By Katie Spring, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
Three Vermont dairy farms are receiving sales, marketing, and product development support through Healthy Roots Collaborative (HRC), a program of Northwest Regional Planning Commission thanks to the Dairy Business Viability & Technical Assistance Grant.
Funded by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, this grant coordinates technical assistance to benefit multiple dairy producers and with the goal of increasing consumption, sales, and diverse markets for regionally produced dairy products. Christine Porcaro, business advisor at HRC, along with Blair Johnson of Freedom Unity Craft Consulting, are working with Stony Pond Farm, Aires Hill Farm & Creamery, and Villa Villekulla Farm thanks to the grant.
Christine brought her sales and marketing expertise to Villa Villekulla Farm, where owner Lauren Gitlin runs a micro goat dairy making skyr and butter. The two focused on cost of production and price point, as well as opportunities for distribution.
“Christine has helped me drill down into the numbers and what they mean and helped me look at how my business can be more efficient while building toward sustainability and maintaining my values,” Lauren said. The NE-DBIC grant created the first building block in business sustainability with sales and marketing assistance, and it’s also helped Lauren access other resources she's excited to engage with.
“One of the great opportunities born out of this grant has been connecting Lauren to the Center for an Agricultural Economy to enroll in the Vermont Farm Viability program,” Christine said. There she’ll be able to build a more holistic version of her business with her core values.
On top of that, Christine notes, “Knowing there are [NE-DBIC] grants in the future, it helps us look out for funding for equipment and other TA needs. It becomes a great starting point for developing relationships and seeing what other resources can be brought in to make a farm business viable.”
To learn more about upcoming grant projects, visit the NE-DBIC website at agriculture.vermont.gov/dbic. For information related to this specific grant, contact Julia Scheier at julia.scheier@vermont.gov or by phone 8020-522-7042.
Caption: Lauren Gitlin, owner of Villa Villekulla Farm