Business Notes: July 19, 2015
White River Junction — A new marketing campaign is designed to make it easier to find, buy and prepare foods from Upper Valley farms.
Valley Farm Fresh, a program of Vital Communities, includes an improved, mobile-friendly Valley Food & Farm Guide, a calendar of farm-related events, and recipes and cooking tips geared toward the region’s foods.
The information is available at ValleyFarmFresh.org.
“Our recent in-depth market assessment revealed that farms want to sell more product direct to consumers, while consumers need better resources to help them find and use local foods,” Becka Warren, Valley Food & Farm manager, said in a recent news release.
“The new campaign works toward both of those goals.”
Supported through a grant from the USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program, it features online resources, Facebook and Instagram outreach, advertisements, and recipes and information for farmers to share at their farmstands and markets.
Company News
Hobbies ‘N’ Stuff in Glen Road Plaza has expanded into the adjacent space that formerly housed Budget Print, which has moved to another building in the plaza.
The expansion was done to make the store interactive, “which is the wave of the future,” said CEO A.J. Maranville Jr. The 1,400-square-foot addition brought the store up to a total of 3,000 square feet, making room for hands-on items, including a flight simulator, slot car set and working Lionel train layout.
It will also allow for increased inventory for both the hobby store and Valley Art Supplies, which is located in the same space. The store employs four people.
The Barton Insurance Agency, which has offices in New London and Contoocook, N.H., has received an Award of Excellence from Safeco Insurance. Fewer than 5 percent of insurance agents who sell Safeco Insurance personal insurance policies receive this award, the company said in a news release.
“(W)e are thrilled that we have been recognized with one of the company’s top honors,” Barton Insurance Agency President Benjamin Barton said in the release.
Items of interest to the local business community are published every Sunday. Submissions may be mailed to: Business Notes, c/o Sunday Valley News, P.O. Box 877, White River Junction, Vt. 05001. You may also send your items by fax to 603-298-0212, or by e-mail to biznotes@vnews.com. All items are subject to editing for clarity or space.
