Windham Grows Past & Current Participants
Bordertown Farm
Bordertown Farm LLC, is an organic hemp farm in Southern Vermont dedicated to producing the highest quality CBD products. Established in 2018, Bordertown Farm grows, harvests, prepares for processing, and packages all products on site. A seed to shelf operation in a new and fast-growing industry Bordertown Farm remains rooted in Vermont history while contributing to the future of better health.
Windham Grows program provides direction and support to new businesses in Southern Vermont. We are proud to be part of the family!
Visit us at www.bordertownfarmvt.com and Instagram @bordertownfarm
Chocolate Hollow
Madeleine Siegel, Founder: Born in Miami FL, Madeleine landed in Vermont in 2011, after completing undergraduate studies in math and philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. While soaking in the woodland beauty and getting by with restaurant jobs, she started making chocolate for fun. A long time dairy- avoider and chocolate lover, the challenge to be addressed was clear: is a dreamily delicious dairy free ‘milk’ chocolate possible? The answer is “Yes!” Intrigued and inspired by the alternative trade organizations, Madeleine is working on scaling this innovative business in a way that supports movement towards the collective vision of a more economically just world.
Adam Flores, Manager of Sales: Adam was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, obtaining an undergraduate in in Sociology, having taken particular interest in social psychology, collective behavior, and religion and family studies. After considering a career in research, Adam decided to put his graduate studies on the shelf and explore some alternatives in the lovely Green Mountain State. Here, he met Madeleine Siegel, and the two decided to collaborate in further developing the entity known as Chocolate Hollow, which creates some pretty mind-blowing, creamy-and-velvety, non-dairy chocolate that has a milk-chocolate taste.
Food Connects
Food Connects Food Hub aggregates local food from over 50 farms and value-added producers and delivers to over 100 wholesale customers. Windham Grows is supporting our efforts to launch a significant growth phase aimed at tripling sales and doubling customers over the next three years.
Frabjous Fibers
Frabjous Fibers and Wonderland Yarns started with a cardboard box of yarn under my dining room table. What was once a one-woman show has grown into a 13-strong team of dedicated creatives with a passion for bringing the best and most beautiful products to crafters all over the world. We are excited about the growth potential for our business with the knowledge shared by Windham Grows, and the supportive community we find here in southern Vermont.
Good Body Products
Hi, I’m Chris and this is my partner Trish and we are Good Body Products. We manufacture 100% certified organic, therapeutic body care products using locally sourced ingredients. We are very proud to be part of the first year of Windham Grows.
goodMix
It’s a “goodMix”. These were the words that customers at the Gold Coast health food store, where Jeanie McClymont worked, would hear when they asked for a breakfast mix. Soon the mix was selling well and Jeanies’ partner, personal trainer and muay thai fighter Brad Hull, had encouraged her to set up a stall at the local farmers market. After years of 3 a.m. weekend starts to get to early morning markets and never-ending late nights mixing and bagging ingredients for the next market, goodMix has evolved, into a respected name in the competitive Australian health food industry.
Family and friends naturally eat goodMix every day now, as Jeanies’ brother Andrew did when his girlfriend Rania was offered a university scholarship in Vermont. This was a great opportunity not to be missed. As Rania was packing for the USA Andrew was thinking…what could he do in Vermont.
As goodMix was beginning to flourish in Australia, a seed of thought germinated in Andrews’ imagination. With the idea growing on a daily basis, he thought it was worth taking a risk. He resigned from his career as a helicopter pilot and launched into goodMix, not without some apprehension but armed with the knowledge that if Australians loved it so much, then Americans might like it as well.
After months of market research and working under the strict guidance of the team in Australia, ‘Blend 11’, the Keto friendly original “goodMix” as well as a Paleo version, is now available at select farmers markets in Vermont, many local stores and some New England Whole Foods, as well as online via www.goodmixfoods.com and amazon Prime.
The Green Up Girl
C S Wurzberger, The Green Up Girl® specializes in helping the Next Generation become Youth Socialpreneurs who lead projects that protect our planet, its people, and the animals. Windham Grows is assisting her in reaching more young people in the region who truly want to help make an impact in their world.
Gutsey Bars
Gutsey is a unique snack bar brand that produces low sugar, creamy cashew based protein bars. Gutsey bars were created for those who desire a better alternative from the traditional snack bars that are filled with sugar, bulked up with grains, gluten and other mystery ingredients. Our bars contain only good fats and organic ingredients. No GMO’s, no grains, no gluten and no added sugars. The bar recipes are sinfully delicious, nutrient-dense and downright crave-able. All this goodness is packed into New England themed packaging that draws us back to our roots and reminds us that WE CAN get there from here – we just have to make the right choices along the way!
In Season Food Shop
Shane Clyburn is co-founder of In Season Food Shop in Somerville, MA, and a long-time advocate for a fairer and more just food system. He currently serves as Chair of Slow Food Boston and a member of the Union Square Neighborhood Council. In 2018, he worked as market manager at the Copley Square Farmers Market in Boston, where he learned firsthand about the challenges faced by local farmers and food makers in reaching a broad audience for their products. He and his partner, Bobby MacLean, created In Season to provide shelf space for local foods, and a convenient place for residents to access those products.
Integrative Permaculture
Integrative Permaculture (IPC) LLC is a mission-driven venture developing new planet-friendly food and agricultural enterprises in the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York by providing timely access to underutilized assets, resources, expertise, and by working with existing partner enterprises. IPC envisions the development of these assets and enterprises for greater capital value and profitability, as well as high impact contribution to planetary and personal well being. Windham Grows is supporting our team through the process of distilling and synthesizing our project as a whole. This includes communications strategy, business modeling, and greater clarity of timelines and project goals.
MOCO
We’re two Moms with an organic, made in Vermont food story worth sharing. Dodi and I love to eat healthy, stay fit yet we still enjoy our treats. After many entertaining discussions around “cooking something up” and realizing we never found a decent cup of hot chocolate over the years of skiing, we decided that needed to change! So, we took the all-time favorite to a whole new level. Our blend is not only chock full of vitamins and minerals, it’s huge on flavor even with less sugar. We’ve transformed everyone’s childhood favorite into a healthy, clean drink. It’s chocolate, with benefits. We are excited to join the Windham Grows program and look forward to providing a healthier option to a larger population with MOCO.
Mola Foods
Meet Jeannette Bryant founder of Mola Foods, who is changing your fear of African cuisine. She offers spice blends and chili relishes inspired by exotic locations and exciting cooking styles like Morocco, Ethiopia, India and more. “I hope to create awareness about a revolutionary way of adding spices into cooking and bringing life to dishes,” Bryant said. Prior to launching Mola Foods, she was the Medical Coding Coordinator at North Shore Community College. Ms. Bryant was Chief Executive Officer of Kids Be Aware, Inc. of Woburn, MA., a venture that teaches children and parents how to prevent or manage infectious and chronic diseases. She was the Health Claims Program Director of the Salter School of Malden, MA. Ms. Bryant holds a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Healthcare Management from Belleview University in Belleview, IN and a Master of Sciences Degree in Public Health from Walden University in Minneapolis, MN. She also has two years of Education in Business and international trade from ISTIC, Paris. Ms. Bryant Cameroonian heritage equipped her to create a unique brand full of African and international heritage. Her main purpose is to introduce the flavors of culture and cuisine to the next generation by making Mola Foods the new kitchen staple.
Morrill Mountain Fruit Farm
At Morrill Mountain Fruit Farm, Nanarella serves up truly scrumptious bites of Fruit Paté, made from the pure goodness of our own farm grown, hand-picked berries to bring you The Taste of Summer Any Season. Proceeds from sales are distributed through the DSC, Jr Foundation to foster the fun of learning and creative problem-solving. Windham Grows is facilitating our Foundation’s goals by assisting Nanarella develop effective entrepreneurial skills. Thanks Windham Grows!
New Ground Creative
New Ground Creative is a spunky team of creatives. We work with mission-driven organizations and businesses with heart to build their brands through engaging design, dynamic campaigns and authentic messaging. Your brand is your identity and helping you develop, unify and increase awareness of it is what we do, beautifully. Branding, marketing, design are all connected. Working with Windham Grows has helped NGC build up our branding, design, and marketing capabilities for targeted business sectors such as food and agriculture. We are gleaning leadership skills and insight from professionals in the field.
The Porch Too
I am Gretchen Hardy who co-founded the PORCH TOO by Hardy Foard Catering in 2010 with Bo Foard. We operate a breakfast and lunch cafe and full-service catering company focusing on ‘from scratch’ cooking and local products.
Operating the day-to-day operation has taken all of my focus for the past 7 years, and now that I am working with Windham Grows I am willingly forced to work on my business model with some true professionals, it is a real privilege to be a part of this program.
Putney Mountain Winery
Founded in 1998 by Kate and Charles Dodge, Putney Mountain Winery makes award-wining artisanal wines, liqueurs and sparkling cider. Twenty years later we still make our beverages from the bounty of produce grown on local and regional family farms of this region. Our wines have been described in the press as “extraordinary,” “love at first taste,” and even “an intensely remarkable treasure”. Windham Grows has helped us develop a business plan for future distribution.
Restless Rooster
The Restless Rooster is a Cuban American family owned breakfast and coffeehouse Brattleboro, Vermont. We opened in summer of 2015, we are proud to be using Vermont ingredients
Sugar Bobs Finest Kind
Sugar Bobs Finest Kind: SBFK, Inc. is a specialty food manufacturer, focusing on maple specialties including Smoked Maple Syrup and Vermont Maple Sriracha. We have a small but fast-growing company and the resources offered through the Windham Grows have been priceless. Each lesson learned in the classroom is one we don’t have to learn (and pay for) on the fly!
SuperFresh Organic Cafe
Awarded “Best Vegetarian Cuisine” by Yankee Magazine in 2017, Superfresh! Organic Café is an organic plant-based restaurant based in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont. Superfresh! provides high quality seasonal, organic plant-based cuisine with the vast majority of the menu made from scratch. Offerings range from unique elixirs, coffee, juice, smoothies, snacks, raw and baked desserts, raw foods, brunch, lunch, and dinner items. Every ingredient meets our standards of 100% non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, egg-free, vegetarian. We source from local and regional farms whenever possible and work closely with all of our vendors to know where each ingredient is coming from, always searching for the best source possible.
Working with Windham Grows has been a wonderful opportunity to strengthen my support network with like-minded businesses and great advisors, enhance my skill set with in depth professional trainings, and set aside valuable dedicated time to focus on the longer term, big picture growth of my business.
Sweet Basil
Sweet Basil – Deliciously Prepared Greek Meals. Not only has Windham Grows provided access to great business development programs, they have also helped me make valuable business connections.
Tavernier Chocolates
Tavernier Chocolates: John and Dar Tavernier-Singer create handmade earthy, elegant chocolates in small batches in a 1910 brick mill building in Brattleboro, Vermont. Sourcing chocolate couverture from fairly traded makers and using single-origin chocolates or blends from specific regions, they often pair these with Vermont grown, foraged and crafted ingredients to create fresh, delicious and exciting recipes.
True North Granola
From educators to entrepreneurs: After having worked for more than 4 decades as educators, the Chrisco’s founded True North Granola, beginning with the crazy idea they could make a better granola product. Their products meet a wide variety of nutritional and lifestyle needs, and are described by customers as authentic, made with integrity, fresh and crunchy, and never too sweet. Their customers often share that when they eat this granola, it makes them happy.
Venetian Beverages
Venetian Beverages is a premium brand committed to creating craft beverages made with all-natural ingredients that are packaged and marketed with a high-touch experience. We’re looking to work with Windham Grows to help build a solid business plan and pitch to support our brand’s growth.
Vermont Chevon
Vermont Chevon is bringing this delectable, healthy source of protein to American tables. We have built a network of Vermont’s dairy goat farms supplying us with high quality livestock that yield a quality product for chefs, butchers, and consumers at a scale not otherwise possible. We are working with Windham Grows to help us more completely actualize our marketing outreach, thereby growth and potential partners/investors.
Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery
David Hiler; Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery and Kampfires Campground and Resort: I’m very pleased to have the opportunity be a part of the inaugural session of Windham Grows. This program has provided us with the resources, consulting and support we need as a small business to continue to provide delicious experimental craft beers and inspired pub fare in an sometimes scary and complex business climate here in Vermont.
Wild Hart Distillery
Craig Stevens is the founder and owner of Wild Hart Distillery based in Shelburne, Vermont. Craig’s obsession with to do lists and inability to sit still have proven to be a good fit for the type of complex tasks of opening a distillery and developing recipes for spirits. When he isn’t fidgeting at the distillery he can be found at the gym, rummaging for up-cycling projects, or dragging his family (and dog) around Vermont to bike, hike, kayak, and swim.
Started in 2015, Wild Hart creates artisan spirits by modernizing traditional recipes and using time-honored distillation methods resulting in spirits with crisp floral flavors and enough botanical presence to stand up to mixing. Our seasonal spirits speak to our innovative nature – collaborating with regional partners to bring products such as fruits, maple syrup, and wines together to create deliciously unique spirits.
Z Wraps
At Z Wraps, it’s our passion to make sustainability beautiful, by making reusable food wraps in our signature designs. Myself and my husband Steve started Z Wraps to offer people an alternative to plastic wrap and zip lock bags, and the response has been phenomenal. With our growing need to scale, we are thrilled to be working with Windham Grows to take us to the next necessary level of production. The idea of making a softer, more pliable, reusable plastic free food wrap started in April 2017, and we sold our first Z wrap 6 months later. We are now in over 90 stores in New England. Working with Windham Grows and their partners in this next stage we could be ready to grow to 500, here we go!