Mold-Rite collaborates with Berle Farm to curb supply issues

Carly Newton, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·4 min read

Jul. 30—HOOSICK FALLS — Berle Farm had the jars but couldn't get the lids.

The dairy farm, located in Hoosick Falls, and right on the border of Vermont, had become a victim to supply-chain issues and strict interstate shipping regulations.

That is until one local Plattsburgh business stepped in to help.

INTERSTATE REGULATIONS

In November 2021, Berle Farm owner, Beatrice Berle, found herself backed into a corner when an unexpected supply chain disruption for Interstate Milk Shipping (IMS) certified lids left her unable to ship her yogurt and cheese products to nearby markets in Vermont and Massachusetts — cutting the farm's revenue in half.

The farm had recently invested in infrastructure including solar hot water and sanitizing washers to support their recently purchased glass packaging but were unable to use it because of the inability to find proper lids that met IMS requirements.

"We are a business that is located on the New York-Vermont border, therefore we have to have extra licensing to cross our products to New York and Vermont and Massachusetts," Berle said.

"Because we're shipping interstate, the packaging needs to have extra inspection by federal inspectors. You would like to think what we sell to our neighbors here in New York state would also be OK for our neighbors in Vermont, because it's only two miles away — but it's not. There's extra federal regulation that requires an approved lid, approved packaging."

'WE TRIED EVERYWHERE'

Unable to find the 89 mm plastic IMS lids she needed, Berle was left wondering if she would have to discontinue her products and lay off many long-time employees of her farm.

"Nobody in the United States had these lids, and we had already purchased all of the machinery to use our recyclable packaging, which is the glass jars, because we are trying to be responsible," Berle said.

"It became an obstacle that was just impossible. Really, we tried everywhere."

'SUCH A LONGSHOT'

But, after many hours spent trying to find a solution to her problem, she finally found it at Mold-Rite Packaging in Plattsburgh — almost three hours north of Berle Farm.

"It was such a longshot that I never dreamed it would work," Berle said

"We got Sara Courcelle (from Mold-Rite) on the phone, and she said, 'I really think this business would like to help yours; you're in our home state, and we would like to see if we can help you.'

"There was nobody in the entire country that was willing to do that type of collaboration, and there it was, right there in our home state."

'IT'S ASKING A LOT'

After agreeing to help Berle Farm, Mold-Rite Packaging made a special batch of 89 mm plastic IMS lids for them.

They also had to invite federal inspectors into their facility to inspect the lids.

"It's asking a lot of a business like Mold-Rite to voluntarily invite in an inspector to have their lids or their process be inspected, and there's not much to gain for them, but there's no availability for us if they don't do it," Berle said.

"I understand they have 400 people from Plattsburgh working for them, and so the people from Plattsburgh should know that there is a human element within Mold-Rite products and that they actually did this."

HELPING SMALL FARMS

Though the lids were specifically made for Berle Farm, other IMS-needy producers can now take advantage of the new offerings at Mold-Rite.

And as of April, Berle said her yogurt and cheese products are back on the shelves in Vermont and Massachusetts.

"People are trying to help small farms; there's grants running and money available," Berle said.

"But you could have given me all the money in the world, and if I can't meet the regulations, I still can't process the product."

'THEY UNDERSTOOD OUR PREDICAMENT'

In the future, she said she would like to see more large businesses like Mold-Rite go out of their way and make an effort to help small businesses like her farm.

"If it could become a trend, that would be really neat...small businesses could thrive at the same time that large businesses thrive," Berle said.

"They understood our predicament, which is a big thing to get across to a huge business like that."

Email: cnewton@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: CarlySNewton