A $10,000 loan from the VFF will allow Jim Thurston to expand his sugaring operation in Hancock, VT, building a new sugar house and installing new piping and lines.
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At the end of October 2017, a strong wind storm swept through Vermont causing downed trees, power lines, and a variety of damage. At Bread and Butter Farm in Shelburne, the covers on two high tunnels were damaged, and a small propagation greenhouse was completely destroyed.
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Butterfly Bakery of Vermont applied to the Vermont Farm Fund for a loan to expand its hot sauce line to include specialty craft beer hot sauces created in partnership with local Vermont breweries. She purchases peppers exclusively from Vermont farmers (and is the #1 purchaser of VT grown peppers) and uses many other locally sourced ingredients as well in her products.
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Pigasus Meats is a diversified livestock operation in South Hero, VT raising pork and eggs. A Business Builder loan from the VFF helped Pigasus build out infrastructure for their new flock of 2,000 layer hens.
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lu.lu artisan ice cream is a small batch, hand-crafted ice cream business founded in Bristol in 2012 with a "farm to spoon" mission. A Business Builder loan from the VFF allowed lu.lu to purchase a blast freezer. This equipment allows them to freeze the ice cream product to -30 degrees in 3-4 hours.
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Ansel Ploog and Justin Cote founded Flywheel Farm LLC in Woodbury in 2013 with the goal to create a farm that primarily serves local wholesale and regional markets on limited acreage. Their VFF loan will allow them to purchase transplanters, a larger cistern, and build a small office cabin on the farm.
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Calderwood Goat Dairy milks Alpine and Saanen goats, two of the top milking breeds. They came to the Vermont Farm Fund for a Business Builder Loan to build a 40'x104’ coverall barn to be able to expand up to 200 milking head.
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Good Heart Farmstead is a certified organic vegetable and herb farm in Worcester, VT owned by husband and wife, Edge Fuentes and Kate Spring. They grow about 40 different crops and market their produce mainly through a CSA, and also sell salad greens to Montpelier restaurants. A $5,000 Business Builder Loan from the VFF allowed them to purchase a Paper Pot transplanter and expand their current irrigation system.
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Vermont Cranberry Company grows and processes cranberries for fresh market sales. They also press 100% cranberry juice, and provide wholesale cranberries for wine, cider and beverage producers. A Business Builder Loan from the Vermont Farm Fund allowed VCC to add berry transfer decks, a berry splitter, pumps and a higher capacity filler to their processing facilities.
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A Drop of Joy works directly with local farmers and Vermont-based companies to produce custom juices and condiments from local fruits and vegetables. A $10k Business Builder loan allowed them to upgrade their juicing and mixing equipment.
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Cara and Jeremiah turned to the VFF for a $15k Business Builder loan to purchase some efficiency-gaining small equipment and continue work on their farmstand. The Tyrells will use their loan to get their farmstand buttoned up with a concrete floor, insulation, 4-season heat, and a sliding door cooler.
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Still caught in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene five years hence, Lisa Kaiman of Jersey Girls Dairy applied to the VFF for a second $10,000 Emergency Loan. This time the loan helped to complete the approved river embankment repairs to stem the continual loss of land from the initial storm.
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The Butterfield brothers turned to the VFF for a $20k Business Builder Loan to startup a yogurt-making operation after researching value-added options for their 50-head dairy. David and Christopher are enthusiastic about selling their new cream-on-top yogurt to local grocers.
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With the help of a $10k Business Builder Loan from the Vermont Farm Fund, Dave Hartshorn opened his roadside sugar house with upgraded production equipment and stepped-up promotion. The sugar house will help Hartshorn’s improve its bottom line with increased direct-to-consumer maple syrup sales, including tasty maple confections.
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Tangletown Farm is a repeat VFF borrower. Their Business Builder loan will help them increase their flock of layers, improve their management of the birds and even make the retired gals available as ground pet food. Yes, pets can eat local too!
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Included in the first round lending for Tropical Storm Irene recovery, KBMG was the first borrower to pay back their loan in full. A $30k Business Builder Loan is now helping Aaron Locker make his recently purchased farm more efficient and profitable with new equipment and construction.
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Ashley and Erin Farr have a philosophy of working smarter on their Richmond, VT dairy farm. A $30k VFF business builder loan enabled them to build out their infrastructure, including low-heat pasteurization, milk bottling and gelato making equipment.
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An organic, grass-based dairy, Kiss the Cow Farm wanted to move from selling raw milk off the farm to making ice cream from their lightly pasteurized milk. A $15k Business Builder Loan went toward the purchase of pasteurization and ice cream making equipment, helping the Robars jumpstart their frozen treat business.
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Beth and Bruce were far along rebuilding their barn after a fire burnt it to the ground in 2014. They contacted the VFF for a $30k Business Builder Loan to help them upgrade their poultry processing, cooling and freezing equipment, a marked improvement over their previous facilities.
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Adam and Christine faced a choice, either expand the land of their diversified, organic family farm, or scale down and farm more intensively. They chose the latter and sought a Business Builder Loan to help them to transition to a more efficient, no-till permanent raised bed system.
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