Ribbon cutting is the culmination of a multi-year collaborative partnership among Town, public and private partners
Vermont Business Magazine Final preparations for the ribbon cutting at the Hardwick Yellow Barn are now set for this Friday, September 27, 11:00am, at 323 Vermont Route 15 in Hardwick. All three tenants will be on hand to speak, as well as Anson Tebbetts, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Participants will be able to tour the facility immediately following the celebration.
The project – which consists of an extensive renovation to a well-known historic gambrel-roofed barn at the gateway to downtown Hardwick, as well as construction of a shell of new 25,000+ SF steel structure – is a $9M investment. The barn, which is now substantially complete, is occupied by Cabot Creamery, who recently celebrated the grand opening of their retail store. The new construction is nearing substantial completion and will house the Center for an Agricultural Economy’s Food Hub, as well as Jasper Hill Farm, who will use the space to consolidate ecommerce operations. Collectively, the tenants in the new construction are investing over $5 M of their own funds for fit-up.
The celebration marks a huge milestone for the Town of Hardwick and its many partners. Efforts to construct the Yellow Barn go back to 2016, when the community recognized a need for more space to support expanding agricultural businesses. At that time, Town officials partnered with Northeastern Vermont Development Association, the regional planning and economic development corporation, to further the initiative. It was a circuitous path to completion, as pandemic-related inflation and supply chain woes delayed the original construction start planned for 2020. The project team – which now included all three tenants, as well as the nonprofit Northeast Kingdom Development Corporation – was forced to refine the vision for Yellow Barn.
A new vision did emerge, largely from the lessons learned from pandemic. The Center for an Agricultural Economy identified a need for expanded distribution and aggregation space for its delivery service to address underlying structural weaknesses in the food system exposed by the pandemic. “The new Food Hub at the Yellow Barn represents a deep investment and commitment by many partners and funders who believe in and support our local food system. Moving this project forward is a testament to the dedication of this community and the partners who contributed years of support. We're excited to operationalize this new piece of local food system infrastructure and work with all the producers who will have products flowing through the space.”
And there were lessons learned from Jasper Hill’s nimble expansion of ecommerce sales during the early months of the pandemic. "We began visioning for this project in 2016 and its completion is a testament to the commitment and determination of an incredible leadership team", says Andy Kehler Founder and CFO at Jasper Hill. "Hats off to the Hardwick Selectboard, the NEKDC, the NVDA, and the many funders who stuck with us as this project came together. This new space will give Jasper Hill the opportunity to consolidate all our inventory and order fulfillment operations under one roof."
“I can't overstate the impact this will have on our business", says Mateo Kehler, Founder and Head Cheesemaker at Jasper Hill. "We will be using the space to grow by leveraging the rest of our operations to build cheese inventory and a market that will directly benefit the local dairy farmers from whom we purchase milk and cheese."
Bids for the “Yellow Barn 2.0” went out in November 2022 and were opened in January 2023. The contract was awarded to Burlington-based Wright & Morrissey with a base contract of $8.3 million. In the spring of 2023, the Northeast Kingdom Development Corporation, acting as leverage lender, was able to secure New Market Tax Credit financing for the project. The project started in July of 2023. It’s now nearing completion ahead of schedule. “The teamwork among the many groups has just been phenomenal, despite the many setbacks during this process.” said Minty Conant, President of Northeast Kingdom Development Corp. “The collaboration and the excellence in project management has paid off.”
That strong sense of collaboration is shared among the tenants, who all see the project as an asset to the region’s vibrant agricultural economy. "As a farmer cooperative, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do," said David Lynn President and CEO of Cabot Creamery/Agri-Mark Inc. "We knew we had to be a part of this unique partnership focused on sparking growth and showcasing products for local farmers and food manufacturers in the historic Yellow Barn. This project is a true celebration of our shared agricultural heritage and the power of community, and we are pleased to be a part of it.”
The Hardwick Yellow Barn is a public private partnership to strengthen Vermont’s farm- and food-based economy by allowing establishments to grow and expand with other entrepreneurs, develop new products, and improve export to external markets. The project has been supported with a robust mix of federal, state and local grants and loans, including the Economic Development Administration, Northern Border Regional Commission, Vermont Community Development Program, Vermont Community Recovery and Revitalization Program, the Vermont Brownfield Revitalization Fund, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the US Small Business Administration, Vermont Community Foundation, the Town of Hardwick, and the Northeastern Vermont Development Association. The project has also received New Markets Tax Credit financing package of $11.4M, in a partnership with bridge lenders that include EverNorth US, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, Vermont Community Loan Fund, and Vermont Economic Development Authority. At completion of the project, Vermont Economic Development Authority will provide the long-term financing. More information about the Hardwick Yellow Barn is at http://nvda.net/yellow_barn/
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