Farms & Ingredients

 

 

 

In 2005 when we entered the marketplace we offered 3 products, Ginger Miso Dressing, Chipotle Ranch Dressing, and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. As we launched our brand the message we shouted from the hilltops (literally) was, "we are not just another salad dressing, we are local producers and use locally grown ingredients!" In 2005 the "Buy Local" awareness was not as prominent as it is today and the majority of our customers were drawn to our products for the flavor. As we grew we continued to bring awareness to consumers that being able to buy a salad dressing made with local farm ingredients was a new concept in the grocery aisle. We brought this kind of awareness to consumers through local farmers markets as well as regional Buy Local events. Slowly the comments from customers changed from "YUM" to "oh and I see you use local ingredients, I love that!" This told us the awareness for buying local was finally taking hold here in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The enthusiasm behind the Buy Local movement has encouraged us to continually add new products that use even more locally grown ingredients than our original dressings, products such as our organic Salsa Veracruz and our organic Tomato Puree which is simply locally grown organic tomatoes steamed and bottled in a mason jar. Appalachian Natural's motto since we began has been "Local Agriculture is Everyone's Business," and we really believe as a region we can all play a small, or even large role in helping to sustain our local farms and producers.

Today, we continue to purchase ingredients from many of the same farms we purchased from back in the early years. As we continue to grow and navigate welcome requirements from the food industry (such as non-GMO verification), we will stick to our original mission and continue purchasing quality, non-GMO or organic ingredients as close to Goshen, Massachusetts as possible. When we cannot find an ingredient locally that meets the non-GMO standards we require, we will seek out alternative farms outside of the Pioneer Valley, but still within Massachusetts.

How much locally grown are we talking about?
It varies each year but is gradually increasing over time. On average we annually handle:

Milk: 4,000 gallons (for all of our dairy based dressings and dips)
Maple Syrup: 250 gallons (for our Maple Balsamic Dressing and Berkshire Maple Mustard)
Tomatoes: 13,000 lbs (for our organic Salsa Veracruz and Tomato Puree)
Cilantro: 400  lbs (for our Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and our organic Salsa Veracruz)
Onion: 2,500 lbs (for our organic Salsa Veracruz and Ranch dressings)
Honey: 3,000 lbs (for a variety of our products)
Cranberries: 475 lbs (for our organic Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Lime Marmalade)
Jamaican Habanero Peppers: 25-40 lbs (for our Jamaican Habanero barbecue sauce)

Some Of The Farms We Work With:

Atlas Farm, Deerfield, MA
Highlawn Farm, Lee, MA
Holiday Brook Farm, Dalton, MA
Red Fire Farm, Granby, MA
Next Barn Over, Hadley, MA
Fresh Meadows Farm, Carver, MA
Merrimack Valley Apiaries, Bellerica, MA
Cape Cod Select, Carver, MA
Apex Orchards, Shelburne, MA

Locally and Regionally Produced:
Organic Miso: 1300-1500 lbs (for our Ginger Miso dressing)
Stone Ground Mustard: 9,000 lbs (for dressings and specialty mustard's)
Apple Cider Vinegar: 120 gallons (for our barbecue sauces)

Locally Sourced:
Sunflower Oil (for all of our dressings and dips) Massachusetts
Balsamic Vinegar (for our Maple and Honey Balsamic dressings)Massachusetts
Sesame Oil (for our Ginger Miso dressing) Massachusetts
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (for our organic Italian Hemp dressing) New York
Red Wine Vinegar (for our Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette) New York
Molasses (for our barbecue sauces) New York
Ginger Puree (for our Ginger Miso dressing) New Jersey

There are some ingredients that we cannot get here in the Northeast. The following ingredients make up 31% of our annual ingredient purchasing and are sourced from out of our region:
Rice Wine Vinegar (for our Ginger Miso dressing)
Blue Cheese (for our Creamy Blue Cheese dressing)
Organic Hemp Seed Oil (for our organic Italian Hemp dressing)
Organic evaporated cane juice (for our organic Italian Hemp dressing)
Lime (for our Salsa Veracruz and Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette)
Dragon fruit (for our vinaigrette)
Monkfruit (for some of our products)
Organic Agave Nectar (for our Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette)

 

For a closer look check out this segment on WGBY https://youtu.be/GyCdGCzv0So