morning, for lunch or a snack anytime of the day. The second part is that of social responsibility and community support. Their social responsibility exists by standing behind healthful and nutritious products, which can make for a healthier life and family well being. This social responsibility also incurs a firm stand in the community through support of important local and national events and continuous donations to charities. The third part was to create fun and deliciousness to a product that is in 9 out of 10 homes. VTPB is a premium nut butter brand with a good old-fashioned, grassroots feel. VTPB grinds, mixes, fills, caps, seals, labels and ships 100% of its products from Waterbury, Vermont. They look forward to growing their Vermont company, creating jobs and providing a fun look and feel to Vermont's next famous food.

Four Pillars Farm was founded by Pete Cousineau in 2009 on 15 acres of rolling (rare) loamy land in the beautiful Champlain Valley in Whiting, VT. His mission is to provide top quality, organic, sustainably grown produce and to provide oportunities for patrons to come and experience the beautiful rolling fields and gain a more intimate knowledge about where and how their food is grown. When he's not tenting at local farmer's markets or tending his fields, Pete currently spends his time building his own farmhouse.

Kristine and Paul Stecker, along with their two children Tyler and Emma, are the owners of Maple Lane Farm in beautiful Cabot, VT. They produce organic milk and beef as well as pork, maple syrup, hay, firewood, and saw lumber on a restored 1910 Chase sawmill. On their 309-acre farm are 4 horses, 46 cows, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 bunny, and the occasional pigs. Their milk, beef, and syrup can be bought right from their farm store or at Vermont Natural Foods Stores and CO-OPs. They are certified organic farmers, and feel strongly that it is a right to be able to eat organically and not a privilege. They raise beautiful beef, which you can enjoy in our rotating entrees, crock pot kits, and in our Butcher Shop!

Steve and Amy Wheeler are both native Vermonters; Steve grew up in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom in Derby and Amy grew up in Pownal, in the opposite end of the state. Steve learned sugaring at an early age by watching his father and grandfather tap trees and boil the sap into syrup. He was put to work at the age of six, carrying firewood into the sugarhouse, and by the time he was in high school he was doing everything from tapping to fixing tubing in the woods to boiling in the sugarhouse--all under the watchful eyes of his father and grandfather. When their son Jed was born Steve and Amy decided to move back home to VT. They found a spot with a few maple trees thinking they would make syrup as a hobby - and in the first spring they made 176 gallons! Since then, the business has grown to include many other maple products, including maple-frosted nuts and their special family recipe for Maple Mudd. They currently work out of a converted barn on their property and continue to expand their offerings using their award-winning syrup. This past winter, they purchased the sugar bush (maple trees) adjoining Steve's parents in Derby. Their plan is to eventually move the sugarhouse there so Jed and Jonah can help in the sugarhouse with Dad and Grandfather.

With a two-year-old son and a daughter on the horizon, Paul and Suzanna left behind their life in New York City and bought a 200-year-old house in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont. Paul brought along his sommelier expertise from the finest restaurants in New York and Suzanna brought her legal background. Not content to spend their free time (of which they had none) and money (of which they had none) on renovating their home, they decided to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure. Paul dreamed of having a burrito business reminiscent of his days in the Mission District in San Francisco, but Suzanna had always longed for a cookie shop. One day Suzanna said, "maybe we should combine our ideas - cookies and burritos." Then one of them (they will forever debate who) suggested selling cookie dough packaged like a burrito and a company was born. Vermont Cookie Love started selling cookies and frozen cookie dough at the Shelburne Farmer's Market in June 2007. By the end of that summer, they had placed their frozen cookie dough in a couple of local stores, and by the end of December 2007, their dough was being sold in 23 stores. In December 2008 they opened The Love Shack, their 1500-square-foot production facility and cookie shop on Route 7 in North Ferrisburgh. With their cookies and frozen cookie dough, Paul and Suzanna offer you a hot-out-of-the-oven cookie love experience. They hope that you will enjoy some of the family togetherness that has made cookie baking so meaningful for them.

 

Weeping Pines Apiary

Pure Vermont Honey & Beeswax – Not a blend from other States or Other Countries
Second generation Beekeeper with over 50 years experience
All Products are Hand Produced in Small Batches by Our Family in Williamstown, Vermont
Except for the sodium hydroxide used to saponify the oils in our soap (which by the way is food grade) – All other ingredients are Natural, Edible Food Items – most are certified organic – the Best Available.
We believe that if it’s not good enough to eat, then it should not be in contact with your skin.
No Use of:  Animal Fats, Alcohol or Petroleum Distillates.
We only Test Products on Ourselves, Family, Friends & Neighbors.