Florida Farm2Food Program
The Florida Farm2Food Program supports women farmers (including ranchers, producers, growers, fisherwomen, beekeepers and other related agriculturalists) by providing practical tools and knowledge to increase income stability and resilience to unpredictable market events.
Farmers in Florida who have engaged in value-added and diversified production have seen an increase in their sales.
Research shows that value-added production, the act of processing raw agricultural goods into finished products such as food or beverage products, can increase farmers’ profitability, increase shelf stability of products, expand the market season, increase farm visibility, and allow them to enter new markets.
The Farm2Food Program immerses women in a community of experts and peers while you work through modules that take the uncertainty out of diversifying your production. The best news: all the tools and knowledge can apply to your current production.
We ask participants to focus on one value-added food or beverage product for human consumption throughout the program and, ideally, to have that recipe ready before the start of the program. Participants will continue to refine the recipe throughout the program, but this way the participants can immediately apply the curriculum and get the most out of the program.
“Farm2Food has been a great hands on opportunity for myself and other like minded women get the info we need to get our products to market without having to do all of the research on the who, what, where, why and how. Farm2Food has been like a beacon in the fog of small business start ups in the food industry.
- Amy Harper, 3rd Acre Farm, Florida 2021 Farm2Food Graduate
“EVERY DETAIL of this course was top notch.”
“To hear from and talk directly with well information experts in their designated areas of the sales process was precious.”
- Cetta Barnhart, Seed Time Harvest Farms, Florida 2022 Farm2Food Graduate
Participants can Expect
To be connected to a community of women farmers and local experts
A unique opportunity to learn how to launch a food or beverage product
To ask questions and get answers from experts and peers though an online discussion forum
To participate in live weekly discussions with experts and local guest speakers
Hands-on experience in researching and understanding the commercial opportunity of your product
To gain new skill sets and knowledge related to lab testing, packaging, pitching to buyers and more
One-on-one marketing assistance, such as company/product logo design, brochure creation, and other marketing materials
program STRUCTURE
The 15-week program meets online once per week for an hour and a half with additional work to be completed outside group meeting hours.
Program Overview and Welcome
Launching Your Food Product
Passion + Mission
Customer Pain Point
Product Ideation
Food Safety and Cleaning + Sanitation
Knowing Your Costs (COGS)
Packaging and Shelf-life
Understanding the Market
Core Customers
Value Proposition
Researching Brands
Product Development
Developing Your Formula
Lab Testing
Pricing & Pitching
Pricing and the Path to Profitability
Consumer Testing
Pitching to Buyers
For details on module topics, please visit the Curriculum page.
Interested?
The Farm2Food Florida 2021 and 2022 Programs are completed. Thank you to all who applied and all who participated!
Cost
The 2021 and 2022 Farm2Food Programs were free with funding generously provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.
“Amazing!! The effort and the support that we received was so genuine and good it far surpassed any course I have ever paid for.”
ELIGIBILITY
Women farmers including ranchers, producers, growers, fisherwomen, beekeepers and other related agriculturalists who are either farm owners, co-owners, or decision-makers
Interested in developing a food and/or beverage product
Own or work on small farms (Less than $500,000 in annual gross sales, employee less than 20 people full-time or part-time annually)
Partners
Thank you to our partners!
Funding
Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) CARES Act Supplemental EDA Awards for University Center Grant Recipients.