WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Big E bonus for Vermont

West Springfield, Massachusetts - September 24, 2010

Every New England state is represented with a state building at the Big E. Each state also owns the property. That means they control exactly what vendors are put into the state building for the 17-day long Big Eastern Expedition.

The Vermont building was packed with hundreds of people checking out all the Vermont products.

"It has to create a reason to go to Vermont or create employment in Vermont," said Cornelius Hageman of Vermont Soap Organics.

For Vermont Soap Organics, selling their soap products at the Big E has directly impacted their business.

"The company has had to expand the factory every year for the past 5 years. We've been here for 6," Hageman said.

"It's a magic thing to be here every year," said Bob DiMario, the manager of the Cold Hollow booth.

Big names like Ben and Jerry's and American Flat Bread are in the Vermont building but so are smaller businesses such as Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center. They've been coming to the fair for close to 25 years.

"We do a lot of business down here so we get known in Western Massachusetts and Northwestern Connecticut. People come back and visit us every year here, so we do a lot of good business down here in general, sell a lot of product," DiMario said.

When Cold Hollow Cider Mill says that the Big E is big business for them they're not kidding, they sell over 50,000 cider donuts over the 17 days, 30,000 slices of apple and 20,000 servings of apple crisp-- and that's pretty sweet.

The foot traffic that the Vermont building sees allows the companies to be viewed by people who might not otherwise visit Vermont, creating customers throughout the Northeast.

"It also brings visitors up into the cider mill. We see them all throughout the year. They stop by and say we met you at the Big E and it was lots of fun, we thought we'd come up and see your store and see the area," DiMario said.

"If I can get people to buy one bar of soap here I create a customer and they'll look for our soap," Hageman said.

"It's a lot of investment but it's fun, and it's good business," DiMario said.

Products that are made in Vermont and sold to people from all over New England.

Saturday is Vermont Day at the Big E. The Vermont building will be doing special promotions and activities in honor of the day.

Click here for more on the Big E.

Gina Bullard - WCAX News