What can any food business learn from the sweet success of maple syrup producers? Join us March 9 to hear how maple sauces and even sparking maple water can serve as inspiration for new products and ideas.
“The Sweet Taste of Success: Safe, Value-Added, Maple Products” is a webinar March 9 at 6pm where we’ll hear from Bill Klase from the UW-Madison, Division of Extension Maple Sugar Program, and from UW-Madison Professor of Food Science, Barbara Ingham, for guidance on food safety planning for food businesses using maple sugar in products such as maple-flavored sauces and dressings, sparkling maple water, and infused maple syrup. Extension’s Maple Syrup Program supports thousands of Wisconsinites and Tribal communities in their forestry management and business resources.
“As Wisconsin is the fourth largest producer of maple syrup in the US, we are excited to highlight maple producers to teach food safety for value-added products,” said Jessica Jane Spayde, Food Entrepreneurship Specialist at the Community Food Systems Program at UW-Madison Extension.
“Partnering with the Community Food Systems Program and the FEED Initiative is helping us provide key food safety information for our maple producers,” said Bill Klase from the UW-Madison, Division of Extension, Maple Syrup Program.
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program is providing no-cost virtual workshops for small-scale food and farming business start-ups every week from March 9th to April 24th.
Register for the maple sugar event, and the rest of the 2023 Spring FEED Webinar Series online at: https://go.wisc.edu/00487s. All workshops are free to the public and will be hosted on Zoom.
The entire webinar series includes the following sessions.
On Thursday, March 9 at 6pm, in the session titled “The Sweet Taste of Success: Safe, Value-Added, Maple Products,” we’ll hear from Bill Klase from the UW-Madison, Division of Extension Maple Sugar Program, and from UW-Madison Professor of Food Science, Barbara Ingham, for guidance on food safety planning for food businesses using maple sugar in products such as maple-flavored sauces and dressings, sparkling maple water, and infused maple syrup.
On Monday, March 13 at 10am, in the session titled, “Selling at the Farmers Market: Case Study of Selling Eggs at the local Farmers Market,” we’ll hear from Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Food Safety Specialist, an insurance expert from Wallace Cooper & Elliot, and a representative of the Wisconsin Farmers Market Association to learn about how to start the process of becoming a farmers market vendor, how to navigate mobile food retail licensing requirements and insurance considerations, and how to find a market in Wisconsin, using an example of a small-scale chicken farmer selling eggs at their local market.
On Monday, March 20, at 1pm, in the session titled “Starting a Mobile Food Business: Working with a Shared-Use Kitchen,” we’ll hear from the director of the FEED Kitchen in Madison, Wisconsin, Chris Brockel, and the owner of Café Costa Rica and Mango Man Salsa about how using a shared-use kitchen can help your food business get started.
On Monday, March 27, at 10am, in the session titled “Getting Your Product on Shelves at Your Local Food Coop,” Chequamegon Bay Food Coop’s Marketing and Membership Coordinator Sara Beadle and the owners of Hermit Creek Farm will share how to sell food products at your local food retail cooperative.
On Monday, April 3, at 1pm, in the session titled “Getting to Know Your Local Small Business Development Center (SBDC)” we’ll hear from SBDC Business Consultant David Stauffacher about how to work with your local SBDC and how SBDCs across Wisconsin help food entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.
On Monday, April 10, at 10am, in the session titled “Navigating Business Resources with the Help of Your Local Business Incubator,” the Community Manager of Co-Lab Adam Accola and the owner of Wild Flour Bakery will share how to navigate resources in the business ideation, startup, and growth stages of business development.
On Monday, April 17 at 10am, in the session titled “Local Foods – Safe Foods: Starting a Farm- or Home-Based Food Business in Wisconsin,” UW-Madison Professor of Food Science Barbara Ingham will share information on food safety for products made at your farm or home.
On Monday, April 24, at 1pm, in the session titled “Successfully Find Customers for Your Food Business: Lessons from a Wisconsin Food Cooperative,” we’ll hear from Kelly Maynard, Co-op Development Specialist at the UW-Madison Center for Cooperatives, and a successful local food cooperative about how they found customers when launching their food business and how they have continued to build their customer base while growing the business.
Registration for the event is available online at: https://go.wisc.edu/00487s.
For additional information about the workshops email Jessica Jane Spayde, Food Entrepreneurship Specialist at the Community Food Systems Program at the UW-Madison Division of Extension, at spayde@wisc.edu.
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