Last month’s Curds & Crafts Festival gave visitors a stellar sampling of cheese and beer. The festival also raised $10,000 for the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI).
The Curds & Crafts Festival, a fun celebration of local and artisan cheeses and North Carolina craft beers, attracted over 600 attendees, who sampled cheese and beer from 16 cheesemakers and 13 breweries, as well food from 10 artisans, which included crackers, pickles, jams, and more. Proceeds from ticket sales benefitted RAFI, a nonprofit based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, that works “to cultivate markets, policies, and communities that sustain thriving, socially just, and environmentally sound family farms.”
“We are very grateful to Weaver Street Market and everyone who attended the Curds and Crafts Festival,” said Sally Lee, Associate Director, RAFI. “The funds raised for our organization will go directly to helping farmers in the area build strong farm businesses and bring healthy, local food to our communities.”
RAFI has awarded grants to many local farmers and producers, including several whose goods are sold by Weaver Street Market or who were present at the festival. The nonprofit is involved in everything from fighting in Congress for a fair Farm Bill, to protecting the national organic standards from takeover by corporate giants, to developing a “domestic fair trade” product label, to helping farmers transition to new, specialty crops or to organic production. You can read about our visit to RAFI here.
If you missed Curds & Crafts this year, be sure to check it out next year. Below is a video giving a quick peek inside.