Where do you go for business resources? If you need help navigating the food and farming business support services in Wisconsin, join us April 10th, 2023.
In the webinar titled “Navigating Business Resources with the Help of Your Local Business Incubator,” we’ll hear how Adam Accola at Co-Lab helps coach and mentor new businesses in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We’ll also hear from the owner of Wild Flour Bakery in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, about how they have navigated resources in the ideation, startup, and growth stages of business development.
Adam Accola, the Community Manager of Co-Lab in Eau Claire said, “CoLab strives to cultivate community through meaningful work. Whether you just have an idea or a fully-functioning business, we’re here to support you along the way. We offer space and resources for startups and entrepreneurs and are active in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Chippewa Valley.”
Wild Flour Bakery is a family owned business founded on a love for baking, family and turning a passion into livelihood. Their handcrafted breads are made using a slow fermentation process and traditional kneading, proofing and baking methods, and their sweets are made top to bottom with handcrafted doughs and ingredients, all from scratch.
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 this 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:
The first webinar was on Thursday, March 9 at 6pm, “The Sweet Taste of Success: Safe, Value-Added, Maple Products.” We heard 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.
The second webinar was held on Monday, March 13 at 10am, “Selling at the Farmers Market: Case Study of Selling Eggs at the local Farmers Market.” We heard 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, using an example of a small-scale chicken farmer selling eggs at their local market.
The third webinar was held on Monday, March 20, at 1pm, “Starting a Mobile Food Business: Working with a Shared-Use Kitchen.” We heard 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.
The fourth webinar was held on Monday, March 27, at 10am, “Getting Your Product on Shelves at Your Local Food Coop.” We heard from Chequamegon Bay Food Coop’s Marketing and Membership Coordinator Sara Beadle and the owners of Hermit Creek Farm about how to sell food products at your local food retail cooperative.
The fifth webinar was held on Monday, April 3, at 1pm. In the session titled “Getting to Know Your Local Small Business Development Center (SBDC)” we heard 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.
The sixth webinar is 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.
The seventh webinar is on Monday, April 17 at 10am. Ithe 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.
The eighth and final webinar is 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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