Member Spotlight: Halladay's Harvest Barn

Our VSFA Member Spotlight features a member each month highlighting their business, products and  experience in the industry. For this spotlight we asked Halladay's Harvest Barn a series of questions. 

Answers provided by Owner Kathleen Govotski

Q. Tell us a little bit about your company’s background and what you produce.
A. Halladay’s Harvest Barn Is located on our family property in Rockingham Vermont. We hand blend and package over 70 herb, soup, dessert, dinner blends and our famous Vermont Beer Bread on site. We have a small dedicated team that are all part of the Harvest Barn family.

Q. What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business? Or What do you find most rewarding about working at a Vermont company?
A. We love the creative evolution that can come from owning a Vermont small business. We began as a Greenhouse and Florist, purchased an inn along the way and grew from doing a couple small crafts fairs a year to our Harvest Barn Blends being sold in over 1000 stores nationwide. New products, labels and marketing are constantly changing.

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment as a business owner or employee?
A. Our team is our proudest accomplishment. We have an incredibly hard-working loyal staff. We are able to be flexible with working hours for families to provide a living wage and quarterly bonuses. Everyone and their work are valued.

Q. How has COVID-19 changed your approach to business?

A. COVID has had an impact on all of us. We faced a year with trade shows canceled, and a major loss of income from the Big E and other fairs. We needed to shift our marketing priorities to online retail sales. We doubled that area of our business last year through weekly newsletters and increased marketing of “care package” themed gifts.

COVID was hard on our staff also. For a staff that has always enjoyed employee lunches and working together we were all faced with the challenge of masking up and separating work areas. Isolation at home and work have been hard for all of us.

Q. Why did you choose to become a member of the VSFA? How have you benefited from being a VSFA member?
A. We have enjoyed being VSFA members. It is great to have a network to run questions by and to be part of the creative Vermont Community.

Q. What do you most enjoy doing in your spare time? Do you have a hobby/favorite pastime?
A. When you own your own business you may be lucky enough to be able to pursue your hobbies every day. Our family is obsessed with food! We love to cook, talk about cooking and of course to eat! It might be a little obsessive to wake up at 3 am thinking about new dip flavors!

We just turned our florist of 36 years over to our manager last year. That will allow our family and me personally more time for focus on the Harvest Barn, traveling (when COVID is over someday), painting, reading, Kayaking, golfing and my scary long list of hobbies!

Learn more about Halladay's Harvest Barn products and history by visiting their website: www.halladays.com