What’s the point of half-assing anything? What’s work if it’s not hard? What’s life if it’s not knock-down, drag-out lived-in?
In Vermont, halfway doesn’t cut it. Cutting corners is a straight path to mediocrity. And the very reason why Vermont Smoke & Cure exists. Here, we hand-make our premium meat sticks in small batches. Then slow-cook them in our real Vermont smokehouse.
It’s not the easiest way. Or the most comfortable. But nothing worth doing ever is.
Here, we go all in, or we don’t go at all.
Vermont Smoke & Cure® incorporates our social mission into our business operations by considering the impact of our operations on our employees, customers, community, and the environment. For example, more than 50% of our electricity is solar generated with herein 60 miles of our facility. We also use high efficiency smokers to reduce energy needs by more than 10%.
Made the Vermont Way Since 1962
1962
Founded
Vermont Smoke & Cure® got its start in 1962 in South Barre, Vermont, serving the small town made up of many immigrants drawn by the granite quarrying and carving industry. For the next 50 years, we operated in a farmhouse and then in the back of a gas station.
2006
Rebranded
Chris Bailey, a farmer, chef, and former US team cyclist took over and renamed the business Vermont Smoke & Cure. Chris brought a modern approach to recipes, processing techniques.
2010
Real Sticks Launch
Chris launched Real Sticks in 2010 — nitrate-free sticks made with meat raised without antibiotics. The line quickly gained a foothold with natural foods and specialty grocery shoppers across the country.
2015
Smokehouse Expansion & Brand Relaunch
After moving from Barre to Hinesburg in 2012, we completed an expansion of our smokehouse increasing our capacity 4x. We also relaunched the brand with a unique, colorful palate, standing out in the category.
2016
Mini Meat Stick Launch
With the growing trend for portable, better for you snacks, we launched our mini meat sticks to meet the needs of families across the country.
2020
Joining the Johnsonville Family
In 2020 we were purchased by Johnsonville, LLC a privately held, family-owned company with over 75 years of sausage making experience. This marriage of complementary capabilities, culture and values will help us scale up by providing the resources to promote our tasty meat snacks nationwide. Vermont Smoke & Cure will continue to be a team of less than 60 employees handcrafting small batches of natural, premium meat sticks at our onsite smokehouse in Hinesburg, VT.