“Despite Covid-19, we were struck by the support we’ve received,” said Adam Polonski, co-owner of Lost Lantern Spirits, a Vermont-based independent bottler of American whiskey. “From our bank to VtSBDC, it’s evident how supportive Vermont is towards young entrepreneurs.”
Polonski and his partner Nora Ganley-Roper recently relocated to Weybridge, Vermont from New York City. Prior to founding Lost Lantern Spirits, Adam was the senior whiskey specialist at Whisky Advocate, where he saw a wave of new U.S. distilleries opening in recent years and a shortage of independent bottlers.
“There are now around 2,000 distilleries in the United States, and there’s no easy way for whiskey lovers to discover the best and most exciting ones,” Nora said. “We realized that somebody was going to do this sooner or later and that, between Adam’s experience and contacts at Whisky Advocate and my palate and background in startups and operations, we were the ones who should do it.”
So Adam and Nora hit the road. They spent eight months visiting distilleries across the United States, literally taking in the full landscape of American whiskey. “Adam’s contacts through his time working at Whisky Advocate has given us access to whiskey that isn’t generally available to other companies,” Nora said.
When they returned home from their travels, they realized they needed help fleshing out their business plan and exploring financing options. So they reached out to the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) and set up a meeting with business advisors Sarah Kearns and Steve Densham.
“We loved working with both Sarah and Steve,” Nora said. “Steve was my numbers dude, and Sarah was the big picture person. Steve stress-tested my numbers a lot. He would call me at 8 a.m. on a Saturday and we’d go way into the weeds together. Steve also made introductions to the banks we worked with, which gave both parties immediate credibility and confidence. I felt like once Steve had put me through the wringer, we could do anything. Sarah would ask high-level questions and make sure that when we were writing out business plan, we were covering all the bases.
“Neither Sarah nor Steve will pull any punches,” Nora added. “They will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. And that is invaluable.”
Covid-19: Setbacks and Opportunities
In February, Adam and Nora submitted a traditional SBA loan application. But, due to Covid-19, a process that normally takes no more than a couple of weeks took almost six months. “We were truly so impressed by our experience with the bank,” Nora said. “They reached out almost once a week to reassure us that they wanted to work with us, they just needed some time to process the PPP loans that were coming through.”
With the financing hurdle finally behind them, Nora and Adam planned to release their first bottles in May. But the spirits industry came to a sudden halt when stay-at-home orders went into effect across the country. “Some states kept liquor stores open, but it was nearly impossible to get new products on the shelves,” Nora said.
Luckily, Covid-19 soon opened up a new distribution opportunity. “Before Covid hit, there wasn’t really a demand to ship whiskey directly to consumers because it’s historically been a logistical nightmare,” Nora said. “But that all changed almost overnight. In the last six months, we’ve seen a huge demand for platforms that allow you (the business) to interface with local retailers and ship directly to consumers.”
Along with the way they bring their product to market, the pandemic has also changed how they connect with potential customers. “Traditionally, marketing a new product would entail going to NYC with a backpack of whiskey, talking to media, and meeting with buyers at a bar,” Nora said. “It was a completely hands-on approach to sales. But now things have moved to Zoom tastings, accessible to people all across the country. Actually, this really democratizes the way the spirits industry works.”
In October Lost Lantern Spirits released its first whiskey—a single-malt blend from six U.S. distilleries the couple visited in person during their cross-country whiskey tour. “We did a ‘sneak peek release’ completely online,” Nora said. “It’s a total departure from our initial plans, but it just goes to show you how much and how quickly an industry can adapt,” Nora said.
American Vatted Malt Edition # 1 was soon followed by four other unique whiskeys—a bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, corn whiskey, and single malt. Nora and Adam purchase whiskey from distilleries all over the country and release them as single casks or blends, with full transparency of their origin. “We’re taking a model that existed, and thrived, in Scotland for over a hundred years and applying it to the U.S. market,” Nora said. “We’re part blending house and part whiskey curators.”
When we think of Vermont-made foods, dairy immediately comes to mind. And in what better form than delicious, raw-milk, hand-made cheese. That’s where Parish Hill Creamery comes in. Located in Westminster, Vermont, Parish Hill Creamery is one of our newer cheese producers and we are so excited to have their family be part of the Food Connects family! Peter Dixon and Rachel Fritz Schaal answered some of our questions we had about their creamery and their amazing cheese!
How long have you been making cheese? And what inspired you to do so?
Peter made his first batches of cheese in 1983 at the Guilford Cheese Co., his family’s cheese business in Guilford, VT. Rachel started making cheese when she and Peter started Parish Hill Creamery in 2013.
What makes your produce/products unique?
At Parish Hill Creamery, we make natural cheese. Raw milk—exclusively from grazing cows, traditional rennet, sea salt from Maine, and our own autochthonous cultures—propagated continuously with milk from Elm Lea Farm. Keeping to natural cheesemaking methods means making choices that inherently limit the scale of our production but also prevent the use of shortcuts and efficiencies that would deny the expression of our terroir.
What is your favorite pairing with your cheeses?
Reverie with pickles and rye crackers. Humble with quince paste. Jack’s Blue with port or milk stout, or a drizzle of maple syrup. VT Herdsman melted in our fondue.
Why is selling locally and the local food movement is important to you?
Buying and selling locally means supporting our neighbors, knowing that land and water are being protected from extractive practices, supporting good jobs, and receiving and providing nutritious foods. Our milk comes from Elm Lea Farm, where the cows graze hill farm pastures. The apples that we press into hard cider to wash Humble come from Green Mountain Orchards. We get the beer to wash the Hermit from Hermit Thrush Brewery.
How does working with Food Connects help your business/what are you excited about in this partnership?
It has been exciting to see our wheels and wedges in restaurants and farm shops in our area—and hearing from friends that they have been able to pick up a few wedges at their local farm shops.
Any events coming up or fun facts about your business/products?
Because we are seasonal, we won’t be back at the vat until next May when (we hope!) the pastures will be lush with spring grass. We’ll spend the winter making sales calls (virtually this year), working on the websites, and developing online workshops, and hopefully, Peter will finish up his memoir!
We are happy to hold Zoom meetings with any retailer or restauranteur interested in hearing more about what we do or wanting to do a virtual tasting of the cheeses.
Mike Rainville, founder and owner of Maple Landmark, landed his first wholesale account at age 15, when a traveling salesman noticed the wooden tic tac toe boards Mike had for sale at the Lincoln General Store. That was 1979. Today, Maple Landmark supplies wooden toys—including the tic tac toe and cribbage boards that gave Mike his start—to thousands of gift shops around the world, employing 37 people at its 28,000 square-foot facility in Middlebury, Vermont.
He started making simple household items such as bobbin and spool holders, and eventually moved on to game boards. He continued woodworking throughout his college years and, in 1984, expanded his workshop in Lincoln where he hung the first “Maple Landmark” sign on the door. Officially open for business, Rainville spent the next two decades expanding, eventually acquiring two other Vermont toy making companies—Troll’s Toy Workshop and Montgomery Schoolhouse.Growing up in Lincoln, Rainville, who describes his family as “either farmers who did carpentry on the side, or carpenters who did farming on the side depending on the circumstances,” was always surrounded by tools, scrap wood, and big piles of sawdust. He started tinkering one afternoon when, bored after finishing his chores and homework, his mother suggested he go build something. “She likes to say I went down to the basement and never came back,” said Rainville.
America’s Local Toy Company
Maple Landmark supplies wooden toys to thousands of gift shops around the world, employing 37 people at its 28,000 square-foot facility in Middlebury. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.
As the product line expanded, one thing remained the same at Maple Landmark—doing business locally. For the entire history of the company, Maple Landmark has purchased the majority of its lumber from local mills that are family owned, multi-generational businesses who steward their own woodlands and work with responsible loggers.
“I’m a local guy,” said Rainville, “I deal with local people.” Early on, Exclusively Vermont Wood Products in Bristol supplied most of the wood. As the company grew, he added Johnson’s Lumber in Bristol and Gagnon Lumber in Pittsford to his suppliers. Since most items the company makes are small, they buy the low and medium grade wood not suitable for furniture, and simply work around knots or imperfections. As often as possible, they work with native species, primarily sugar maple, as well as some pine, cherry, and oak.
Less lofty principle and more rooted in Yankee practicality, working with people he knows and trusts are just “common sense” according to Rainville.
“Why bring in lumber from somewhere else when I know everyone up and down the supply chain here in Vermont?” said Rainville.
That ethos extends to other parts of the business as well, such as local banking relationships. Rainville points out that only one percent of the company’s budget goes out of the country, and they keep as much as possible right here in Vermont.
Local Toys, Global Opportunities
Rainville’s commitment to local relationships, wooden toys, and products that are “Made in the U.S.A,” came to bear in 2007 when a series of high-profile recalls revealed that overseas manufacturers were using lead and other hazardous materials in toy manufacturing. Well positioned with their product line, the company was promoted as a non-toxic alternative in national press and saw a huge surge in sales. “That year was a big turning point for us,” said Rainville, who launched their Schoolhouse Naturals line in response.
And, of course, 2020 will mark another turning point for the company, which has seen a significant shift from wholesale sales to direct-to-consumer.
“Main Street shops were struggling before the pandemic,” he said, “and the trend toward online shopping has accelerated during COVID-19.”
When the pandemic hit last spring, he sold a record number of classic board games such as Chinese checkers, and he predicts that families may be more inclined toward gifts this holiday that bring people together, and off screens, for a few hours.
All in the Family
Mike and Jill Rainville, with their sons Adam and Andrew, work together at the company’s Middlebury headquarters. Adam and Andrew have both recently joined the business, helping with production management and communications. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.
As the company’s past is rooted in family, so is its future. Rainville’s two grown sons, Adam and Andrew, have both recently joined the business, helping with production management and communications. Among their projects—revamping the website and printing the first holiday catalog the company has mailed in 16 years, both designed to drive direct sales and appeal to consumers looking for classic gifts such as wooden blocks, colorful name trains, board games, puzzles, and the painted ornaments that have become the company’s best sellers.
The company also sells build-it-yourself kits, offering a reminder from Rainville’s mother that when kids get bored, they can “go build something.”
Mikahelyis a self-taught musician who draws inspiration from traditional Malagasy rhythms and is based in Vermont who recently appeared on the podcast Rocket Shop Radio Hour, which features Vermont music and artists. He is also featured in Forevergreen: A Vermont Adventure in Music (episode 4).
On Wednesday, November 18th, Mikahely joined Genevieve Rossi on the Rocket Shop radio hour to play some beautifully written music with Malagasy roots. Originally from Madagascar, Mikahely grew up in Tomatov where he says was surrounded by music and his love for songwriting began. As he got older, he moved to the capital, Antananarivo, where he worked in a studio while writing music. He shared that the experience helped him a lot“to learn a lot of things and meet a lot of musicians.” His travels took him to the United States where he lived in Maine for a year before making his way to the Green Mountain State, where he’s been ever since. “I love it here,” he said. “I love Burlington, Vermont, and I give love to Burlington, Vermont.”
Mikahely is skilled in multiple instruments including guitar and valiha, an eighteen-string Malagasy bamboo instrument on which he played his first song of the night. He writes all of his own music and takes his inspiration from his Malagasy roots. The artist shared that he had not originally thought of pursuing music in the United States, but explained, “I grew up being a musician and I want to show people what I’ve been doing.” Vermonters have been very supportive of his work, and he said he thinks people here are loving his music. He also shared how inspired he’s been by Vermont, saying there is “much more vision” here than in many other places he’s been.
In the two years Mikahely has been in Vermont he has covered a lot of ground, playing shows throughout most of the state. Although COVID-19 slowed things down, he hasn’t stopped delivering his music to his fans across Vermont. He has performed at a few socially-distanced shows through these unique times, and his uplifting music continues to bring light to the community.
Mikahely’s second song was a Malagasy folk song that he grew up hearing, but with a slight twist: “I play it in my way,” he described, before delivering a beautiful rendition of this generational song. Here in the studio, you could feel the warmth in every line. He explained that it’s been a while since he’s played live, but that “the music is always in my heart and my brain and my soul.”
Currently, Mikahely is working on his first album. Though it is difficult to record an album while COVID-19 is still threatening the music scene, he is very excited about the process and hopeful that it will go well. He has recently released a single titled “SambyTsara,” which translates to good luck in English. His music can be found on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube. To find out more, you can check out his Facebook and his Instagram.
YEAR YOU JOINED ORGANIZATION:1999 (as a volunteer)
MONTH/YEAR YOU WERE APPOINTED TO CURRENT POSITION: April 2019
What makes you hopeful for the future?
Seeing an increased focus on creativity, compassion, and connection in our communities. As we have been forced to evaluate what is important, I continue to see people turn to artistic pursuits, I see them getting involved in their communities in new ways, and I have watched people reach out to those they care about to share their art and what they are doing to make the world a better place. The impact of that art, empathy, and connectivity can only instill hope.
What’s the most challenging part of your work currently?
Providing a literal safe place for volunteers to create. Checking state guidelines as they shift to make sure we are providing everyone in our building the safest possible environment to make art. Also: timing. Theatre is all about entrances and exits, timing for the laugh, the cymbal crash, the high kick, the light cue; without a sense of timing, we are vamping and improvising. Fortunately, in the grand tradition of theatre, sometimes improvisation leads to better performances in the future.
How have you changed as a leader in the last six months?
I’ve started to find really large amounts of joy in small victories. Establishing a sign-in sheet that properly tracks everyone in the building, yay! A Post-it note saying thank you, WOO HOO! I’ve also found a great deal of support by trusting and sharing with others. Having the awareness to know that arts organizations across the state, country, and world are dealing with similar problems, asking for help, and accepting new ideas.
What are you prioritizing?
Continued engagement with our members in whatever form that takes and a commitment to keeping the safety of our community at the forefront. From mask-making efforts to access to our Creative Space, we have continued to both reach out to our members to get them involved while putting the health of our volunteers, staff, and audiences at the top of our list.
How do you see your relationship with your audience evolving over the next five years?
I’m anticipating a stronger voice for and connection with our audience as they help us mold what comes next. Due to the challenges we are all facing, it has really compelled us to examine who our audience is, what they are craving, and how they’d like to engage with us. We took our first steps this fall and cast a wide net. We explored simple and straightforward social media content, outdoor live performance options, and we are working on streaming content right now. We are looking forward to feedback on all these different options and seeing what direction our volunteers and our audiences are drawn to. Regardless of what type of theatre Lyric is creating, we are dedicated to remaining a community center for people to engage in volunteerism and art in exciting ways.
How can cultural institutions and organizations participate in the current call for creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world?
We can listen to the community we are a part of, we can actively seek out and invest in bringing new voices to the table with organizational resources, and we can amplify the voices of those who are already engaged in this work but may not yet be connected with the arts. This begins with cultural competency for leaders within the arts community, with acknowledgement and recognition of the many voices that have gone unheard. There needs to be transparency, accountability, and funding in the work being done to improve justice and equity in our creative spaces.
What are some lessons learned or advice that you can share with other organizations who are grappling with the multi-faceted challenges of this time?
Your history, your connection with the community, and your reputation will all remain intact if you try something new. We can’t be precious about what has been and the way we have done things. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, and I think the steps we are all being forced to take right now will only enrich our organizations and expand our potential offerings in the future.
