1st Annual Women in Food & Farming Festival at Stone Ridge Orchard in the Hudson Valley Goes Hybrid for 2021
The hybrid live/virtual event will honor and celebrate women-owned farms and businesses in the food and craft beverage industries and provide resources to women entrepreneurs.
STONE RIDGE, N.Y., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On May 8th & 9th, 2021 (Mother's Day Weekend), EscapeMaker.com will present the 1st Annual Women in Food & Farming Festival at Stone Ridge Orchard in the Hudson Valley of New York State – 2 hours outside of New York City.
The 2-day-long hybrid live/virtual event will honor women-owned farms, businesses, and entrepreneurs in the food and craft beverage industries. Mask wearing is required, and although the live New York State officially designated Farmer's Market will take place on the expansive 115-acre farm and orchard, attendance will be capped to adhere to all safety protocols. Additionally, there will be a virtual experience of online educational presentations on various topics by industry professionals.
Presented by EscapeMaker and Fulton Stall Market, the farmers market and virtual event is sponsored by The New York Cider Association, Cabot Cheese, Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, SnapDragon & RubyFrost Apples, The Diamond Mills Hotel Saugerties, VisitIthaca.com, and SullivanCatskills.com, with media partners Heritage Radio and Edible Manhattan. The event encourages women consumers and entrepreneurs from across the food and farming industries, hospitality service members, chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, craft beverage producers, local agritourism destinations and lodging operators to attend, shop, taste, learn and participate – either in person or virtually.
"Now more than ever in this COVID age, women are being forced to leave the workforce in droves. Local food systems are breaking down, and local agritourism is suffering. We've got to dig deeper to find solutions, says Caylin Sanders, President of EscapeMaker.com. "A dream of mine for many years, this event will have a live farmers market at the beautiful Stone Ridge Orchard for shoppers to make conscious buying decisions to support women – the perfect fertile ground for new tastes, trends, and new local travel ideas. Plus, it will virtually bring together women online from all sectors within the industry to empower and inspire each other."
Women vendors, farmers, producers, and speakers will be featured in two ways:
- Saturday, May 8: LIVE OUTDOOR NEW YORK STATE FARMERS MARKET
Local foods and beverages from women producers and farmers will be for sale to the public from 11am-4pm at Stone Ridge Orchard. Attendees will receive a to-go swag bag of local products to eat separately at socially distanced picnic tables or 10ft field pods. They can also get info about local agritourism farm escapes and farm-table restaurants, wine, distillery, and cidery trails. Social distancing protocols will allow consumers to watch demos and browse and shop for gifts. Entrepreneurs can gather info about MWBE certification, training, grants, and funding opportunities to either start-up or grow their businesses. A brief kick-off introduction will highlight the importance of celebrating women in business and creating opportunities for growth in the agriculture, food and craft beverage, and agritourism sectors.
- Sunday, May 9: ONLINE VIRTUAL EVENT - ON-DEMAND
The virtual event will offer online presentations and workshops for women and budding entrepreneurs. Topics will include Food Justice, Craft Beverage Trends, Food & Spirituality, Nutrition Tips, Farming in the COVID Age, Funding Your Start-Up or Expansion, Social Media and Promotion Tips, Women Cookbook Authors, and Women Chef & Farmer Spotlights.
"Women empowerment is a priority at Fulton Stall Market, where our goal is 80% of products from women farmers and producers," says Bob Lewis, FSM's Public Market Advisor and co-founder of New York City's Greenmarket, 45 years ago. We're excited to have the chance to honor their accomplishments during this event, inspire the next generation, and foster the upstate-downstate local food system connection."
Tickets: Students 21 and under are free for May 8th only. General admission is $25 and includes live market access and a swag bag of samples on May 8th and virtual event access on May 9th. VIP tickets are $75 and include live market access and a swag bag of samples and an exclusive live orchard walk and talk with Stone Ridge Orchard farmer Elizabeth Ryan and cider tasting under a 300-year old oak tree on May 8th, plus virtual event access on May 9th.
For tickets and info on the farmers market and virtual events: http://www.womennourish.com
Media Contact
Kash Barkeley, EscapeMaker.com, +1 (877) 997-2726, [email protected]
SOURCE Women in Food & Farming Festival
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