Producer Spotlight

Ahlbin's Fire Cider (Greenfield, MA), founded by Kara Peters, began as a home remedy crafted in her kitchen with ingredients from her garden. Transitioning to a commercial venture in 2022, Ahlbin's Fire Cider specializes in producing a delicious Fire Cider (an apple cider vinegar infused with regionally sourced raw honey, organic jalapeno, organic turmeric, and organic ginger).

Here in the Hub, we’re HUGE fans of Ahlbin’s Fire Cider, especially as temperatures dip and cold season begins. As one Hub member has said, “It's like wearing a winter coat on the inside”.

Find Ahlbin’s Fire Cider in the Hub.

December Promotions:

Sherpa Foods (Burlington, VT) brings the flavors of the Himalayas to Vermont, we’re talking traditional Nepalese Sauces, Fried Rice, and Chow Mein. Sherpa Foods has been expanding rapidly in popularity with nationwide distribution and a cafe Himalayan D'Lite. Try them out; your customers will thank you.

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Free Verse Farm & Apothecary (Chelsea, VT) is a small certified organic farm & apothecary in the hills of Vermont offering farm-grown & handcrafted products including culinary herbs, lip balm, and tea. Perfect gifting for this holiday season!

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Trenchers Farmhouse (Lyndonville, VT) Looking for dinner inspiration? Look no further than Trencher’s Fresh Pasta! Blending their Italian family recipes with modern fine dining techniques, these fresh pastas are created with love and respect, as well as sustainable, nutritious VT farm-grown ingredients you can feel good about!

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Side Hill Cider Mill (Vershire, VT) This hard-to-find Apple Balsamic Vinegar is made from dozens of organic apple varieties. There are no other added sugars or colorants. Before bottling, the vinegar is aged and mellowed for over a year. Time and handmade barrels with five different woods contribute to it’s fine flavor.

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New Products:

Free Verse Farm & Apothecary (Chelsea, VT) Garlic Powder

Have you HAD freshly ground Garlic? Try this for an inspirational depth of flavor and a spicy kick of heat to your favorite recipes. Made with their own farm-grown garlic, this ingredient will make any meal extra savory.

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Snow's Ice Cream (Greenfield, MA) Ice Cream Snowich

In New England, we don't let things like 'freezing cold winters' stop us from enjoying ice cream. So we're thrilled to add this treat to our Snow's Ice Cream inventory. The Snowich is made of two chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream filling.

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Food Hub News:

We don’t claim to have written the book on Food Safety - but, Food Connects Food Hub director and Vermont Law School Alumni McKenna Hayes certainly played an important part in the creation of “The Food Hub Safety Compliance Guide”.

Created as a collaboration with the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School, the guide addresses the unique challenges food hubs face with food safety laws and regulations, offering a roadmap to understanding and navigating the complexities of food safety compliance.

As a co-founder of four regional Food Hub Networks, including the VT Food Hub Collaborative, NH Food Hub Network (w/NH Food Alliance), New England Food Hub & Processors Network, and the Eastern Food Hub Collaborative (w/Local Food Hub), we’re proud to contribute this new resource aimed at keeping regional food hubs ahead of the curve in food safety compliance.

Click here to access the full guide.

We’ve been named a 2023 New England Food Vision Prize winner!

Food Connects, in partnership with Bennington College, White River Valley Supervisory Union, and Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, was awarded $199,788 to expand our values-driven food hub efforts that provide VT, W. MA, and So. NH’s educational institutions with access to source-identified New England regional foods. Funding will help increase sales capacity, onboard additional products through new and existing supply chains, and achieve approved vendor status with food service management companies.

Other winners include our friends at Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN) and Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

Learn more here.

Call for Content!

We are always looking for ways to highlight our vendors and customers. Do you have new products, business updates, or other news you'd like Food Connects to share with our Food Hub community? Let us know by sending an email to marketing@foodconnects.org.