May 17, 2019 | Montpelier, VT - Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets (VAAFM), Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the US Commercial Service are participating in the National Restaurant Association Show on Saturday, May 18th to Tuesday, May 21nd in Chicago, Illinois. Along with state officials, seven Vermont craft food and beverage businesses will be participating various activities associated with the trade show:
- 14th Star Brewing Co., St Albans
- Mad River Distillers, Waitsfield
- NPC Processing Inc., Shelburne
- Old Route Two Spirits, Barre
- Olivia’s Croutons, Brandon
- Sugar Bob's Finest Kind, Rutland
- Wild Hart Distillery, Shelburne
Five of these businesses are participating in a Vermont Pavilion, funded in part by the STEP grant, Trade Show Assistance grants, and Food Export Northeast Branded funds. In addition to exhibiting in the Vermont Pavilion, state officials have set up over 20 business-to-business meetings with international buyers for all of the pavilion participants. These meetings are a first step for participants to gather feedback on their product, understand how their product would fare in various international markets, and to begin building relationships with international buyers.
“It is an incredible opportunity to leverage funding and expertise from state and federal agencies to support the growth of the food and beverage sector beyond New England and into international markets. We are excited to see the impacts of this investment and partnership,” said VAAFM Secretary Anson Tebbetts.
Vermont’s food and beverage industry is a thriving contributor to Vermont’s economy and image The beverage industry supports 24 state-of-the-art cider houses, 20+ craft distilleries, 57 world-renowned breweries and 20 small-batch wineries and is recognized globally for its quality and artisanship, receiving numerous awards and attracting thousands of tourists each year to experience and taste the craft beverages of Vermont.
The annual National Restaurant Association Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. The event brings together over 63,000 attendees and visitors from all 50 states and over 100 countries. Over 43,000 foodservice buyers are expected to attend the show to make their purchasing decisions for the year. Exhibiting at the show will enable Vermont businesses to get quality leads, brand awareness, and connections to fill the sales pipeline. This year, over 100 events are scheduled to cover a span of four days and will include networking receptions, education sessions, competitions, conferences, presentations, concerts and performances.
For more information on the National Restaurant Association Show, please visit https://show.restaurant.org/.
For questions please contact:
Lauren Masseria, Senior Market Development Specialist - Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets - (802) 505-5413 | Lauren.Masseria@Vermont.gov