Vermont Fresh Network 2020 Annual Report About Us
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Vermont Fresh Network 2020 Annual Report About Us The Vermont Fresh Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1996 with the mission of advancing relationships among farmers, chefs, and consumers to grow markets and eat more locally grown food. The Vermont Fresh Network (VFN) is dedicated to fostering a flourishing local food system for the benefit of our environment, our communities, our health, and the overall strength of the rural economy. We approach this work through connections between farmers and chefs. Chefs and other culinary professionals play a key role in shaping our daily food lives and they present unique market opportunities for Vermont food producers. We are the primary statewide organization representing this perspective in local food work. We are a membership-based organization. We offer programs for Partner Members, businesses that meet our local food purchasing requirements, and Supporting Members, any businesses or individuals interested in our mission. In complement to our membership-based benefits, we also offer consumer education, and professional development programs throughout the year that are open to everyone. Staff: Tara Pereira Zea Luce Amelia Norris Executive Director Membership & Project Manager Program & Outreach Coordinator Board: Doug Paine, President Jed Davis, Vice President Jake Claro, Treasurer Hotel Vermont & The Farmhouse Group Vermont Farm-to-Plate Bleu Northeast Kitchen Annie Rowell, Secretary Joe Buley Cara Tobin Vermont First / Sodexo Joe's Kitchen Honey Road at Screamin' Ridge Farm Ryan Chaffin John Mandeville Eric Warnstedt Farrell Distributing Lamoille Economic Hen of the Wood, Doc Ponds, Development Corporation Prohibition Pig Silas Doyle-Burr Susan Reid Lyndon Virkler Last Resort Farm King Arthur Baking Co. New England Culinary Institute Highlights from 2020 A Resilient Member Network The Vermont Fresh Network (VFN) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021 and our network of members, partners, and community remains stronger than ever. This past year challenged all of us, and reinforced the importance of local food relationships and creativity. We welcomed 14 new members and worked hard to support our 291 members through the pandemic. When the statewide shutdown occurred in March 2020, VFN staff jumped into action gathering lists of restaurants across the state offering takeout & curbside pickup and farms with local offerings. We continued targeted member promotional support throughout the year. The Great Vermont Picnic In August, we invited Vermonters across the state to celebrate the farmer-chef connection with Vermont Fresh Network’s “The Great Vermont Picnic.” This month- long promotional picnic event was our creative alternative to what would have been our 24th Annual Forum Dinner, showcasing our members. The public planned their picnics with takeout offerings from our chefs & members and searched via DigInVT.com and Seven Days' “Good To-Go” directory of hundreds of additional Vermont restaurants. Seven Days and Front Porch Forum sponsored this campaign. DigInVT.com & Vermont Agritourism DigInVT.com continues to be one of the largest collaborative food and farm tourism marketing platforms in the country and has grown this year to list over 600 food & farm businesses. The DigInVT partnership enables us to work with 10 statewide producer organizations. In 2020, we added a new virtual events category, as well as the new Vermont Farm Trail project. As part of our work, we continue to co-chair the Farm to Plate agritourism statewide task force. In December 2019, VFN was awarded a three year federal grant to build on our successful efforts with DigInVT and strengthen Vermont’s agritourism sector. Cultivating the Chef-Farmer Connection We continued our mission of advancing relationships among farmers and chefs through sector-focused projects. VFN is partnering with the Vermont Grass Farmers Association on a grant to increase the competitiveness of Vermont pasture-raised beef by facilitating connections, communication, and camaraderie among food system stakeholders. VFN and culinary members co-authored a restaurant market channel brief for the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan 2021-2030. We are serving as VFN member advocate during statewide partner meetings and weekly calls for the Vermont Everyone Eats advisory board. Celebrating 6 years of Vermont Open Farm Week VFN leads and manages this week-long event through the DigInVT platform with a committee of statewide local food and farm partners. In 2020, Open Farm Week focused on events appropriate for pandemic-related guidelines: self-guided tours or one group/family at a time, on-farm picnics, farm trails, virtual/online events, social media participation (i.e. posting a farm pic of the day), and other creative activities. Other Special Projects In the fall of 2020, VFN received funding from Vermont Breakfast on the Farm for a dairy-focused project that integrated educational dairy content with the first ever Vermont Hot Chocolate Week (February 2021). We also participated in the Maple 100 pilot project, spearheaded by Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, engaging restaurant members and the public to think outside the box when it comes to maple. As part of this work, we added a sweet Maple Creemee Trail to DigInVT! Vermont Farm Trails VFN is a project partner in the Farm Walk Trail Network, an initiative of food, farming, and agritourism organizations to create a directory of walking trails on farms across VERMONT Vermont. These trails offer Vermonters a healthy and safe place to be outside, engage Farm Trails with the working landscape, and get to know their agricultural neighbors. Hosted on DigInVT.com DigInVT, these trails are on or adjacent to working farms or conserved historic agricultural land. The concept was so popular over the summer, that we were able to expand and add a Winter Farm Trail version thanks to a UVM grant. Seasonal Promotions & Mail Order Gift Guide In 2020, we expanded our annual Local Turkey Finder to a Holiday Meal Guide featuring farms and markets. Vermonters could locate ingredients for a truly Vermont-grown meal. We also published a list of the VFN member restaurants & inns serving delicious holiday meals prepared with Vermont ingredients for dine-in or takeout. Additionally, we received grant funding from UVM to develop a DigInVT holiday gift guide to promote mail order sales for local Vermont products and restaurant gift certificates. Member Professional Development We partnered with UVM Extension on a webinar series to help Vermont’s farm and food system build resiliency and support safety during the pandemic. Topics included direct sales, e-commerce, agritourism, virtual events, and pick-your-own guidance. Also, UVM Extension and DigInVT staff published a best practices guide to help agritourism businesses navigate COVID-19 regulations. Financial Report 2020 Notes for 2020: Income = $103,866 Other Donations A goal at the start of 2020 was to stabilize our 3.7 % Fee for financials and continue to refine our current Service 2.4 % programs. As the pandemic hit in late March 2020, Sponsorships reduced staff capacity and the realities of the crisis, Membership 1.7 % Events forced us to re-evaluate and adapt our work plan. For most of 2020 we put a priority on supporting member Other Grants businesses, as well looking for additional financial support through grants and fundraising. Directly related to the COVID pandemic and the Government Grants state-mandated event cancellations, there was a major drop in event-based fundraising and sponsorships with cancellation of the 24th Annual Forum Dinner fundraiser. The funding shift in 2020 manifested itself in a couple Expense = $115,272 of ways. In 2019 sponsors/sponsorships accounted for close to 40% of funding; in 2020, that dropped to Admin. approximately 3%. Grants in 2019 accounted for 12.1% approximately 12%, while in 2020 that flipped to close to 54%. (That 54% also included a number of Programs one-time-only COVID related grants and projects.) 16.9% The VFN board has approved a balanced budget for 2021 that is very conservative in its spending plans, Program Staff 71% giving VFN staff time to focus on getting the best results from current projects and programs, while also working with partners to explore new funding channels through local food marketing and agritourism. The Vermont Fresh Network ended 2020 with more than 4 months operating expenses in reserves (the recommended reserves level for nonprofits is 3-6 months). Major Sponsors & Funders 2019-2020 Affiliate Partners: Black River Produce • Burlington Free Press • Farrell Distributing • Foley Services • Hotel Vermont • Vermont First 2020 Annual Meeting Sponsors: American Flatbread - Lareau Farm • Cabot Creamery Co- operative • Front Porch Forum • Joe's Kitchen at Screamin' Ridge Farm • Karim Farm & Creamery • King Arthur Baking Co • Mad River Taste Place • Red Hen Baking Co. • Stowe Cider • The Inn at the Round Barn 2020 Fundraising Sponsors: Boston Post Dairy • Champlain Valley Apiaries • City Market • Eden Specialty Ciders • Fat Toad Farm • Jasper Hill Cheese • Mad River Taste Place • Shelburne Vineyards • SILO Distillery 2020 Media Sponsors: Front Porch Forum • Seven Days Vermont Other Grantmakers: Champlain Valley Heritage Basin Program • Specialty Crop Block Grant Program • Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets • USDA • UVM Extension • Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development • Vermont Breakfast on the Farm Supporting Members & Individual