Carrie Brisson works as the Head of the King Arthur Bakery in Norwich, VT. She is a proud board member of the Northern Grain Growers Collaborative, which allows her to work closely with the area's grain growers. Carrie is honored to have the opportunity to bake with local grains. 

Heather Darby is a founding member of the Northern Grain Growers Collaborative. She is an agronomist and soils specialist with the University of Vermont Extension. Heather provides education, outreach, and applied research to help the grain industry thrive in Vermont. www.uvm.edu/extension/nwcrops

Sylvia Davatz: Sylvia has been an active seed saver for over 25 years, with a focus on heritage and ancient grains in her garden. She is interested in rare varieties with potential for adaptation to our changing climate as well as excellent flavor and baking qualities. In addition to cereal grain, she also grows amaranth, corn, sorghum and upland rice varieties suited to our region.

Shawn Gingue is a 4th generation farmer with over 2 decades of experience in agriculture and crop production. He operates Gingue Family Farm and NEK Grains with his wife Sara in Waterford, Vt where they focus on raising beef and growing high quality grains. In 2020 they established NEK Grains and invested in equipment to plant, harvest, clean, dry, and mill grains on site. They installed a granite stone mill in 2023 to offer fresh milled flour directly to bakers and consumers. In his spare time he enjoys activities with his wife and 4 children, skiing, and hunting. 

Todd Hardie: I have grown winter rye and barley for the last eight years at Thornhill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont, serving Caledonia Spirits’ whiskey program, bakeries and stores. This is shifting to design and build the Champlain Valley Grain Center in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, to receive grain from farmers on the day of harvest, and after, clean, dry and store the grain, clean again, mill for bakers and make whiskey on site. Our work is to support grain farming families, jobs, and the working landscape:  www.champlainvalleygrain.com. I have had a relationship with honey bees since I was 12, starting with our younger brother Tom. This grew to Honey Gardens Apiaries, working with up to 1,900 colonies of honeybees in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and St. Lawrence River Valley of Northern New York State. We kept the bees’ honey raw and used it to make a line of traditional plant medicine, mead and then founded Caledonia Spirits, using raw honey to make Barr Hill gin and vodka. 

Jeffrey Hamelman has been a baker for almost 50 years. The sourdough culture he made in August 1980 has brought him to six continents over the years to bake and to teach. “I am so grateful to be part of one of the great pillars of food. The first and most primary pillar is the farmer. This is where it all begins. The baker is at the furthest end point, the second essential great pillar. This is where the journey from seed to finished loaf is accomplished, and where nourishment is possible.”

Seth and Jeannette Johnson of Morningstar Farm have been producing Certified Organic crops in Glover, VT for 20 years. A diverse 400-acre operation, they grow and process a variety of grains, dry beans, black oil sunflowers, hay, and angus beef.  They, along with their 4 kids, really enjoy producing unique and nutritious foods to VT and beyond!

David Kenyon is an 8th generation Vermont farmer. He works alongside his father Tom who owns Aurora Farms and Nitty Gritty Grain in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. They farm 600 acres of certified organic land, growing wheat, corn, and hay- producing flour, cornmeal, wheat berries, cornbread mix, and more.