Hosted by Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), with Special Guest Senator Bernie Sanders, the 16th Annual Taste of Vermont Reception in Washington, D.C., is set for Thursday, November 9, 6:00-8:00 p.m.!

Guests will indulge their senses and savor the best of Vermont’s culinary delights, as more than 30 of the state’s leading brands come together to showcase their extraordinary food, beverages, and values-led commitments.

From artisanal cheeses to craft beverages, maple-infused treats to gourmet chocolates, this event is a celebration of Vermont’s rich agricultural heritage and community-centered business values.

This annual event – held in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill – is well known throughout the Capital Region for its dynamic showcase of Vermont specialty food and beverage products.

Post-event press release with quotations from Senator Sanders, Senator Welch, Representative Balint and VBSR can be found here. Select event and roundtable photos from the full Taste of Vermont day can be found below.

Thank you for the generous support of the following sponsors:

Lead Sponsor: Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC)

As the certified non-profit economic development corporation serving Chittenden County, GBIC is dedicated to implementing our vision of a thriving Lake Champlain region. This includes an economic environment providing meaningful employment consistent with an uncompromised natural environment, while enabling present and future generations of Vermonters to live, learn, work, and play in the Champlain Valley.

GBIC strives to attract, retain, and expand environmentally sensitive high-paying jobs in the Champlain Valley, and to initiate and support advocacy, education, and collaborative programs in promoting our Vision.

As of November, 2023, Vermont’s largest airport has been officially renamed the “Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport,” or “Leahy BTV” for short, in honor of Senator Patrick Leahy and his lasting contributions to the Airport, to the City of Burlington, and to Vermont. BTV is focused every day on making smart choices about our energy use and impact on the environment. Through local partnerships and the support of several local, state, and regional energy plans and targets, they are committed to be a leader in advancing sustainability within the great State of Vermont.

The company operates on a three-part mission that puts product, economic, and social goals on equal standing. Social mission campaigns focus on fighting for environmental and social justice, with the sweet spot landing where those areas overlap, such as climate change. Ben & Jerry’s Climate Change campaigns urge people to collectively call on elected leaders to support a rapid transition to the clean energy economy of the future.

A global software company, serving 6,000+ hospitals and laboratories in 85+ countries, Data Innovations has been the industry leader for more than 30 years. They believe that when they enable clinical labs of every size to harness innovation and optimize performance across all disciplines, they empower them to focus on what matters most: their patients. Their leading solutions, world-class service, and support for an open ecosystem transform lab enterprise management.

Farm Credit East is a specialized lender and financial services leader that has been committed to Northeast agriculture, commercial fishing and forest products for more than 100 years. The customer-owned cooperative serves farmers, nursery and greenhouse operators, vineyard owners and operators, forest products producers, fishermen, part-time growers, and agribusinesses. Farm Credit East’s Country Living program provides financing for land and rural homes. In addition to loans and leases, Farm Credit East provides financial services, such as payroll, tax preparation, recordkeeping and business consulting, to help Northeast farm businesses be successful.

To deliver the data infrastructure technology that connects the world, Marvell builds solutions on the most powerful foundation: their partnerships with their customers. Trusted by the world’s leading technology companies for over 25 years, they move, store, process and secure the world’s data with semiconductor solutions designed for their customers’ current needs and future ambitions. Through a process of deep collaboration and transparency, they’re ultimately changing the way tomorrow’s enterprise, cloud, automotive, and carrier architectures transform—for the better.

Vermont’s Commercial Real Estate Leader Since 1951. Pomerleau Real Estate is one of the largest full service real estate firms in Vermont. Our Brokers are a dynamic force in the community; our in-house property maintenance crew is easily accessible; our commitment and dedication are unmatched.

Tucked away in Vermont’s Champlain Islands, Sunset Lake CBD’s beginnings are rooted in Vermont dairy. In 2018, Sam Bellavance saw an opportunity to diversify his family’s dairy farm with its first hemp crop. Sunset Lake CBD was founded with the guiding principles of farmer ownership, honest pay, and dignified work and practices sustainable farming techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), crop rotation, and cover cropping. Today, Sunset Lake ships craft CBD products from our farm directly to your door, serving all 50 states and US territories.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) facilitates, supports and encourages the growth and viability of agriculture in Vermont while protecting the working landscape, human health, animal health, plant health, consumers and the environment.

The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as a permanent source of support for the state. They are a family of hundreds of funds and foundations created by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. They provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make giving easy and inspiring. Together, their funds and programs provide more than $60 million a year in grants in Vermont and beyond.

Since 2005, the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) team has worked with entrepreneurs helping to crystallize concepts, assemble teams, craft business models, secure resources and locate early customers. VCET’s programs and capital funds offer select early stage firms substantive business mentoring along with traditional business incubator services and infrastructure.

(Photos courtesy of the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders and VBSR; additional images can be seen at VBSR’s Instagram page)