CORNING, N.Y. — Taste NY and Finger Lakes Farm Country, a five-county collaboration that is working to spotlight the region’s diverse agricultural producers, today announced the kick-off Taste NY Business-to-Business event. The Taste NY-sponsored networking opportunity is taking place in coordination with the Finger Lakes Farm Country Conference and Taste FLXpo, a special event designed to connect Finger Lakes farms and food and beverage businesses with new markets and to boost tourism in the region. The conference and expo deliver on the Governor’s State of the State promise to provide new business and marketing opportunities to grow the agricultural industry.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County Program Educator Roger Ort said, “Agriculture and tourism are the two mainstays of the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes Farm Country Conference and Taste FLXpo offer a wonderful opportunity to showcase the many and varied agricultural products generated here and to share our agritourism story with a much wider audience. We are grateful for the support of the organizers and sponsors of these events and the many farmers, vineyards and specialty crop producers who have taken time to participate.”
Steuben County CVB President Kevin Costello said, “Local food, drink and agritourism experiences are such an important component to travel now. If you don’t have a solid local food and beverage experience, visitors will consider another destination. Finger Lakes Farm Country Conference and Taste FLXpo will be a step forward for us regionally in developing a solid agritourism and local foodie network and promotion. We are thrilled Taste NY has come in as our lead sponsor and will participate in both events to help launch their statewide efforts in creating new agribusiness-to-business relationships in conjunction with our efforts to connect local farms, food and beverage producers with new markets and visitors.”
State Agriculture Commissioner Ball said, “Taste NY is proud to sponsor the Conference and Expo as part of its regional Business-to-Business Taste NY Networking events that are aimed at connecting New York farms, food and beverage businesses with buyers from institutions, retail locations, restaurants, bars, and distributors. The goal of our networking events is to help match businesses interested in buying local products with farmers and agricultural producers in their area. We thank all of our partners for hosting this great event.”
The Taste FLXpo, developed by tourism promotion organizations and Cornell Cooperative Extension representatives from Tioga, Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, and Yates Counties as part of the new Finger Lakes Farm Country initiative, will take place on February 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. Open to buyers, retailers, restaurants and food lovers, the Taste FLXpo is an opportunity to meet farmers and learn about various foods grown in the area, as well as where and how to purchase those foods. The evening event will include food trucks, tasting samples of locally-grown foods, Finger Lakes wine and craft beverage tastings, and a farmers’ market where guests can purchase locally-sourced products. The Taste FLXpo will feature local farmers, chefs, and beverage producers inside the Corning Community College Commons Building, including:
- Bluebird Trail Farm – Corning
- Ford Farms – Savona
- Finger Lakes Harvest
- Four Fights Distillery – Corning
- Fulkerson Wine Cellars – Dundee
- Knapp Farm – Lowman
- Krooked Tusker Distillery – Hammondsport
- Iron Flamingo Brewery – Corning
- Leo’s Honey House – Campbell
- Lively Run Goat Dairy – Interlaken
- Muddy Fingers Farm – Hector
- Ort Family Farm – Bradford
- Parulski Farms – Bath
- Peaceweaver’s Organic Farm – Bath
- Petteys Farms Maple Syrup – Jasper
- Red House Ranch – Van Etten
- Stewart’s Family Farm – Hornell
- Sunset View Creamery – Odessa
- VanGalder Family Farm – Alpine
- Weis Vineyards – Hammondsport
To learn more about the Taste FLXpo or to purchase tickets, visit:Â TasteFLXpo.com.
Earlier in the day, farmers, producers and buyers will take part in the Finger Lakes Farm Country Conference, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Conference will include a full day of panel discussions, guest speakers, and networking opportunities intended to help farmers and agricultural producers grow their businesses and encourage hotels, restaurants, bars and retail locations to purchase local products.
SUNY Cobleskill Assistant Professor of Agribusiness Dr. Sophie Winter will keynote the conference and discuss “Developing your Entrepreneurship Potential in Agritourism.” She will also provide best practices for farms interested in diversifying their revenue stream. The conference will include three panel discussions that will focus on the following topics: “The State of Agritoursim in the Southern Finger Lakes;” “Being Visitor Ready;” and “Farm-to-Restaurant – Developing Connections and Building Working Relationships.” A locally-sourced breakfast and farm-to-table lunch will be served at the event.
The Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions boast a diverse agricultural industry, producing a wide array of crops and commodities from vegetables, wheat and grains, and apples to farms that specialize in the production of honey, maple, dairy and cheese and meats, as well as grape growers and wineries. In addition, the expansion of craft beverage trails, like the Craft Your Adventure Trail, which currently has over 30 beverage producers, has led to more and more collaborations between farmers, farm brewers, and farm distillers.
The Taste FLXpo and Finger Lakes Farm Country Conference is the first Taste NY-sponsored Business-to-Business Networking event. As part of the Governor’s FY 2018-19 Budget proposal, Taste NY will hold at least four additional networking events across other regions of the State in 2018.
About Taste NY
The Taste NY initiative has seen steady growth and recognition since it was created in 2013 by Governor Cuomo. The program, which is overseen by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, has created opportunities for local producers to showcase their goods at a variety of venues throughout the State and at large public events, such as the Great New York State Fair and the Barclays Tournament at Bethpage State Park.  It has also helped the farms and companies participating in the program to reach more customers, increase online sales, and, in many cases, expand the processing capacity of their business. Taste NY’s food and beverage businesses also support the State’s farmers by using New York grown and produced ingredients in their products.
Today, New York products sold under Taste NY branding are available in more than 70 locations throughout the State as well as the New York State Office of Trade and Tourism in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
–NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
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