Ski areas throughout Vermont are hosting Vermont specialty food companies on various dates this season to give us an opportunity to share our products with their customers! At each of these events, several VT companies will be offering free samples as well as products for sale. This Saturday, Feb. 11, Bromley Mountain (just up the road from us) will be the featured stop on the tour, with folks from Green’s Maple (a maple producer from Poultney), VT Peanut Butter, Liz Lovely, Battenkill Brittle, Vermont Natural Foods, YeeYees, and us! You’ll also find samples of Cabot Cheese, Westminster Crackers, and Green Mountain Coffee. We hear the conditions are actually pretty good on the mountain, so if you head to the mountain please check us out!
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February 8, 2012
Find us on the VT Ski Areas Assoc. Specialty Food Tour!
Packaging Update: New reclosable inner bags! We are pleased to inform our customers that we have begun packaging our 1-pound bags of granola using reclosable plastic bags, instead of the natural cellophane that was causing so many packaging malfunctions. In many cases, the cellophane bags were splitting due to the weight of the product, or the handling and transport of the bags, which caused many unfortunate spills of granola when the packages were opened. We sincerely apologize for the major inconveniece this caused to many customers. Our goal has been to use “green” materials for our packaging, but despite trying different manufacturers and stronger compostable cellophane films, this product just didn’t perform as needed. So, we will continue to use our signature brown paper window bags, but inside you’ll find a stand-up plastic bag with a reclosable zip-top that will be much easier to use and will not split open. Hooray!
Take 15% off your online order with coupon code: “JANSALE15%” AND we’ll add a free 4oz Snack Bag of our seasonal flavor, Cranberry Pumpkin Spice!
Visit our Facebook page for a coupon code good for 20% off your online order! “Like” us and receive a free snack bag of granola with any order!
We hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday shared with family & friends, filled with laughter, love & delicious feasts! We will be traveling to share the holiday with our family, so we won’t be available to fill orders until next Monday, Nov. 28th. Feel free to place an order on the website for shipment next week or closer to the Christmas Holiday. Peace and safe travels to all. –Beth
Nov. 20 Visit us at the 21st Annual Greenland, NH Pie Festival & Craft Fair! This Sunday, we will be selling at the craft fair at Greenland Central School (the school I attended while growing up!). This is an excellent quality fair that is held in conjunction with the pie festival organized by the Greenland Women’s Club. Every year, over 500 pies are prepared and sold within about 2 hours, so you must get there early if you’re planning to pick up pies for your Thanksgiving feast! Over the years, a fantastic craft fair has developed, so if you’re in the area, check it out. No admission fee.
Nov.5th -Shop at the 12th Annual Seacoast Artisans Fine Arts & Crafts Holiday Show in Portsmouth NH! The Seacoast Artisans Fine Arts & Crafts Holiday Show is being held this year on Saturday. Nov. 5 from 10-4pm, and this will be our 4th year selling granola at the show. This is a family affair for us, as I am originally from Portsmouth and the fair is organized and run by my aunt and uncle (and therefore, my cousins, siblings, and anyone else they can enlist, because it is a lot of work!).
Sept. 30 is Vermont Specialty Food Day at the Big E! This Friday, September 30, we will be participating in Vermont Specialty Food Day at the Eastern States Exposition (the “Big E”) in West Springfield, Mass. Along with several other Vermont specialty food companies, we will have a booth set up outside the Vermont Building and will be offering samples and info about our products. We will also have plenty of granola & trail mix for sale, including special Fall Seasonal flavors! Come over and see us if you’re in the area – We’d love to meet you.
Friends, However, we did have a problem with the inner cellophane bags breaking along the seams and being difficult to open without spilling the product. A few months ago, we were able to find a stronger cellophane that has resolved those problems and is a home-compostable product. There are some other drawbacks to this type of packaging that decrease the ease of use by the consumer, such as the package not being easily resealable and not having as good a barrier to oxygen and moisture compared to a plastic laminate-type resealable pouch. As we evaluate these pros and cons, we’re seeking input from our customers to help us decide whether to continue using similar packaging materials, or if we should switch to reclosable stand-up pouches. While plastic laminated bags are not recyclable, they can be re-used, and we would consider a program of inviting customers to send us back their used bags for discounted refills of the same product. We have selected a product that we may switch to based on customer feedback, that is a rice paper based resealable plastic laminated stand-up pouch. This bag would eliminate the need for an inner cellophane bag, and would perform quite well in a number of ways. We are also considering a “biodegradable” plastic pouch, however these may increase cost and should not be confused with truly “compostable” products. Feel free to post your comments here, or email me directly: beth@vermontmaplegranola.com. Thanks so much!
Our thoughts are with all the families affected by the flooding All over Vermont, there are areas and families that were severely impacted by the recent flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. We are grateful that our business and homes were not affected, but there are many places and people very nearby us that were not as fortunate. Our thoughts are with everyone as they try to pick up the pieces this week, including all those affected in other states. It is truly humbling when we experience the power that nature has to undo so many of our human designs- roads, bridges, utility lines, farms that were washed away. It is clear we will be feeling the effects of this natural disaster for a long time.
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