Boston Local Food – a program of SBNMass

SBN’s Trade Shows

*TWO TRADE SHOWS, ONE LOCATION, ONE TIME*

Interise & The Sustainable Business Network present:

Local Food Trade Show

MDAR & The Sustainable Business Network present:

Local Specialty Crop Trade Show 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

8:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Northeastern University

Local Food Buyers and Producers are Invited to Meet and Begin Doing Business.

The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts  (SBN) is offering its 4th Local Food Trade Shows. The 2015 Local Food Trade Shows are designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts.

This event is ideal for restaurants and institutional buyers interested in trading with local food suppliers and who desire to buy more locally produced products from growers, fishermen, and value added producers from Massachusetts and New England.

The Specialty Crop Trade Show is made possible by a grant from  the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MassGrown). Our partners for this event include Northeastern University, Costa Fruit and Produce, Edible Boston, Boston Food and Farm, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) Farm to Institution New England (FINE) Food Solutions New England, Health Care Without Harm, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA).

Due to the expansion of our program, we are offering two trade shows this year, taking place the same time in the same location. Each trade show will feature different type of exhibitors. Register below (note that there are three different applications, so complete the application that applies to you).

• Specialty Crop vendors for Specialty Crop Trade Show – Register here

• Non-specialty crop vendors for Local Food Trade Show – Register here

• Attendees (Buyers and non-exhibitors) – Register here

Click HERE for a list of 2015 Trade Show Exhibitors and Attendees!

Who should attend?
Any wholesale buyers, who are interested in purchasing Massachusetts or New England-produced food items. These buyers can be supermarkets, co-ops, restaurants, hotels, institutions, schools, food processors in search of ingredients, distributors, or anyone else interested in local purchasing options.*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*

Getting There:

The SBN Local Food Trade Show will take place in the Curry Student Center of Northeastern University. The building is  located on the Main Campus here.

Parking:

There are two visitor parking garages on the Northeastern University campus.

Our 2015 Local Food Trade Show Sponsors

Our 2015 Local Food Trade Show Partners

2015 Non Specialty Crop Producers

• American Stonecraft, MA
• The Ancient Bakers, MA
• Atlantic Saltworks, MA
• Attar Herbs & Spices, LLC, NH
• Augusta Street Kitchen, LLC, MA
• Calcutta Curry, LLC, NH
• Cape Abilities, MA
• Chocolet + sel, MA
• Crescent Ridge Dairy, MA
• Evy Tea, MA
• Fancypants Baking Co*, MA
• Farm Fresh, RI
• The Farmer’s Cow, CT
• Four Star Farms, Inc., MA
• Freedom Foods, LLC, MA
• Green Mountain Flour, VT
• Joe’s Kitchen @ Screamin’ Ridge Farm, VT
• Kingdom Creamery of Vermont, VT
• Kimball Brook Organic Milk, VT
• Life Force/Jubali, MA
• Lilac Hedge Farm, MA
• MAKOMAS, LLC, 
• Micheles Gourmet Popcorn, NH
• Rebecca’s Nut-Free, MA
• Revitalive, MA
• Seaview Farm, MA
• Simply Delish, LLC, NH
• SoCo Creamery, MA
• Spritzal Cookie Company, LLC, VT
• Süss Sweets that Make You Smile, LLC, NH
• Stir it Up Cuisine, MA
• STEEM Peanut Butter, Inc., MA
• TippiTopper, MA
• Town Farm Gardens, LLC, MA
• Vermont Chevon, LLC, VT
• Zesty Cookie Company, LLC, MA

  2015 Specialty Crop Vendors

• 2 Friends Farm, MA
• Abbey Essene, MA
• Atlas Farm, MA
• Bird of the Hand Farm, MA
• Bluewater Farms, MA
• Camberville Dog Treats, MA
• Carlson Orchards, Inc, MA
• Fort Hill Farms, CT
• Franklin County Community Development Corporation Western MA Food Processing Center, MA
• The Kitchen Garden, LLC, MA
• Lyndigo Spice, LLC, MA
• Red Fire Farm, MA
• Relish the Harvest, MA
• Stow Greenhouses, LLC, MA
• Sugar Bob’s Finest, VT
• Three River Farmers Alliance
• Vermont Bean Crafters , VT

2015 Trade Show Attendees & Buyers

• Baystate Medical Center, MA
• Boston University Dining Services, MA
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital, MA
• Cambridge Naturals, MA
• Cambridge Winter Farmers Market, MA
• Cooley Dickenson Hospital, MA
• Fair Food Network, MA
• Food for Free*, MA
• Glenwood Garden, MA
• Gourmet Guru, MA
• The John Merck Fund, NY
• The Juicery*, MA
• Local Farms Project, MA
• Massachusetts Farm to School, MA
• The Middle East Restaurant, MA
• North Country Farmers Coop, NH
• Prism Energy Services, MA
• The Purple Carrot, MA
• Quality Support Group, MA
• Serenade Chocolatier 
• Sidekim Foods, MA
• Smolak Farms, MA
• Sodexo @ BIDMC, MA
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, MA
• Tamo Bar + Bistro, MA
• True Taste Restaurants, MA
• Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, VT
• Whole Foods Market, MA
• Woodstock Sustainable Farmers, CT
• ZuZu Restaurant, MA

*Indicates SBN Member

Session 1 Workshops (8:15am-9:30am)

• Forging Innovative Trade Relationships

This workshop will highlight two stories of trade relationships between producers & buyers of local food that work.

Facilitator: Nicola Williams, President, The Williams Agency, Co-Chair SBN Local Food Committee

Panel: Michael Durante of Red Tomato, Chelsea Wagner, Hannaford, Gideon Porth,  Atlas Farms and Jeffrey Barry, Boston Organics

• A Vision for Local Food in New England – How We Can Make it Happen!

Introduce 50 by 60 New England Food Vision, explore the role of local trade & sourcing in achieving it & identify leverage points for advancement.

Facilitator: Karen Spiller, Principal, KAS Consulting, MA Ambassador, Food Solutions, New England

Panel: Bing Broderick – Haley House Cafe, Karen Masterson – Johnny’s Luncheonette

• The ‘Labeling Game’: Why Does it Matter?

Panel to discuss the various food labels among Organic, GMO, Fair Trade, B Corporation Certification and more!

Facilitator: Niaz Dorry, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

Panel: Virginia Berman – Equal Exchange, Emily Kanter – Cambridge Naturals, Leo LaRosa – Boston Medical Center, John Stoddard – Health Care Without Harm

Session 2 Workshops (11:00am-12:15pm)

• Food Hubs: Key Players in Growing Our Local Food System

The workshop features 4 food hubs including Farm Fresh Rhode Island, Red’s Best, Western Mass Food Processing Center & FairAcre Traders.

Facilitator: Darrow Isaacman-VanWertz – Wholesome Wave

Panel: Jared Auerbach – Red’s Best, Hannah Mellion – Farm Fresh RI, John Waite – Western Mass Food processing Center, Daphne Mazarakis – Fair Acre

• Getting In & Staying In

Marketing Strategies & tools to get your products into food services/stores & sell successfully once they’re in.

Facilitator: Myrna Greenfield, Good Egg Marketing

Panel: Barry Milanese – Costa Fruit & Produce, Nicola Williams – The Williams Agency, Co-Chair SBN Local Food Committee, Chris Durkin – Harvest, David Warner – City Feed & Supply

• Practical Advice for Successful Selling: 

How to move from Point A to Point B

This workshop is designed for local farms, producers, distributors & other local businesses that offer healthy & delicious food choices & want to increase their sales volume.

Facilitator: Laury Hammel, Executive Director, Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts

Panel: Ryan Voiland – Red Fire farm, Beth Quinn – Q’s Nuts

Exhibitors will include New England based farmers, produce distributors and local specialty crop producers (products made with 50% or more specialty crops also qualify). Please view the USDA definition of specialty crops here. This Trade Show is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department for Agricultural Resources. Exhibition booths are free for specialty crop farmers and other specialty crop producers.