BRATTLEBORO — Strolling of the Heifers' successful farm and food business accelerator, Windham Grows, is in full swing with its third cohort. The current group of entrepreneurs, who started the program in July, are from all over the Northeast.
In its first 18 months, Windham Grows mentored 13 Windham County businesses. The combined scale of the program's first phase equates to the 13th largest employer in the county with 150 employees, over $500,000 in outside investments, and 30 new jobs to the region.
“Windham Grows is excited to continue growing conscious food and agriculture businesses by providing them with state-of-the-art tools, resources, and mentorship needed to evolve businesses to the next level by helping them create positive change in their community and revolutionize the future of food,” Orly Munzing, executive director of Strolling of the Heifers, said in a news release.
“We expanded the program beyond Windham County and added socially responsible business components to the curriculum this year,” said Windham Grows Director and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Jim Verzino.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence Cairn Cross of Fresh Tracks Capital noted “cohort members coming from other states are bringing a whole new set of networks and perspectives into the fold, which is a huge benefit for the entire group.”
All cohort members convene for “in-person” three-day weekends in Brattleboro on three different occasions during the six-month session, with group and individual video conferencing in between.
In addition to the program curriculum, the entrepreneurs receive financing assistance, mentoring, access to subject matter experts, connections to capital and non-capital resources, and outside consulting services.
“They become a collaborative peer group,” Verzino said. “They keep each other accountable during the program, and form sustained connections after the program ends.”
The eight businesses in the current Windham Grows cohort are:
• Bordertown Farm, Brattleboro, an organic hemp farm that processes hemp into CBD oil.
• Gutsey, Portsmouth, N.H,, a unique snack-bar brand that produces low-sugar, creamy, cashew-based protein bars.
• Integrative Permaculture, Canaan, N.Y., a mission-driven venture developing a new permaculture agri-tourism enterprise in the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York.
• Morrill Mountain Fruit Farm, South Strafford, producing Paté de Fruit and other fruit-based products. All profits help fund the Dana Stone Clarke Memorial Foundation to support innovative STEM and art projects in classrooms.
• Putney Mountain Winery, Putney, makes award-winning artisanal wines, liqueurs, and sparkling cider.
• Venetian Beverages, Williston, a premium brand committed to creating craft beverages made with all-natural ingredients.
• Vermont Chevon, L3C: A Farm to Fork Partnership, Danville, brings a delectable, healthy, low-carbon-footprint source of goat meat protein to American tables.
• Z Wraps, Easthampton, Mass., makes reusable food wraps in a signature designs, reducing the need for plastic bags.
The session will culminate in December with the entrepreneurs presenting their final scalability plan and pitch to their peers, investors, and industry insiders.