Farm2Food: Exploring Exporting and Trade Show Opportunities (Nationwide)

The Farm2Food: Exploring Exporting and Trade Show Opportunities Program supports Farm2Food graduates and other small-scale farmers and food entrepreneurs as they explore the idea of exporting and enhance their trade show skills. The program immerses small-scale value-added producers in a community of experts and peers while they work through modules that help reduce the uncertainty of expanding their markets.

The 2024-2025 program will center around exporting to the Caribbean and Latin America, with future cohorts potentially shifting to other areas. As part of Farm2Food's ongoing mission to create resiliency, this program focuses on gaining market share in new, diverse markets, which can help value-added and agricultural businesses better weather global shocks and compete in an increasingly volatile global marketplace.

Applications closed on November 20, 2024, at midnight PST. Thank you to all who applied! We are currently reviewing applications and will send acceptances in the coming days.

2024-2025 PROGRAM

The NASDA Foundation is seeking participants for the pilot of the first national Farm2Food cohort! Participants will join the virtual course at no cost to the participant. In return, participants agree to provide feedback on the program and suggestions for future iterations.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

If you answer, “That’s me!” to the following, we encourage you to apply!

• Are you a Farm2Food graduate who has continued to develop or refine a value-added food or beverage product for market?

  
  OR

• Are you a small-scale food or beverage entrepreneur who has been actively developing a value-added food or beverage product?

  
  AND

• Have you completed at least 3 of the following?

• Determined your cost of production for your value-added product(s)

• Turned your recipe into a weight-based formula and (ideally) obtained nutritional label information

• Developed a food safety plan

• Obtained the licensing necessary to sell your product

• Identified your core customer, researched the market, and created customer personas

• Decided on your packaging, including labeling with your value proposition in mind

• Created a marketing and/or business plan

• Developed your brand by finalizing a logo and creating a web presence 

PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

• To be connected to a community of Farm2Food graduates and other food entrepreneurs from around the United States.

• To have access to expert instructors, including past favorites such as Kevin Athearn (University of Florida Extension) and Sarah Masoni (Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center), as well as new experts who will introduce you to new resources and opportunities.

• To participate in live 75-minute online discussions to review past concepts and advance your knowledge for an expanded market.

• To explore and de-risk exporting your food/beverage product and enhance your trade show skills.

• To gain new skill sets and knowledge related to branding, social media, foreign markets, shipping, and more.

PROGRAM FORMAT

The program consists of two stages: the first is available to value-added food/beverage companies that meet the requirements outlined above (see Program Eligibility), and the second will be available for a select few participants based on Stage 1 engagement and competitive applications in April 2025.

Stage 1: Expanding Your Existing Knowledge, Exploring Exporting, and Getting Ready for Exhibiting at Trade Shows (December 2024 through March 2025)
During this stage, you will complete 10 week-long topic-based modules, which include:

• Preparing for the live discussion by exploring the module webpage and, in some cases, bringing your past work (for example, your value proposition.)

• Attending the weekly 75-minute live online discussion, which will be structured as:

• Welcome, program updates, and expert instructor introduction

• Brief introductions of you and your product(s)

• Presentation on the topic, followed by Q&A

• Preview of the upcoming module

• Building on your past work to incorporate new concepts.

Stage 2: Micro-grants! (April – September 2025)
For those interested in continuing to pursue exporting, a limited number of competitive micro-grants will be available based on engagement during Stage 1 and how you’ve incorporated the concepts into your work products. Stage 2 will feature:

• Individualized design work such as logos, packaging, etc. You’ll pick from a pre-selected pool of designers with strong portfolios in the food and beverage industry.

• Attendance at the America’s Food and Beverage Show in Miami, FL in September 2025, which will include registration and travel costs. We’re working on developing this further to include more elements at the show – more details to be announced closer to the date.

• Monthly online group meetings to receive feedback on design work and help you prepare for the show.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Stage 1: All live discussion will be held on Zoom on Thursdays from 1-2:25 PT or 4-5:15 ET from December 2024 to March 2025. Since this is a pilot program, some topics below may shift as we identify needs and learn more during the program.

1. Welcome and Program Overview (December 5, 2024)

2. Exporting 101 (December 12, 2024)

3. Communicating Your Brand Across Borders (December 19, 2024)
   2 Break Weeks – Winter Holidays

4. Innovating for Exporting (January 9, 2025)

5. Navigating Costs, Financing, and Profitability (January 16, 2025)

   Break Week – Corresponds with Winter Fancy Food

6. Researching Opportunities in Foreign Markets (January 30, 2025)

7. Ensuring Food Safety and Compliance (February 6, 2025)

8. Understanding Food/Beverage Supply Chains (February 13, 2025)

   Break Week

9. Obtaining Your Documentation (February 27, 2025)

10. Pricing for Exports (March 6, 2025)

11. Identifying and Engaging Buyers (March 13, 2025)

12. Stage 1 Final Celebration and Next Steps (March 20, 2025)

Stage 2: To be announced in March 2025.

INTERESTED?

Interested in learning more? Please watch the recording of the information session that was hosted on November 7th, 2024. The first 20 minutes is a presentation on the upcoming program and what to expect, followed by Q&A.

Applications closed on November 20, 2024, at midnight PST. Thank you to all who applied! We are currently reviewing applications and will send acceptances in the coming days.

COST

Cost: Free

QUESTIONS

Email Katie White at katie@kwcdconsulting.com or Tricia Wancko at tricia.wancko@nasda.org.

Funding

Funding for this project was provided by the USDA’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), which aims to diversify and expand market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional top customers.