VT Maple Granola Blog

VT Maple Granola participating in Vermont Specialty Food Wholesale Tradeshows

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:42:07 +0000

We are exhibiting to the wholesale trade this week at shows hosted by our 2 Vermont distributors! Best of Vermont is hosting an Open House all week in the showroom of their headquarters in Rutland. Please contact them for info on attending. Also, Vermont Roots is holding their annual tradeshow on May 2 from 10am-4pm in the Franklin Conference Room at the Howe Center in Rutland. All wholesale buyers & guests are welcome to attend and check out the best Vermont products available!

Find us on the VT Ski Areas Assoc. Specialty Food Tour!

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:31 +0000

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!

Packaging Update: New reclosable inner bags!

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:56:33 +0000

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!

January Sale!

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:52:49 +0000

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!

Happy Holidays!

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:39:40 +0000

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!
Wishing you a merry and bright holiday season,
Beth

Happy Thanksgiving!

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:50:56 +0000

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!

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:54:55 +0000

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!

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:29:47 +0000

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!).
It is the largest and finest quality annual seacoast show with over 100 juried professional artists and craftspeople, so it is well worth checking out if you live anywhere near the area. It is held at the Portsmouth High School (go Clippers!), and really is a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping for quality gifts. You’ll find everything from specialty foods (that’s us, of course- and you will find us in the foyer this year), to pottery, jewelry, handmade Christmas ornaments, handmade soaps and salves, paintings, kids’ clothing, glass art, and more.
At our booth, you’ll find lots of snack size bags of granola & trail mix that are perfect stocking stuffers and additions to gift baskets. We’ll also have our popular “Sampler” Gift Boxes for only $20, and our full line of One-Pound Bags, including our Seasonal Flavor, Cranberry Pumpkin Spice. Hope to see you in Portsmouth!

Sept. 30 is Vermont Specialty Food Day at the Big E!

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:07:21 +0000

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.

We want your input!

admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:49:23 +0000

Friends,
We’re seeking your input on potential changes to our packaging. Since the beginning, we’ve felt it was important to use renewable, plant-based bags for our main product line, the One-Pound bags of granola. With the use of an inner compostable cellophane bag and a corn-based lined unbleached paper bag, we’ve been able to meet this goal while achieving other important performance factors including good shelf life of our product.

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.
These bags are generally more convenient to use, and would help extend the product’s freshness. They also do not create as much waste as most other types of containers. But still, they will not biodegrade. In many areas, municipal trash is incinerated rather than landfilled, so the waste would be eliminated in one respect but as we know, burned trash does create potentially harmful emissions. Fortunately, many municipalities are converting this energy from burning trash to electricity.

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.
As always, we would appreciate your feedback. Do let us know if you have other suggestions, as there are many modern materials available, some greener than others.

Feel free to post your comments here, or email me directly: beth@vermontmaplegranola.com.

Thanks so much!
–Beth Vickers, Owner & Founder