Saratoga Business Journal
By Susan Elise Campbell
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County has taken over management of the Taste NY shop at the Adirondacks Welcome Center in Glens Falls, according to Greg Stevens, assistant director of the extension.
For those unfamiliar with CCE, it is a subsidiary of Cornell University, the land grant university for New York. CCE translates Cornell’s world renowned, science-based research into knowledge through educational programs administered by independent associations in nearly every county in the state.
“We are about building vibrant communities through education,” said Stevens, who has a 26-year career with CCE.
Stevens oversees the 4-H Youth Development Program and the Family and Consumer Science Program for the Saratoga extension. There is a third area, Agriculture, which Stevens said is how land grant universities were established.
Taste NY was launched by New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets to highlight the quality, diversity, and economic impact of food and beverages grown, produced, or processed in the state, says the department’s web site. Its events, promotions, and stores are seen state-wide.
A Taste NY store has been operating in the Adirondacks Welcome Center located between Northway Exits 17 and 18 with oversight by the Lake George Visitors Center. The Department of Agriculture and Markets approached CCE to see if the Saratoga association would be interested in taking over.
“We are always looking for more programs to benefit the community and that align with our mission,” Stevens said. “This was an exciting opportunity to connect our farmers with the residents, tourists, and travelers coming up the Northway.”
It would be CCE of Saratoga’s responsibility to apply annually for the grant to fund the Taste NY store. Stevens said that in June the association had the grant to take on an existing staff of six who order product, maintain inventory, and keep the store’s shelves stocked.
Or rather, keep the six vending machines stocked. CCE is zoned on the Northway to have only vending machines, Stevens said.
“You might look at them and think, CCE is in the vending machine business?” he said. “In reality, we are bringing the farmers out to the community and educating them about the quality products our growers in Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties bring to the region.”
The machines have a wide assortment of local food and beverage products. Some examples are local honey, seasonal salads, maple syrup, soft drinks, candy, and mainstays including Saratoga water, “I love NY” merchandise, and more.
There could be hundreds of products that the on-site staff rotates in the vending machines, Stevens said.
“There are so many amazing local farms and businesses in the region, which is why taking over this Taste NY area is such a good fit for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, staff is planning tastings and events throughout the three counties. Stevens said the Saratoga extension partners with Warren and Washington counties CCEs, assisting farm businesses in those areas who would like to get their products into the vending machines at Adiriondacks Welcome Center.
“We can assist with packaging and promotion to help them connect to the consumer,” he said. “We are a larger extension, we have the capacity, and we see this as an opportunity for the growth of CCE in the entire tri-county area.”
Stevens said CCE of Saratoga weighed the pros and cons of taking on this program and liked what they saw on paper.
“But when we toured the facility, it was amazing. These products tell a story of small farmers trying to make it,” he said, “And as a cooperative, we know so many more farmers and producers we work with on a daily basis who we can bring to market and into the community.”
Stevens said the staff “has a passion for the facility” and they enjoy communicating to visitors the stories of the farmers, talking to them about the region, and answering questions about goings-on in the area, “almost like tour guides.”
“And now we are getting these individuals out into the communities doing tastings and events,” Stevens said.
The contract to manage Taste NY ends next May 31 and the extension will have to reapply for grant money.
“Our expectation is very clear. We are all about agricultural economic development, education, and building strong communities,” said Stevens. “Through Taste NY and Adirondacks Welcome Center, we have another avenue to fulfill our mission.”
“It’s a special place,” he said. “It’s hard not to leave there with a passion for how we, through vending machines, are able to connect small farmers to not only our counties but also to people around the state, the country, and up to Canada.”
Get a taste of what New York’s farmers and producers have to offer at the Adirondacks Welcome Center, northbound between Exits 17 and 18 of the Northway.