Cherry Hill Farm is the supplier of our black currants.
Champlain Orchards is a 60 acre ecologically managed
orchard on the Southern shores of Lake Champlain in Shoreham Vermont Bill
Shur and his crew at the
orchard processes, meaning peels and slices, all of our apples, which are
grown on site. To assure maximum freshness the apples are harvested and
then kept in cold storage until there are ready to made into pies. This
partnership is one of the most important that Vermont Mystic Pie has because
it assures that all of the value processing is returned right to the farm,
an important economic consideration in these days of declining local agriculture.
Cabot is a farmer cooperative of several hundred Vermont
farm families. Cabot supplies the Grade AA butter that helps to make our
crust so flaky. This coop, first started in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont
a hundred yeas ago, provides an outlet for the milk of all of those hard
working cows that dot the landscape of Vermont and its neighboring states.
King Arthur is the oldest flour company in America.
Located down the road here in Vermont, this company is now employed owned
and is the favorite of
pastry chefs far and wise. We are grateful to our friends at King Arthur
for helping us develop our pie crust recipe. We spent many early mornings
with Jeffrey Hammelman, baker extraordinaire, in their bakery experimenting
until we got it right. Vermont Mystic Pie is proud to use only King Arthur
flour in our recipe.
Stephen Huneck has created the original artwork for
Vermont Mystic Pie, using his wonderful and whimsical character Sally the
Dog as an integral part of the package. Sally is the star of a series of
children's books that Stephen has illustrated and authored, which, along
with his prints and furniture are widely enjoyed and collected around the
world. He has galleries coast to coast. We decided to invite Stephen to
participate, who lives in Northern Vermont, after seeing his art hanging
in an exhibit of Vermont Children's book illustrators. We were taken by
the warmth, authenticity and creativity of his art, three characteristics
that we strive for in our pies and which define much Vermont's values.
2much Media helps Vermont Mystic Pie and other companies to creatively
communicate in words and images ways in which their customers can understand
these companies, products and their impact on the world. Our friends at
2much Media, whom we have known for several decades, work with many
companies and organizations who are our kindred spirits, all of whom are
using the power of businesses to experiment in ways to encourge positive
social change. To see an example of their work, click on the movie that
we made about Vermont Mystic Pie in the In The News section.
Edgar Stewart Design & Illustration works with our artist, Stephen Huneck
to create the
wonderful pie package. They also do our ads, website and marketing
materials. We are fortunate to have known each other and to have worked
together for many years. The creative folks at Edgar Stewart Design & Illustration provide
similar
services for many companies who we admire and respect. As with all of
our partners, it is the integrity, originality and ingenuity with which
they do their work that draws us to them and adds depth to our company.
The Vermont Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that works with individuals, organizations, and communities to conserve land for the future of Vermont
There are many good reasons to visit a Vermont apple orchard or farm
stand in the fall. The #1 reason: the orchard is the best place to get
a crisp, fresh McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun, Empire, Red Delicious or any
of the dozens of other varieties grown in Vermont. Almost 70 percent of
the apples grown in Vermont are “Macs”, and for good reason:
the flavor of the McIntosh is outstanding - for eating out of hand, for
pressing into fresh (or hard) cider, for apple sauce, and-yes-
for pies.
The Vermont Community Loan Fund strengthens Vermont through
equitable access to capital for affordable housing, community facilities,
small businesses and child care facilities. VCLF finances projects that
add value to Vermont communities and provide opportunities for low- and moderate-
income Vermonters. Fueling VCLFs lending are investments from socially
responsible individuals, faith-based groups, foundations and corporations. Since
its founding in 1987, VCLF has provided over $30 million in loans to borrowers
in all corners of Vermont.
When Vermont Mystic Pie was first conceived, (see our
story) we
asked around for who made the best apple pie in VT. Millie at Mendon
Mtn Orchards, in Mendon, VT, we were told. Millie has been making pies for
over 50 years. She kindly taught us all sorts of things about how to make
a make a great natural juice pie, with lots of delicious apples, a little
seasoning and lots of love. We are forever grateful to Millie for opening
up her heart, home and orchard to us.
In the summer of 2004 we held a
statewide contest to find the best recipe in VT, thinking that we'd use
that for our pie. We invited all of the county fair blue ribbon winners
and gave a $1000 prize to the winner. The fine folks at NECI helped us
judge the results. It was an arduous though delectable challenge. In the
end, we decided to develop our own recipe, using locally grown apples from
Champlain Orchards that were in oversupply and in so doing creating
another retail market for this wonderful VT fruit.
