From holding mac-and-cheese challenges with
Vermont's top 20 chefs to putting out newsletters and
being active on Facebook, Vermont Farmstead is doing
whatever it can to bolster the state's dairy industry.
"This year we were able to give a $1,000
scholarship to a student going for an agricultural degree at Vermont Technical College,"
Thygesen says, noting that the college is also
bringing students to its cheesemaking facility for on-site lab work.
Synergy is happening in other ways,
with Vermont Farmstead fostering continuing-education programs for dairy farmers
who want to diversify, producing ice cream
and cheese in addition to high-quality, fluid
milk. "It's not necessarily a matter of growing cow numbers," Thygesen explains, "but
revenue numbers. Cheesemaking is one of
those things where you can add value, but
you also have to learn how to take on the
burden of marketing your product to retail
and wholesale companies."
Increasing opportunities… Vermont
Farmstead's strategy is to double business
every two to three years. "It's important for
us to be smart about our growth," Thygesen
says. In that direction, the company recently
partnered with Castleton Crackers to make
cheese crackers using trimmings of its own
cheese. Whitney Lamy, the Vermont resident who founded Castleton Crackers, is
still in charge of her division and able to
expand development through the advantages
of having a bigger team.
The owners find ways to support the
local community in its efforts. Vermont
Farmstead currently milks 75 cows and also
buys milk from other small farms within
the state. From holding mac-and-cheese
challenges with Vermont's top 20 chefs to
putting out newsletters and being active
on Facebook, Vermont Farmstead is doing
whatever it can to bolster the state's dairy
industry. "We feel very strongly it takes a
community to raise a child," Thygesen says.
"So we want to make sure the community is
part of what we're doing."—J.B.
Julie Besonen is the food editor for Paper
magazine and restaurant columnist for nycgo.com.
Eva Meszaros is the associate editor
of Specialty Food Magazine.
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