Black River Produce (BRP) has purchased the former Ben and Jerry’s manufacturing plant inthe North Springfield Industrial Park in North Springfield, VT. BRP plans to develop the formertown-owned facility into a centralized meat processing facility and will have space available forsmall food business production. To meet the increasing demand for Vermont grown proteins inand outside of the state, BRP will create infrastructure, provide full-time jobs, and help train thenext generation of butchers further developing Vermont’s meat industry. This facility’s increasedrefrigeration and frozen storage will allow BRP to expand their local product lines and providelarge scale refrigerated storage for local producers.
This facility will allow BRP to meet its current demand for local meat producers like Vermont
Family Farms, Boyden Farms, and PT Farms while allowing it to process cooperatively raised
meats from natural producers throughout the region. The affordable production space will help
producers develop their business model with access to new markets via BRP’s freight services.
‘We want to help Vermont producers expand their businesses,’ describes BRP Co-owner Steve
Birge. ‘With weekly trucking to Boston and New York BRP will be able to continue to work with
brokers, wholesalers, distributors and chain retailers to help keep the Vermont brand strong.’
BRP currently distributes local products to chefs, retailers, schools and hospitals with over 21% of
its annual sales from goods produced in our local communities. ‘We’re committed to local foods,
and we want to continue to build a future that allows everyone to continue to grow,’ explains Mark
Curran, Co-owner of BRP.
With growing demand in the retail, restaurant, and institutional markets BRP looks to reduce
the pressure on regional slaughterhouses and increase processing options for its growers and
customers. Business Development Manager Sean Buchanan explains, ‘This facility will allow
us to help with custom butchering for small and large retail operations and provide spaces for
businesses that are ready to scale up.’
Black River Produce is a distributor of organic and conventional produce, meats, fresh seafood,
artisan cheeses, specialty products, and floral for over 30 years. Their business has grown
making them #4 in Vermont company growth over the last 20 years. Their relationships with
chefs and retailers as well as their commitment to locally sourced products have allowed them to
continue to grow with the increased demand for sustainable products.