June 30, 2004
Stonyfield Farm staff turn to Sumo wrestling
At the annual summer gathering of Stonyfield Farm employees this past weekend, all of us on the farm got to take in a New Hampshire Fisher Cats game. The Fisher Cats are our state's new minor league team, playing their inaugural season this year. Hijinks between innings had one of our office managers, Karen, pictured here, and Tracy, from Human Resources, wrestling with each other in Sumo outfits. In daily life, we hardly ever see Karen and Tracy wrestling with each other. A good time was had by all. Thanks to wrestler Karen for organizing this outing for us! (She's really quite tall and lanky.)
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June 29, 2004
Clearing the trails, one yogurt at a time
The tireless workers of the Randolph Mountain Club
have been enjoying Stonyfield yogurt this season as they work to maintain the rugged and beautiful trails of New Hampshire’s White Mountains (you oughtta come hike these some time, if you haven’t already). They tell us they’re using yogurt to power them through their day. We were happy to provide them with our smoothies and Moolala, but it seems they’re purists—they requested our Whole Milk Plain and some Banilla and Strawberry. We’re happy to oblige, as long as they keep the trails clear!
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June 28, 2004
Summertime and the sampling is easy
Summer means our team of Community Marketing folks are out there at dozens of events each weekend, making sure samples of our yogurts get into the hands—and mouths—of the curious and the hungry. You’ll see our bright yellow “You Can’t Fake This” booth just about everywhere, often also handing out free toothbrushes made from recycled yogurt cups, and pencils made from recycled blue jeans. Check our listings of eventsNew England and Mid-Atlantic states eventsto see if we're coming to a neighborhood near you.
June 25, 2004
How to drink a smoothie, Step One: open your mouth
Our Community Marketing Team is always on the go at trade shows and special events, where we hand out free samples and talk to people about our products. We have special teams of samplers who do this for us, and they always report back from their experiences in the field. Karin, of our Chicago-area team, reported two weeks ago that she had two business associates step up to the Stonyfield sampling booth for their free Stonyfield Strawberry Smoothies. Karin writes: “The well-dressed man opened his smoothie and went to take a sip, but he must have forgotten to open his mouth because it dripped all over his suit! He was so embarrassed, but he just looked up and said, ‘That's delicious!’ and walked away. (I think he went straight to the bathroom!)"
June 24, 2004
Did the original Patriots have to go through security checks?
As we wrote about earlier, we’re staging a Boston T Party this whole week, handing out yogurt samples to the commuters in the Boston subway system. Doesn’t sound that complicated, does it? It wasn’t, until the Democratic National Convention and new security measures came to town. Now our team of nice folks who hand out samples were required to first be cleared by security, which I guess makes sense in these trying times. But, filling out the forms and going through security orientation actually delayed this event by one week! Not only will they be handing out samples in the T, they’ll be dropping in to some of the high rise office buildings (by invitation) to bring samples to anyone who happens by. Why all the freebies? Well, for one thing, we know that once people try our stuff, they’re hooked for life!
June 23, 2004
Boston T-Party, Day 3
By now, maybe you've seen some people dressed like this roaming the Boston subway system this week?
In a salute to commuters, we've donned our berets to hand out Moolala (our premium yogurt) and smoothies to the working folks of Boston who choose public transportation over driving. The black-hatted ones will be doing this all week during morning and evening rush hours. Nearly 824,000 people ride the MBTA daily, the third highest percentage of public transportation users in the country. That’s good for the environment and good for Boston!
We tip our berets to Boston's commuting workforce!
June 22, 2004
Keeping our fighting forces in mind
Here at Stonyfield Farm headquarters, we are proud to display photos of all the soldiers on active duty who are relatives of our Londonderry, NH employees. Above, 2LT Matthew St. Pierre, United States Army, son of Nancy St. Pierre of our Quality Control Lab, is pictured.
June 21, 2004
We’re staging another T Party in Boston
No, it’s not a gang of mimes. Those folks in black berets and black t-shirts in the Boston subway system this week are our own Stonyfield Farm staff handing out samples of Moo-la-la, our creamy-style organic yogurt. (Get it? Moo-la-la? French Berets?) and our smoothies. The black-hatted ones will be strategically stationed at Boston’s T-Stops mornings and evenings to hand out the yogurt and smoothies as a way of saying thanks to commuters who leave their cars at home. Nearly 824,000 people ride the MBTA daily, the third highest percentage of public transportation users in the country. That’s good for the environment and good for Boston!
“With fossil fuel prices and climate change warnings at all time highs, we all need to think about conserving,” says our CE'Yo Gary. “There are lots of ways that we can all reduce energy usage and the pollution caused by fuel burning. ‘T’ riders do it every day. Each commuter saves hundreds of gallons of gasoline per year.”
We tip our berets to Boston's commuting workforce!
June 18, 2004
We’ve gone to the dogs (and hogs and even the dragons)
Part of Stonyfield Farm lore (it’s true) is that any yogurt we produce here which doesn’t, for one reason or another, measure up to our usual high standards, gets shipped to a local hog farmer who feeds it to his hogs. For example, on one of our assembly lines, sometimes the filled cups don’t quite make a tricky turn and they splat onto the floor. Hogs will eat anything, and we’re grateful not to let this stuff go to waste. This week we’ve been amused by a series of e-mails with an animal theme. One yogurt eater reports she buys 4 or 5 of our large, 32-ounce yogurts a week. That’s a lot, we thought, until we see that she’s also feeding it to her dogs! “My self and my dogs love it. Yes, my dogs. They eat a raw diet and yogurt is part of their morning meal. That is what originally got me to use this yogurt. I was looking for a good organic one.”
Well, that wasn’t that surprising—we’ve heard of dogs snarfing up our yogurts before. But then we got this note: “I've been a client for years. I LOVE the banilla (BaNilla Blast) yogurt. I buy 4 to 6, 32-ounce yogurts every week. Also, my Asian water dragon loves it, too. She’s on a diet...too many crickets!”
Well, we’re happy to contribute to the weight loss efforts of dragons. Anytime.
June 17, 2004
Organic snack food is in
Check out today's USA Today Money Section, focusing on the rise of organic snack foods in the grocery aisle. According to the article, sales of organic chips, nuts, nutrition bars and candy jumped 29.6% last year. That was outpaced only by organic meats (including poultry and fish), according to data supplied by the Organic Trade Association. The USA Today site features a poll: Would you be willing to pay more for organic snacks?
June is National Dairy Month. Take a cow to lunch.
Better yet, just have some yogurt, milk or cheese—for lunch, breakfast, and dinner. Three servings a day are what the experts recommend for the right amount of calcium and nine essential vitamins and minerals that can build strong bones and healthy bodies (If it’s a Stonyfield product, you can count on six beneficial cultures and inulin, too!) The a U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that most Americans get only half the recommended three servings of milk and milk products each day. Roughly half of all adult women do not even drink one glass of milk a day. The USDA also says that the average teen drinks 868 cans of soft drinks per year (more than two cans a day!) and is also not getting enough calcium daily. But, don't take our word for it. Visit the American Dairy Association for tricks to get your kids, and yourself, to claim their calcium.
June 16, 2004
A sweet note about being without artificial sweeteners
We do love hearing from our yogurt-eating fans and a lot of people are nice enough to take the time to write. We don’t wish to brag, but we wanted to share this e-mail from a fan, who sort of hit our whole mission right on the head:
“Finally a company has made a non-fat and low fat yogurt without using the icky, aftertaste of artificial sweetners. Your yogurt is delicious! The calories per package are the same as other name brands…, but they add those gross artificial sweetners and you don't. I first bought your [YoBaby] products for my children before I discovered your adult-sized, lower fat versions. Keep making this yogurt. PLEASE. It's the richest, creamiest low and non-fat yogurt I've ever tasted. Don't ever add artificial ingredients, please. Your yogurt is too good to be true.”
Ok. Stop. Now you’re embarassing us.
June 15, 2004
At long last--Gurt
I've been promising for weeks to show you a photo of Gurt, our mascot in lids. In the true recycling spirit we try to foster here, she's made entirely of Stonyfield Farm yogurt cup lids. Gurt made her debut at a special event last summer in New York City, but now she mostly stays near to home. When she's not out at a sampling of Stonyfield products somewhere nearby, she stands in the corner of the Stonyfield Farm conference room, keeping her watchful, lidded eye on all of our meetings.
--Chris, Chief Blogger
Current yogurt obsession: Vanilla Smoothies
June 11, 2004
Tackle those summer weeds without pesticides!
We were pleased to get a report from the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) yesterday. They said that some 800 Stonyfield "Moos from the Farm" newsletter subscribers had signed up with the organization, taking a pledge not to use pesticides in their homes and gardens. We realize we didn't make this offer known to the rest of our Stonyfield.com readers, so here it is:
Interested in trying pesticide-free solutions for your pest and weed problems, but not sure how to do it? The people at the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) want to help. The Coalition just launched its Healthier Homes and Gardens program and is asking people to take the following pledge:
“I want a healthier home and garden. I'll try pesticide-free solutions for my pest and weed problems."
When you sign the pledge, you’ll receive:
• Monthly e-mail tips about pesticide-free solutions for common pest
problems.
• NCAP’s toll-free number to call with pest and weed questions.
• Information about NCAP, with action alerts on government policies relating to pesticides and announcements about events in your area.
Visit NCAP and take the Healthier Homes and Gardens pledge. Or e-mail the coalition at info@pesticide.org. Plus, you can help the NCAP reach its goal of over 10,000 pledgers by e-mailing this notice to all your friends and family!
June 07, 2004
Tough duty. Somebody has to taste the yogurt
While the Yogurt Works here at Stonyfield Farm is constantly developing new products (we can't say what we're working on at the moment--sorry), there comes a point when the lab folks--who have labored over formulas, adjusted and readjusted, measured and experimented--just have to enlist somebody to taste the darn stuff! They put out a call for volunteeers among us Farm employees and then they break out the spoons! Here, several members of our human resources and accounting staffs taste and sample, and record their findings at a taste-test last week. It's all very scientific, but what it comes down to is good taste!
June 04, 2004
Chef can't imagine not cooking with yogurt
We talked with a wonderful chef recently. She is part of the Chef’s Collaborative, which is an organization of chefs and food groups who agree to use locally grown produce and organic products whenever possible. We supported the Chef’s Collaborative effort with our Profits for the Planet program. Chef Claire Criscuolo owns Claire's Corner Copia , a vegetarian restaurant in New Haven, CT. She's also a registered nutritionist.
Q: What’s your favorite way to use yogurt in cooking?
A: Whew! This is also a difficult question to answer - I've grown up on yogurt and can't imagine a day without it! I love it for eating plain, baking with it for a tender crust in pie dough, cakes, and muffins, dressings. Curries and yogurt were meant for each other. Yogurt in a dressing, smoothie, and soup. I can't say that I have a favorite way to use yogurt, but that I can't imagine not using yogurt in so many of my favorite dishes.
--Chef Claire Criscuolo Claire's Corner Copia
New Haven, CT
June 03, 2004
Fear of tofu? Get over it
We talked with a wonderful chef recently. She is part of the Chef’s Collaborative, which is an organization of chefs and food groups who agree to use locally grown produce and organic products whenever possible. We supported the Chef’s Collaborative effort with our Profits for the Planet program. Chef Claire Criscuolo owns Claire's Corner Copia , a vegetarian restaurant in New Haven, CT. She's also a registered nutritionist.
Q: What do you think the benefits are to cooking with soy? Can you help neophytes get over their fear of tofu?
A: Soy is a complete protein, rich in isoflavones, and associated with many health benefits: it potentially reduces chances of getting cancer and lowers cholesterol --- and this is just half of the picture. It’s like a little sponge for flavors that you can add. Roast it, stir-fry it, poach it in a flavorful sauce, blend it for a dressing or a mousse, bake with it - it's a powerhouse. If we can get people to taste tofu prepared in a delicious way, they are sold!
--Claire, Claire's Corner Copia
New Haven, CT
June 02, 2004
The best chefs relish summer produce
We talked with a wonderful chef recently. She is part of the Chef’s Collaborative, which is an organization of chefs and food groups who agree to use locally grown produce and organic products whenever possible. We supported the Chef’s Collaborative effort with our Profits for the Planet program. Chef Claire Criscuolo, who owns Claire's Corner Copia in New Haven, CT, is also a registered nutritionist.
Q: As summer approaches, you must be looking forward to getting fresh, local vegetables again. Do you have some favorites for the summer season?
A: We especially appreciate summer produce - the season is so short for us here in New England. My favorites are the first, tender spinach. We just got in our first-of-the-season spinach from Common Ground High School, where some of our organic produce is grown. As the season continues, we will enjoy asparagus -- we have the largest farm producer in New England, right here in Connecticut. Squash blossoms are just wonderful, tender spring greens, those amazing summer tomatoes, the chives, and –all have been a joy to use. Summer vegetables are always special for their flavor, and just knowing that we are buying from our neighbors, helping to support our neighborhoods, are a couple more of the many reasons to buy local and to buy organic. I know this answer is long, but there is just so much to say about summer produce!
--Claire, Claire's Corner Copia
New Haven, CT
June 01, 2004
O'Naturals "fast food" is planning to grow
In his “spare time”, Gary has founded an exciting new company based on the idea that “fast” food doesn’t have to be nutritionally lousy food. O’Natural’s now has four New England-based natural and organic fast food restaurants, with more on the way. Gary says he was tired of scrambling for healthy food while driving his kids around to soccer games and on family vacations. We asked his co-founder Mac McCabe a few questions about how this new venture is going. (He’s O’Naturals President and CEO, but likes to refer to himself as Chief Executive O’Naturalist.)
Q: What's the next step for O'Naturals? Will you eventually replace McDonald's on the nation's highways and byways?
Mac answers:
A: Well, we are talking a lot about that these days. We plan to continue to grow, initially in New England and then beyond. But we want to do it at a pace that ensures that we manage growth in a way that the customers continue to be as happy as they are now.