Pepper Orders!
Hey Friends,
Are you thinking about farming right now? The farmers are.
This is the point in the year when seeds are being ordered, field maps are getting sketched out, and everyone is crossing their fingers for a long, stretch of perfect Vermont weather. While they are planning their rows, I am planning our peppers. I just finalized our projected needs for the 2026 growing season. About 26,000 pounds of produce. I send our totals to the farms we work with, they tell me what they can grow and at what price, and then I spread our orders across all of them.
Price matters, of course. But it is not the top line on my spreadsheet. I let our farms set their pricing because I want them farming next year and the year after that. I buy across a network so that one bad season does not wipe us out. That stability means we can keep ordering more peppers every year, and they can keep planting them. It is a relationship, not a transaction.
Forecasting our need is hard. We have to estimate production nearly two years in advance. In 2021 I wildly over-ordered red Serranos and we are still cooking through them. That hurt. But when harvest rolls around and I get the email that says, “Picking your peppers this morning, see you this afternoon,” it all feels worth it. They arrive fresh, we wash them, freeze them, and lock in that just-picked flavor without them ever sitting in some random transportation warehouse somewhere.
Those peppers are why our sauces taste the way they do. If you have ever wondered why they are so bright, so balanced, so alive, this is it. Support the farms, taste the difference, and stock up on your favorites today.
❤️ Claire
BBVT CEO & Founder
