Malone, NY (April 12, 2010)—On Friday, April 16 at the American Legion, Chateaugay, NY, and Saturday, April 17 at Cornell Cooperative Extension Jefferson County, Watertown, NY, regional and out-of-town food distributors will help Northern NY farmers and processors learn how to sell locally-grown and processed foods to them at 10am-3pm “Working with the Middleman: Selling through or to a local distributor” workshops organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
At the Chateaugay workshop, Glazier Food Service Director of Sales Phil Sansone will share information about the Malone-based independent food distributor with a network of 800-some independent retailers, chain stores, restaurants, and institutional buyers across NNY. Glazier stocks more than 400 products from 30-some local producers and processors. Those products include meats, cheeses, maple syrup, sauces, and “as much local produce through the growing season as possible,” Sansone says.
“This conference is an opportunity to help farmers better understand the roles Glazier plays in handling, marketing and promoting their products. For example, we handle accounts receivable, so producers get a check once a week from Glazier and do not have to worry about getting paid by several buyers,” Sansone says.
In addition to being a distributor, Glazier also makes its own label meats (Famous Glazier Red Hot Dogs, sausages, smoked bacon slabs, etc.) and pickled eggs.
Glazier has recently begun distributing Sustain Brand Potato Chips made in Malone, NY, with locally-grown potatoes. Sustain Brand partner Craig Bilow will speak at the conferences about managing wholesale accounts and working with distributors.
Producers attending the Chateaugay workshop will be able to pickup information on Dole & Bailey, a family-owned food distributor that began in Boston’s Fanueil Hall Farmers’ Market in 1868 and now distributes sustainably-produced farm products throughout New England. It operates a livestock processing facility in Woburn, MA, and places a special emphasis on buying meats and produce from small-to-medium-size family farms for sale to chefs and specialty retailers. Dole & Bailey recycles, and uses biodegradable packaging.
On the agenda for both the Chateaugay and Watertown workshops are Northern Adirondack Trading Cooperative Director Ruby Sprowls talking about wholesale pricing, and Agriculture Marketing Specialist Matt LeRoux with Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County helping producers evaluate various types of market channels.
At the Watertown conference, Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator Katherine Lang will talk about the producer-grower owned North Country Grown Cooperative, Inc. based in St. Lawrence County. The cooperative distribute fresh seasonal produce, meats, honey and maple syrup to colleges, restaurants and other Northern New York institutions.
Lang says, “The North Country Grown Cooperative provides a vital link between local farms new to the wholesale market and area institutions interested in trying local purchasing.”
Pre-registration is required; the $5 fee covers lunch and materials. Contact NNY Local Foods Specialist Bernadette Logozar, Cornell Cooperative Extension Franklin County, 518-483-7403 or bel7@cornell.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and registration. Logozar is also co-organizer of May 6, 7 and 8 “Eating Local Yet? – Finding and Using Local Foods” event for consumers in Plattsburgh, Canton and Watertown.
Source: The Gouverneur Times
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.