Tomorrow will be my three month anniversary on the job as the Vermont First Coordinator for Sodexo. While three months is far from a milestone, it is a chunk of time of important learning and building relationships. As we mark the end of this quarter, we are launching into the exhilarating – can I also say ‘white-knuckling’? Maybe throw in a ‘yikes’ somewhere? – transition from ‘thinking‘ to ‘doing.’
What have we been thinking about these past three months, you ask?
Vermont First is Sodexo’s way of saying that buying local is more than a trend, more than a serendipitous, one-time purchase, more than a photo-op. Buying local is a way of doing business that requires strategy, committed partners, and the alignment of values that resonate with all of us: building strong communities, the availability of healthy food, supporting a sustainable, local economy, and protecting the environment. Vermont First will create the road map to integrate these values into the Sodexo business model, which is a model that operates across 80 countries and supports 400,000 employees. The more we think about this, there is one thing we know: we cannot do this alone.
Knowing this, over the past three months, we’ve asked:
What does Vermont think?
- In spreading the word about my hire, in news venues like VT Public Radio, a press release that was picked up across Vermont newspapers, and sharing through social media, we reached a lot of people. On a daily basis, the two simple, honest sentences I get from friends to strangers alike are: “That’s really exciting. That’s a big job.”
- We need to be sure we always know what Vermont thinks. In order to help accomplish this, we will be assembling an Advisory Board this summer made up of individuals who represent the diverse sectors of the Vermont food system, from people who teach about food, to people who grow food, to people who move food to where it needs to go.
What does New England think?
- We presented at the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) summit in Amherst, MA in April, looking to share our story with the region. The most common question after we give presentations to groups like these is, “How do we get a fill in your state here First?”
- Vermont First has – you guessed it – a statewide focus. Our regional partners think that while state borders are important, we must balance our state perspective with a regional perspective.
What do Sodexo managers and chefs think?
- This is group of people who know an opportunity when they see one and know how to make things happen.
- Managers and chefs want more information. They want to be better networked with the farms and food businesses around them. They want to know when and where there is a viable local product available that they should consider. They want to be able to tell the faculty, staff, and students on their campuses where the food they are eating is coming from.
What do farms and food businesses think?
- To farms and food businesses in Vermont, Vermont First means a market opportunity for their products. Sodexo is a very different market from other markets in Vermont. Vermont entrepreneurs want to know what Sodexo is looking for and how to do business with us.
What do our vendors think?
- Our vendors work hard to bring us the local products that we want. Often times, local sourcing is part of their mission as well and they are happy to see the market growing.
- Vendors are on board to help us track our progress by providing us with purchasing reports that tell the story of our shared success as we work towards a common goal.
From Thinking to Doing
We are building our next steps and goals with the thoughts from these important groups. For instance, in response to what we’ve heard, we are currently:
- Seeking applicants for our Vermont First Advisory Board, to be made up of a broad representation of individuals engaged in the Vermont food system. This group will provide insight and guidance on the direction of Vermont First. (Interested in being part of the Advisory Board? Click here for our Advisory Board application – due June 12th!)
- Organizing summer farm tours to help build stronger connections between farms/food businesses and campuses.
- Meeting with and surveying our contracted vendors on an individual basis to improve our systems for communicating to them what we need, from products to reporting on our purchases.
Vermont First is Sodexo’s response to the demand for more local food. In 2014, we purchased 15% local food. Increasing this number will take commitment and patience from all our friends and partners in the food system, both in Vermont and beyond.
Now, on to the next three months!
Sodexo's Commitment to Buying Vermont First 