For makers and farms

Co-packers, shared kitchens and food business help in Vermont

Q: Shared kitchen or co-packer: which do I need?

If you still make the product yourself, rent time in a licensed shared or commissary kitchen. When orders outgrow your own hands, a co-packer takes over production.

18 businesses and programs in Vermont that help small food makers and farms make, store and move product: 3 co-packers, 3 shared kitchens, 5 programs and official lists, and 7 cold storage companies, distributors, processors and suppliers.

3Co-packers
3Shared kitchens
5Programs and lists
18Listings in all

Get listed Shops that carry small makers in Vermont

Programs and official lists in Vermont

5 listed. Start here. State and university programs that help food businesses with recipes, safety plans and licensing, and the public lists they keep.

Vermont Food Hub Collaborative (VT Farm to Plate)
VT · vtfarmtoplate.com
Lists Vermont's six nonprofit food hubs
Vermont Food System Map (VT Farm to Plate)
VT · vtfarmtoplate.com
Searchable directory of Vermont farms, food businesses and support organizations
Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Centerdairy cheese
Montpelier, VT · agriculture.vermont.gov
Grants and technical help for dairy processors, hosted by Vermont agriculture agency
Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program
Montpelier, VT · vhcb.org · source
Business advising for farms and food businesses, including value-added processing
Working Lands Enterprise Initiative
Montpelier, VT · workinglands.vermont.gov
State grants and business resources for farm and food enterprises

Co-packers in Vermont

3 listed. Contract manufacturers that make and pack your recipe in a licensed plant.

Green Mountain Beveragebeverages
Middlebury, VT · gmbeverage.com
Contract canning, bottling and kegging of beverages
Butternut Mountain Farm
Morrisville, VT · butternutmountainfarm.com · source
Private label and bulk maple syrup and maple sugar
Shacksbury Cider Co-Packingbeverages
Vergennes, VT · shacksbury.com
Canning, bottling and kegging for beverage makers, 930 gallon minimum

Shared and commissary kitchens in Vermont

3 listed. Licensed kitchens you rent by the hour or month, often with storage and business help.

Vermont Food Venture Centersmall batchsaucesbeverages
Hardwick, VT · hardwickagriculture.org · source
Shared kitchens, bottling line, storage and business advising for food startups
Richmond Community Kitchen
Richmond, VT · richmondcommunitykitchen.com · source
Licensed commissary kitchen rental for food businesses
West River Community Kitchen
West Townshend, VT · source
Community kitchen with steam kettle, convection ovens and storage

Cold storage and fulfillment in Vermont

1 listed. Refrigerated and frozen warehousing, and companies that pick, pack and ship orders for food brands. Ask about minimums, since some mostly serve larger brands.

Farm Connex
Hardwick, VT · farmconnex.hardwickagriculture.org
Nonprofit temperature-controlled freight, aggregation and short-term storage for small producers

Distributors and food hubs in Vermont

5 listed. Specialty, natural and local food distributors, and food hubs that aggregate from small producers.

Food Connects Food Hubproduce
Brattleboro, VT · foodconnects.org · source
Nonprofit food hub delivering locally produced food to wholesale buyers
Intervale Food Hubproduce
Burlington, VT · intervale.org · source
Nonprofit food hub operated by the Intervale Center
ACORN Food Hubproduce
Middlebury, VT · acornvt.org · source
Aggregates and distributes Champlain Valley farm products, runs online market
Green Mountain Farm Directproduce
Newport, VT · greenmountainfarmtoschool.org · source
Nonprofit food hub run by Green Mountain Farm-to-School
Vermont Farmers Food Centerproduce
Rutland, VT · vermontfarmersfoodcenter.org · source
Nonprofit food hub and member of Vermont Food Hub Collaborative

Small meat processors in Vermont

1 listed. State and USDA inspected plants. Ask each one whether it takes custom or private-label work for farms and ranches.

Vermont Packinghousemeat
North Springfield, VT · vermontpackinghouse.com · source
USDA inspected slaughter, butchery and further processing for farms

Suppliers that ship to Vermont

Packaging, fulfillment and distribution are mostly national. See insulated boxes, gel packs and dry ice, jars, labels and boxes, cold storage and fulfillment and specialty food distributors. For the how-to, read how to start cold shipping and shipping supplies for food makers.

Get listed, or fix a listing

Co-packer, shared kitchen, packaging supplier, cold storage or distributor that works with small food makers and farms? Send the details and we will add you. Listings are free. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Software and setup for makers

Madeline's sets up the back office for small food makers and farms: inventory and lot tracking, shipping and cold chain, wholesale ordering, recipe costing and labels and more. See Artisanal Solutions, or sell on the Madeline's marketplace.

Questions

What is a co-packer?

A co-packer (contract packer) is a licensed food plant that makes and packs your product to your recipe. You own the brand and the recipe. They own the equipment, the inspections and the labor. Most ask for a minimum run, so call several and compare minimums, price per unit and what they will source for you.

Shared kitchen or co-packer: which do I need?

If you are still making it yourself, rent time in a shared or commissary kitchen. It is licensed, so you can sell beyond cottage food limits. When orders outgrow your own hands, a co-packer takes over production. Many makers use a kitchen for a year or two first.

Where does this list come from?

From public lists kept by state agriculture departments, university extension and food innovation centers, and from each business's own site. Listings that came from a public list link to that source. A listing is not an endorsement, so check licensing, insurance and minimums yourself.

How do I get listed or fix a listing?

Use the form on this page. Listings are free.

Sources: public lists from state agriculture departments, university extension and food innovation centers, and each business's own site. Listings are independent businesses and are not affiliated with Madeline's. A listing is not an endorsement.