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Annual Meeting 2020

VFN 2020 Annual Invite Header 1

The 24th Vermont Fresh Network Annual Meeting

Tuesday, January 28th, 10:00 - 4:00, The Inn at the Round Barn, Waitsfield

Networking - Panels - Discussions

Our Annual Meeting on January 28th, was quite a day. The Inn at the Round Barn was lovely and attendees enjoyed networking with old friends and new acquaintances.  2020 is going to be quite the busy year for VFN. 

Here's the Meeting Agenda

 

Thank you to the moderators, panelists, and everyone who joined us for the 2020 Vermont Fresh Network Annual Meeting! We especially want to thank the The Inn at the Round Barn Farm for hosting us and Joe's Kitchen, American Flatbread - Lareau Farm, Cabot Creamery Co-operative, The Inn at the Round Barn Farm, Karim Farm & Creamery, King Arthur Flour Bakery and Cafe, Stowe Cider, and Red Hen Baking Co. for providing lunch and sweet treats for the day. And thank you to Mad River Taste Place for hosting our after party.

We also want to thank our Affiliate Partners, Burlington Free Press, Black River Produce, Farrell Distributing, Foley Services, Hotel Vermont, and Vermont First, and our Annual Meeting business sponsor, Front Porch Forum.

Organizational Business

2019 Overview

 

  • Our Annual Forum Dinner continues to draw high participation  - Between the number of VFN Partner Members showcasing their food, and by the number of attendees from the public, we were completely full on both counts. For ticket sales, this is the second year in a row where we’ve adjusted our marketing calendar because we sold out 2- 3 weeks before we expected to. Our silent auction was quite successful this year and we saw a 40% increase in funds raised compared to 2018.

  • Collaborative Projects and the growth of DigInVT.com - We are happy to see the consistent growth of DigInVT after our relaunch in 2018.  Whether it be our work on the International Tasting Trail, Vermont Open Farm Week or the new DigInVT trails that we have developed with partner organizations - we continue to look for collaborative marketing projects.

  • Over the last few years, Vermont Fresh Network has invested substantially in new marketing-focused programs, new staff to run these programs and website infrastructure with VFN's B2B directory and DigInVT's 2018 redesign. A goal at the start of 2019 was to stabilize our yearly financials, and work towards sustainable funding for these programs. Our current operating reserves are within bounds for the recommended levels of cash on hand. In 2020, we will have/work towards a balanced budget and focus on making the most of the projects we have in place, while also supporting new projects with grant funding.

  • Also looking ahead, 2020 is our 24th year, as we look towards our 25th anniversary. We’d like to hear from you. What would you like to see for VFN in 2021? Email us.

Heading into 2020, we will continue our focus on food transparency and agritourism. 

See Executive Director’s comments

  

Read more about our Vermont Agritourism panel, Workforce Development panel, and our Vermont Wine round tables.

Thank you to our sponsors. . . 

Annual Meeting Sponsors 5

Thank you to Flavor Plate for donating their time and effort to the design and co-development of our website.