2020 BUSINESS INVESTMENTS
Business Investment Recipients
Business investments are one of two focus areas of the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative. Grants in 2020 ranged from about $15,000 to $150,000 for new and growing agriculture, forestry, and forest products enterprises. Over $650,000 was awarded cumulatively to these businesses.
Business Investment Grantees
Shown below according to county. *Supply Chain Impact Grants
Addison County
Ice House Farm, LLC
$24,250 for goat dairy added-value production expansion.
Old Road Farm
$18,000 for the purchase of a delivery van to expand distribution capabilities.
Vine Ripe Greenhouse Construction
$10,000 for the expansion of business productivity and efficiency to better assist farmers in construction of hoophouses.
Bennington County
Equinox Food Brokers
*$75,000 for the expansion of their business, with a focus on expansion through sales and consultation to VT businesses.
Caledonia County
Artesano, LLC
$24,943 for increasing sales and capacity of all value-added products.
Fun Yum Farm, LLC
$14,752 for updating infrastructure on the farm to increase efficiency.
Walden Heights Nursery & Orchard
$5,505 for the installation of an atmospheric controlled cooler, used for seasonal storage of fresh fruit, ciders, and juices.
Kingdom Creamery of Vermont
$143,954 for funding the up-front costs of becoming HAACP certified and maintaining certification for 2 years, including, the purchase and installation of specific equipment, the cost of 3rd party audits, and the hiring of a food safety manager.
Chittenden County
Adam’s Berry Farm
*$36,713 to expand their organic blueberry production to meet growing year-round markets for fresh and frozen fruit, open new local and regional markets, and build on cobranding initiatives.
Franklin County
Stony Pond Farm
*$65,000 for the completion and equipment for their on-farm creamery to enhance the viability of their dairy enterprise by significantly increasing production and distribution.
Lamoille County
Joneslan Farm
$150,000 to transition from a cow dairy farm to a goat dairy farm.
Rick’s Firewood
$150,000 to increase production capabilities and raw material storage and improving waste storage.
Rutland County
Wayward Goose Farm
$19,910 for upgrades to Farm Store
Orange County
Lambert Farm
$14,000 to install a Lely Grazeway.
Pinello Farm
$20,900 to assist in the purchase of a no-till drill.
Orleans County
Butterworks Farm, LLC
$20,000 for the diversification their product line-up with both hard storage and soft fresh cheeses.
Thornhill Farm
$15,000 for improving grain drying and storage capabilities.
Morey Hill Farm
$19,400 for the installation of a subterranean cool-storage facility.
Washington County
Sawyer Made
$24,000 for completion of facility upgrade.
Windham County
Livewater Farm and Dairy
$15,000 for the improvement of on farm retail stand to increase accessibility, product diversity, and sales.
Sweet Pickins Farm
$20,000 for purchase of building materials and equipment to construct a small state inspected poultry processing facility.
Windsor County
Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins, LLC
$16,025 for the production of a variety of farmstead dairy products using their own sheep's milk, as well as offering our agritourism customers the opportunity to learn about cheese production in the newly built production facility.
Honey Field Farm
$20,000 for the renovation of the barn on their new property into a wash-pack facility, as well as improving the farm’s coolers, floors, and temperature control.
Sweetland Farm
$24,500 for the creation of an on-farm composting facility, available for use by the community.
Sunrise Organic Farm, LLC
$20,000 for the renovation of the barn on their new property into a wash-pack facility, as well as improving the farm’s coolers, floors, and temperature control.
DCI, Inc.
*$75,000 for the installation of a high efficiency Resaw, which will double their sawmill production capacity, impacting multiple businesses.