Producer
Rhapsody Natural Foods
City: Cabot, VT,
Website: https://rhapsodynaturalfoods.com/
About Us
At the core of Rhapsody Natural Foods, you will find a family deeply rooted in the work of building a sustainable lifestyle. We, Sjon and Elysha Welters, moved to the US from the Netherlands in 1983 with our 1-year-old daughter in tow. We were in search of a place where our entrepreneurial spirits had space to soar. We dreamed of having a plot of land where we could build a homestead to support our plant-based diet while also creating an income that supports a local agricultural economy. Fourteen years of wandering up and down the East Coast landed us a mile from Cabot village in Central Vermont. This is where we started growing our roots, raising our three children, and starting a business. Even today our three children and their families (7 grandchildren) live on the same property supporting the business in their own unique ways.
Practices
We are committed to running a sustainable business that supports a natural lifestyle where the days and weeks of our lives are engaging, dynamic, inspiring, challenging, and fulfilling. Production, sales, marketing, distribution, and bookkeeping are all divided up according to skillset and interest. We get it all done with a sense of purpose and satisfaction!
Rhapsody is committed to supporting a sustainable local economy by buying our ingredients from local farmers. We purchase our soybeans for our tempeh from Canada, for our miso, and organic natto from farmers in Quebec. Our small natto soybeans come from the Mid-west family farm and our non-GMO. We grew rice successfully on our homestead in Cabot for 7 years, proving that rice production in Vermont is possible and that someday we’ll be able to source the rice for our Koji (starter culture for our miso) locally as well. We are constantly in search of opportunities to collaborate with local farmers. Right now we are hoping to find someone who is excited to grow organic natto soybeans locally as those are only available from a very limited number of suppliers. Also, we’re working on getting our certified organic soybeans for tempeh split and dehulled from a more regional source.
We are committed to producing foods that uphold their traditional value in an effort to nourish our bodies and community. We are passionate about fermentation. Fermented foods contain beneficial probiotic bacteria, are full of digestive enzymes that aid in digestion, support immunity, and help nutrients and minerals assimilate more easily. Eat something fermented at each meal! Many of our products are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers. Our goal is not to only meet the organic standards but to exceed them, as the national standards of organic become less representative of the intention on which it was based.
In the face of the health, the economic and environmental crisis that our community, both local and global, faces today we are committed to our actions contributing to positive change. Our work towards meeting this challenge is in part by sharing our passion for high quality fermented local food!
Rhapsody is committed to supporting a sustainable local economy by buying our ingredients from local farmers. We purchase our soybeans for our tempeh from Canada, for our miso, and organic natto from farmers in Quebec. Our small natto soybeans come from the Mid-west family farm and our non-GMO. We grew rice successfully on our homestead in Cabot for 7 years, proving that rice production in Vermont is possible and that someday we’ll be able to source the rice for our Koji (starter culture for our miso) locally as well. We are constantly in search of opportunities to collaborate with local farmers. Right now we are hoping to find someone who is excited to grow organic natto soybeans locally as those are only available from a very limited number of suppliers. Also, we’re working on getting our certified organic soybeans for tempeh split and dehulled from a more regional source.
We are committed to producing foods that uphold their traditional value in an effort to nourish our bodies and community. We are passionate about fermentation. Fermented foods contain beneficial probiotic bacteria, are full of digestive enzymes that aid in digestion, support immunity, and help nutrients and minerals assimilate more easily. Eat something fermented at each meal! Many of our products are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers. Our goal is not to only meet the organic standards but to exceed them, as the national standards of organic become less representative of the intention on which it was based.
In the face of the health, the economic and environmental crisis that our community, both local and global, faces today we are committed to our actions contributing to positive change. Our work towards meeting this challenge is in part by sharing our passion for high quality fermented local food!