Your Fresh Food Connection


Sean Buchanan, president of Black River Produce for the past six and half years, gave Rotarians and friends of Rotary an overview of the state’s largest fresh food network. With 187 employees and about $70 million in annual sales, Black River has flourished as its customers call for fresh, locally grown food. In 2013, Black River opened a 50,000 square foot meat processing plant to further expand its operation. Black River is a customer service oriented company. If a chef calls for “paper thin sliced bacon” or “chocolate covered ants,” Black River will go to great lengths to accommodate those requests. Black River also makes a commitment to its two hundred producers and suppliers to transport and sell products in a timely fashion. They also provide technical support for producers seeking to enhance pasture development and high quality livestock sourcing. As a “fresh food connection,” the operation has a range and level of complexity that serves not only Vermont but the greater New England and New York markets.