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“CONGRATULATING THE 2012 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S4718-S4719 on June 28, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONGRATULATING THE 2012 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to commend three outstanding Vermont companies that were recently singled out for recognition at the 2012 Fancy Food Show in Washington, D.C. These vendors were among the select 110 Silver Finalists for the show's coveted Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation, sofi, gold awards, widely considered to be one of the top honors in the specialty food industry. The sofi Awards, from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), recognize the best in specialty food and beverage and are a coveted industry honor. This year's contest was the most competitive in the history of the awards, with a record 2,520 entries.
Two of the vendors, Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery, located in Websterville, and Big Picture Farm L3C, located in Townshend, won the gold sofi in their categories, while Grafton Village Cheese, located in Grafton, represented Vermont proudly as a finalist in the category for outstanding cheese or dairy products for their new cheese, Cave Aged Leyden.
Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery's owners, Allison Hooper and Bob Reese, deserve well-earned congratulations for winning three gold sofi Awards, including Best Product Line, Best Cheese or Dairy Product for their aged goat cheese Bonne Bouche, and Best Perishable Food Service Product for their Sea Salt Crystal Cultured Butter. Allison and Bob's extraordinary achievement demonstrates, beyond a doubt, that Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery has succeeded at building a high quality, superior brand that reflects the values and ethos of Vermont.
Congratulations are due as well to Big Picture Farm's owners, Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell, for winning a gold sofi Award in the Confectionary Category for their Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels. When I met this young couple last week, I was taken with their energy and excitement for both their goats and their award winning caramels. Earlier this year, Louisa and Lucas received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Value Added Producer Grant which helped them expand their farm, hire additional staff members, and expand their business plan. The Value Added Producer Grant, together with Big Picture Farm's hard work and commitment to their vision, helped to catapult this new business to a sofi Award after less than two years in business. That is quite an achievement. I can't wait to see what challenges this young couple will tackle next.
Recognition should go, too, to Bob Allen, Christine Damour, and Wendy Levy, co-owners of Grafton Village Cheese. This year, Grafton Village Cheese was a sofi finalist in the category of Outstanding Cheese or Dairy Products. Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery also competed in this category and to have not one, but two great Vermont companies competing as finalists in the same category is an outstanding achievement for any State, much less one as small as Vermont.
I always enjoy seeing Vermonters in Washington, and was pleased to visit them at the 2012 Fancy Food Show. These companies create Vermont jobs and grow Vermont's economy. During these tough economic times, this kind of work is vital to restoring the American way of life and getting the country back on track. I am extremely proud of the hard work, dedication, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation of these exceptional Vermont companies.
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