Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN)

I live in Addison County, VT and am an independent consultant working with farmers, food producers and retailers on operational efficiency and marketing. For several years I have been involved in the Independent Retail Grocers Project with VT Farm to Plate. The work includes research on local food sold at VT stores, on-site merchandising and the Take 5 online retail training series geared to operations that increase local foods sales and a monthly email directed to coops and independent stores goes out to retail grocers and technical advisers. The monthly Small Bites news focuses on tips, trends and highlights from Vermont retailers showcasing B2B insights and good retail practices supporting Rooted in Vermont local food sourcing. Find the sign up for the tips and other tools for retailers at the Farm to Plate: http://www.vtfarmtoplate.com/features/take-5-retail-training#.W-sJstVKjIU I organize ACORN'S Producer Buyer Forums, where B2B and peer to peer networking takes place promoting the production and sale of VT products to the regional market. Find out more at ACORNvt.org Additionally, through Health Care Without Harm I have tracked local and sustainable food purchases at hospitals in Vermont and coaching and mentoring to shift purchases. Through my work with ACORN, I support the effort for relocalizing the Addison County farm and food economy. My background includes apprenticing at the USCS Apprenticeship aka CASFS. This led me to working as a wholesale grower, retail produce buyer and as a distribution sales rep focused on sales to institutions and retailers. Besides all the fresh produce and work as an advocate for local foods, I have worked breeding goats for Heifer International. For 3 season fun, I am an avid ornamental gardener.

Lindsey spent seven years in marketing, advertising and PR in the private sector, and in 2011 escaped the cubicles of New York City to found herself nestled in the vines of Mendoza’s wine country as a harvest intern. What was meant to be a five month hiatus became a four year journey around Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. A life-changing role at a Peruvian disaster relief organization convinced Lindsey to continue working in the non-profit sector, and a few stints with a Guatemalan coffee cooperative, an Australian organic farm and various WWOOFing properties, locked her into the good food movement for good. Lindsey and her partner Matthew founded a food education tourism project, Origins of Food, that reconnects people with where food comes from.

I have farmed with my family since 1974 and am about to enter a new farming phase with my youngest daughter. We area currently exploring farm enterprise options and focusing on farm to plate as the overarching idea

Golden Well Farm & Apiaries is located in New Haven Vermont, just a few miles North of the town of Middlebury. We are part of a larger 175 acre farm, though we are only farming about 2 acres of it mostly for veggie production. We never use chemicals and are currently trying adapt more permaculture and bio-intensive practices. In addition to veggies we also keep bees, and grow flowers and forage for our bees. We offer CSA shares, sell at farmer's markets and to local restaurants and donate to the local food shelf. http://goldenwellapiaries.com/