Oneonta food manufacturer among finalists in nationwide competition

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

Toonie Moonie Organics Ltd. and Vêsucré LLC are two women-owned businesses in Oneonta. Both food manufacturers recently applied to participate in an inaugural contest hosted by the Business Council of New York State Inc. called “Coolest Thing Made in New York.”

45 manufacturers competed for the Coolest Thing award. Toonie Moonie and Vêsucré were among the 16 companies with the most votes in the first round of the competition. As of August 12, none of the companies had made it to the second round, but they faced strong competition.

General Motors in Buffalo submitted its Corvette engine as the “Coolest Thing Made in New York,” and Raymond Corporation in Greene competed for its Orderpicker robot as one of the coolest products, among other entrants. The winner will be announced on September 19.

The goal of the Coolest Thing initiative is to spotlight the innovation, creativity and manufacturing expertise of companies across the state.

Michelle Catan, a certified business consultant at the Small Business Development Center of New York State, suggested that Toonie Moonie and Vêsucré participate in the competition to showcase their food products on one platform.

Kim Condon, owner of Toonie Moonie Organics, said, “Michelle Catan is incredible. She is dedicated. She is passionate about helping small businesses.”

Sarah Hartmann, founder of Vêsucré, said: “I am really grateful to be taking part in this competition and it is a great honour to be alongside Kim Condon.”

Both entrepreneurs produce products for health-conscious consumers. Condon is a vegetarian and had a penchant for sweets as a child, nicknamed Toonie Moonie.

Condon said, “95 percent of my refrigerator and pantry are full of organic products. When I started the company, there weren’t many organic products in the candy aisle.”

When Condon had children of her own, she couldn’t find an organic marshmallow product, so in 2006 she converted her garage into an organic store.

kitchen and invented an organic kosher marshmallow cream that is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and vegetarian.

Condon took several years off when her children were young and began seriously growing the business about seven or eight years ago.

Today, she employs 10 people and makes marshmallow creme in 12 flavors. Toonie Moonie is available nationwide in grocery stores like Whole Foods and on Amazon.

Vanilla is Condon’s most popular flavor, she said. Seasonal flavors like maple and pumpkin spice are in demand, and many consumers ask for peppermint-flavored Toonie Moonie for their holiday fudge recipes.

Vêsucré opened in October 2022. Hartmann said, “My doctor put me on a vegan diet. As a new vegan, I couldn’t find a frozen dessert that I liked.”

So she made her own.

Vêsucré makes a plant-based frozen dessert that is free of dairy, soy, gluten and refined sugar. Hartmann describes the frozen treat “as a cross between ice cream and crème brûlée.”

Hartmann has been a vegan for four years, meaning he doesn’t eat any food of animal origin.

“I’m a foodie. For me, food is an art form. I wanted a nice dessert,” she explained.

Sucre means sugar in French. Hartmann combined “Ve” for vegan with “sucre” for sweet.

Vêsucré is made with oat milk and is dairy-free. Since it cannot be called ice cream, Hartmann called it “Plant de Crème”.

She said: “I come from a dairy family. My parents are my tasters. If they like it, I know I’m onto something.”

Hartmann was born and raised in Oneonta. Two years ago, she returned home from New York City to care for her aging parents. Today, her mission is to teach consumers that you can get protein without meat. In fact, a single serving of her plant-based product contains 10 grams of protein.

About 4 percent of the US population, or 9.7 million people, are vegan. Vêsucré serves consumers with dietary restrictions and people who want to live a plant-based lifestyle and eat less meat. “Peace on earth, desserts for all” is the motto of Hartmann’s business.

“You don’t have to be vegan to know that something tastes good,” she said.

Hartmann worked with The Arc Otsego and Springbrook to create local employment opportunities for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“At this point in my career, I want to be inclusive,” Hartmann said. “I’ve met people with disabilities in my life. It’s so fulfilling to help them find work and gain skills that will help them.”

Hartmann is proud that her employee Gwen Calchi developed the company’s frozen “milk” chocolate treat.

“We are a zero-waste company with a sustainability mission. Our main ingredient is oat milk. (With) the leftover oatmeal, we make brownies out of the leftover oats.”

Hartmann emphasized, “If you produce food in New York, you have a lot of resources at your disposal. For example, Grow New York holds an annual competition. The grand prize is $1,000,000.00.”

She also said, “Oneonta is a very friendly place for food manufacturers, especially start-ups.”