Buy Haywood - News

Major Retail Grocer Links Up With Haywood County, NC Farmers

Waynesville, NC – August 12, 2008 – Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, is selling Haywood County farm products at its North Carolina stores in Winston-Salem and the Research Triangle area. Farm products to be featured include: tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

The partnership has developed quickly, from a suggestion and a phone number from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to a meeting and farm tour in the Bethel area of Haywood County to detailed discussions at a recent Whole Foods Market summit in Raleigh.

“At each Whole Foods Market store, we emphasize buying high quality products from local and regional farms, and that’s what makes the Buy Haywood program such a good fit for us,” said Brent Demarest, Regional Produce Purchasing Team Leader for Whole Foods Market. “We see great potential here to grow together.”

The Buy Haywood marketing efforts are really beginning to pay off.

“This is very exciting news for our participating farmers,” said Bryan Sullivan, Marketing Specialist for the Buy Haywood program. “We’re thrilled to link up with such a strong leader in the retail marketplace.”

Founded in 1980, Whole Foods Market now has more than 270 stores in 37 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Their market focus includes an emphasis on providing customers with the highest quality natural and organic products available.

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers. The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

For more information, visit: Buy Haywood at: http://www.buyhaywood.com and Whole Foods Market at: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/.

 

Buy Haywood Project Announces Product Search Contest Winners

Waynesville, NC – June 30, 2008 – The Buy Haywood Market Development Project is excited to announce that their panel of expert judges has chosen the winners for their value-added product contest.  All winning recipes will utilize Haywood County tomatoes.  

Chef Charles Hudson of Sunburst Trout Company in Canton, NC, took first place with a smoked tomato jam, and Chef Ricardo Fernandez, owner of the Lomo Grill in downtown Waynesville, NC, took second and third with a Mediterranean pasta sauce and also a hot and spicy “Mucho Macho” sauce, respectively.  The contest was very competitive, with many viable recipes.

When evaluating the smoked tomato jam, one judge wrote, “I’ve never had anything like it; the texture is very good.”

Chef Fernandez also received accolades for his winning sauces. One judge loved the combination of olives and capers in the Mediterranean sauce, and another indicated that the Mucho Macho was “just right.” 

All the judges agreed that these top three entries, in addition to being delicious, also included the most professional marketing plans to aid in getting the product on store shelves.   

The panel of judges was comprised of a team of marketing and food experts and included: Jill Frazer of Blue Ridge Food Ventures; Bill Yarborough of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture; Jean Burton with North Carolina Cooperative Extension; Mike Ferguson, Market Manager for the WNC Farmers’ Market; Tres Hundertmark, Executive Chef at the Lobster Trap in Asheville, NC; CeCe Hipps of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce; and Mark Clasby, Executive Director for the Haywood County Economic Development Commission.   

Charles Hudson, Research and Development Chef for Sunburst Trout Company said, “We are very excited about this.”  Hudson explains that the smoked tomato jam will be best used on biscuits, bagels or even baked brie. It can also be used as an ingredient in salad dressings, marinades and cheese spreads. “The product is versatile and will hopefully become a staple in homes as well as commercial kitchens,” Hudson says.

Chef Fernandez is equally enthusiastic and touts his award-winning products as “authentic Appalachian tomato sauces.”

“These products include locally-grown ingredients featuring sustainable agriculture practices, gourmet recipes and appeal, and all natural ingredients,” Fernandez says.      

The product search winners will receive support from project marketing partners, including assistance with product development, business planning, marketing, and promotion.

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.  The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

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Buy Haywood - Archived News

"Buy Haywood" Video Wins Best of the Mountains' Multi-media Communication Award

Waynesville, NC – April 28, 2008 – The tomatoes of Haywood County are off to a roaring start for the summer of 2008, and it all started with a short video produced locally by Stellar Media.  First, Haywood County tomatoes traveled the Internet via this web-based video; then a writer watched the video and wrote about the Buy Haywood project in an agricultural magazine distributed to over one million readers in Europe.  Now, that same video has won the multi-media category award for the “Best of the Mountains,” a contest hosted by the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina (PRAWNC).
  
The “Best of the Mountains” recognizes excellence in public relations and marketing communications in Western North Carolina.  Awards are presented to regional communication professionals who are recognized for outstanding marketing and public relations techniques and designs.

“This project was fantastic! It’s an excellent example of the incredible talent that our region has to offer,” Amy Smialowicz, PRAWNC President, said.

The voices for the video are also local, with Kristin Yarborough and Mark Terry narrating the 84-second video.  A shorter, 30-second version has also been produced with possible television use in mind.  The video can be seen online at www.buyhaywood.com/video.html.

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.  The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

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Buy Haywood Project Announces New Product Search Contest

Waynesville, NC – April 2008 – Do you have a recipe that you think deserves national recognition?  If so, the Buy Haywood Market Development Project has put out a call for entries for value-added products that will utilize Haywood county tomatoes.  

“It’s kind of like ‘American Idol’ for a food product that utilizes these wonderful tomatoes,” said George Ivey, coordinator of the Buy Haywood project.  “We are opening the product search contest to anyone who is seriously interested in working towards putting a new or existing value-added item on grocery store shelves.”

Interested participants will be asked to submit a short application form, a basic business plan, recipe, and prototype of the product (no more than 12 ounces) for judge review and tasting.   The deadline for all entries is Monday, June 16.  For a complete list of rules and information, please visit http://www.buyhaywood.com/valueadded.html.

The winners of the product search – an overall winner and two runner-ups – will receive support from project marketing partners to make the idea a reality, including assistance with product development, business planning, marketing, and promotion.

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.  The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

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“Buy Haywood” Adds Greenhouse and Nursery Products

Waynesville, NC – April 2008 - While the Buy Haywood Market Development Project is most closely associated with efforts to promote sales of Haywood County tomatoes and other produce, the project is widening its reach in 2008 to include greenhouse and nursery products.

“When these plants are grown in Haywood County, they support local farm jobs, the local economy, and farmland preservation,” said George Ivey, coordinator of the Buy Haywood project.  “Products grown locally are also fresher than products shipped in from other states.  That’s good news for consumers, too.”

One of the program’s participants, Rux Gardens, is a retail nursery that grows premium annuals, herbs, perennials, and shrubs.  They decided to be part of the greenhouse and nursery promotions, because they want to integrate more into the community.

“We are proud to grow all of our own plants,” said Trish Rux, owner.  “Not only do our customers get better quality when they buy local, but they are getting a product that is already acclimated to the area.

“When people buy local, they are also reducing their overall footprint, and saving money because there are no additional fuel charges associated with the cost of the plants,” said Rux. “It’s a win-win situation.”    

For more information on participating greenhouses and nurseries, go online to http://www.buyhaywood.com/greenhouse.html

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.  The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Tobacco to Tomatoes: Buy Haywood Project Introduced in Europe

Waynesville, NC – February 19, 2008 – Why are Europeans reading about Haywood County, NC?

Recently, a journalist, Benny Manocchia, learned about the Buy Haywood Market Development Project -- a project that seeks to improve awareness, interest, and sales of fruits, vegetables, and other farm products grown in Haywood County, NC. The project receives most of its direct financial support from the Golden LEAF Foundation, which provides grants to help tobacco farmers to transition to other crops. Manocchia quickly decided that it would make a great story for the publication, L’Informatore Argario, a European agricultural magazine.

“As a journalist, I have traveled through many states and countries and I love North Carolina and its people,” Manocchia said. “When I read the story about how tobacco funding is now being used to improve agriculture in North Carolina, I knew that it would be interesting for our European readers. It’s wonderful how a negative situation has been turned into a positive one.”

In Italy, L’Informatore Argario is distributed to 690,000 subscribers; it’s also distributed, in native languages in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and England.

Mark Clasby, Executive Director of the Haywood County Economic Development Commission is very pleased with the international attention.

“We continue to focus on developing strong local and regional markets for our products, but we’re very encouraged that people around the world are taking notice.”

The Golden LEAF Foundation is also excited about the international press.

Valeria Lee, the foundation’s president, said “we are proud to support this project that generates new markets for Haywood County produce and, at the same time, benefits the agricultural community throughout the state.”

For more information about the project and to view a video about the importance of buying local and supporting sustainable agriculture, visit: www.BuyHawyood.org

Golden LEAF Foundation Renews Support for Buy Haywood

The Golden LEAF Foundation has approved a second grant of $60,000 to continue the Buy Haywood Market Development Project in 2008.

The funds will be utilized to support additional marketing and food safety training for local farmers and farm workers, to test the market potential of Haywood County branded products, and to increase sales of Haywood County products through local and regional retailers/grocers, wholesalers, restaurants, and consumers. 

Building on efforts from 2007 to highlight Haywood County tomatoes, the Buy Haywood project will expand in 2008 to feature several additional Haywood County products, including green peppers, cucumbers, and nursery and greenhouse stock.  The Buy Haywood project will also explore opportunities for developing value-added products that feature Haywood County produce.

For more information, please contact George Ivey, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator, (828) 712-6474.

Buy Haywood Recipe Competition Winners Chosen

 

On October 1, “Bultitos de Puerco” (Little Bundles of Pork) took the grand prize in the 2007 Buy Haywood Tomato Recipe Contest.  The competition was limited to culinary arts professionals, and the big winners were local Haywood County restaurateurs. 

The grand-prize-winning dish was presented by Maria Pressley of Maria’s Mexican Pueblo restaurant.  Judges for the competition included several Haywood County business people and members of the Buy Haywood Project Team.  The group felt the dish was unique and delicious.

“The combination of pork chops and rice, mixed together with Haywood County-grown potatoes, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, herbs, and eggs, made for a terrific dish.  The presentation was outstanding, and everyone agreed this was the top dish of the evening,” said Marty Nicholson, a marketing consultant working on the Buy Haywood project.

For more information about Maria’s winning dish, please visit the Buy Haywood recipe page, or stop by Maria’s Mexican Pueblo restaurant at 67 Branner Avenue in downtown Waynesville, (phone 828-456-6413).

The top salad and appetizer items came from the Sunset Organization, which operates several restaurants in Haywood County, as well as a catering business.  The salad consisted of a fresh Haywood County tomato, cut into four slices and covered with four different toppings (goat cheese, basil, pesto, and red onions) and drizzled with olive oil and fresh herbs.  Their Crab-Stuffed Tomato won for best appetizer.  That dish consisted of a large Haywood County tomato, stuffed with crab meat, topped with parmesan cheese, plated in a dish, and surrounded by Charleston-style grits over a tomato puree base.  For more information on the Sunset Organization, check out their website: www.sunsetorganization.com/.