THE MAKER PROJECT

Meet the Maker

Kristin Thayer, Meat Stick Maker

“The fun part about being a maker,” said Kristin Thayer, Director of Operations at Vermont Smoke and Cure, “is I can still get my hands on the product. I can still go out there and pack meat sticks. I can still stuff the meat sticks if need be. That's where I get my passion from is being down on the floor with the folks.”

Founded in 1962 by Roland LeFebvre, Vermont Smoke and Cure (VSC) has built up a 62-year reputation for quality and traditional smoked meats. In 2006, the company was purchased by farmer, chef, and former pro cyclist Chris Bailey, who began VSC’s shift toward high-quality, on-the-go meat sticks. In 2012, the company moved production from its long-time location in South Barre to a more modern facility in Hinesburg that encompasses 30,000 square feet, employs about 60 Vermonters, and can produce over 120,000 meat sticks per day.

In 2020, the company was bought out by the family-owned Wisconsin company, Johnsonville, the top sausage brand in the US.

Kristin was working for Johnsonville when it acquired VSC, and has “been in the meat industry for almost 20 years… doing it almost longer than I haven’t.” Shortly after the acquisition, she said, “I came out here, and fell in love. When I did the tour, I fell in love with the process. I fell in love with how small the facility was and how small the team was. I could really tell that folks cared about what they were doing and the products they were making.”

“That's where I get my passion from is being down on the floor with the folks.”

In its packaging, VSC leans heavily on the word Vermont as a shorthand for quality and purity. “I think the products we make here align very well with the Vermont culture,” Kristin said. “The natural beauty that exists around us. Folks are very outdoorsy and active. So I do think that our products being a natural product, with no artificial ingredients, really pairs well to that natural beauty that's in Vermont and the folks that are out there living a very active lifestyle.”

Before working in the meat industry, Kristin served eight years in the military, with two tours in Iraq. “The combination of my experience in the meat industry as well as the military combined well for what we do here,” she said. “I have solved every single problem that I've ever encountered. Life and death… And making meat sticks is no different. We're going to figure it out. We're going to work through it. I say ‘Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.’ My whole team hears me say that often.”

What she means is that you need to follow the process, because taking shortcuts means someone can get hurt. “We don't take shortcuts from a quality standpoint or a human safety standpoint,” Kristin said.

“Every day is different,” Kristin added. “The process doesn't change, but because there are so many nuances in making a cured meat stick, it's very important that we stick to the process. And any kind of deviation can cause an obstacle along the way. I'm a problem solver. So I enjoy when there is something that comes up and being able to leverage the team to work through, ‘Hey, how did this happen? What changed in our process? What do we need to do moving forward?’ I like the variety that it brings to the everyday work that we do.”

The brand has grown significantly in the last six years, and today VSC meat sticks can be found on shelves nationwide at Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Costco. There are currently eight different flavors, but VSC often adds new flavor profiles, say in partnership with other companies, like their limited run a few years ago of Old Fashioned Maple, with Whistle Pig distillery, or their recent collaborations with Kraft Heinz to make A.1. and Lee & Perrins Smoked Meat Sticks.

Always, in the process of developing new flavors, Kristin said, “our members [at VSC and Johnsonville, employees are referred to “members” of the team] are part of our sensory panel. So anytime that we do try a new product, they're tasting it and they're giving us feedback to determine whether or not we've hit the mark on what we said we wanted, from a flavor profile standpoint.”

Recently, the company’s Uncured Turkey Pepperoni Stick won the “Snack Stick” category in the Taste for Life Food and Beverage Awards, the third time (also in 2018 and 2024) VSC has won the category.

The process of making a great meat stick at VSC starts with real natural hardwood, then the ingredients (“suppliers go through a rigorous process to ensure that they have all the certifications that are required… no antibiotics ever, no hormones, veg fed”) are ground up and cured, and the meat is stuffed into a collagen casing. This is followed by an acidification process and 18 hours of cooking and smoking. Then the links are cooled and packed and, as shelf-stable products, ready for shipping nationwide.

“We cook 24/7,” Kristin said, “so there's always someone here doing some form of processing of the meat sticks. With the exception of holidays, we're making meat sticks.”

In addition to falling in love with the process and products at VSC, over time, Kristin has also fallen in love with Vermont. “It wasn't until I came out here that I truly understood why Vermonters stay here,” she said. “It's so beautiful. I think that how we care for our neighbors and our community is something that the rest of the country could learn from. And what we do here I think aligns really well with that.”