December 2024

Greetings from the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center!

As you will read the highlights below, the Center has reached a point where our programs and partnerships have elevated the opportunities for farms, ranches, and food businesses to connect with professional development activities, consider how to grow their market through networking and events and most recently, apply for grant opportunities that allow them to pilot and explore new market innovations.

We hope you will find at least one highlight below that excites you and encourages you to connect with the Center in the coming months. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions and share this newsletter widely with your network in hopes of promoting these opportunities to all who would benefit.

Dawn Thilmany, Center Co-lead



Deadlines Approaching to Apply for Colorado and Idaho Competitive Business Builder Grants

Deadlines are approaching to apply to the USDA’s Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs) Business Builder Grants, a transformative funding opportunity aimed at strengthening local and regional food systems, with a special focus on supporting historically underserved farmers and food businesses.

In the Northwest and Rocky Mountain region, these grants are designed to empower small- and mid-sized farm and food businesses, helping them scale, enter new markets, and expand their impact.

Read the full list of eligibility requirements, project eligibility, and allowable costs that apply to all NWRM Business Builder grants here. 

Join the Colorado State Team for Office Hours on January 6th to ask your last-minute questions about your application for the Colorado BizBuilder Small Grant Program.

Join the Idaho State Team for Office Hours on January 9th to ask your questions about the Idaho Business Builder Grant Program.

Colorado Business Builder Small Grants Application Deadline: January 10, 2025 (11:59pm MT)

Idaho Business Builder Grant Application Deadline:

January 15, 2025 (11:59pm MT)

Shared Kitchens Take Center Stage at 2024 Summit in New Orleans

Over 250 shared kitchen owners and operators from across the country gathered in New Orleans for the 2024 Shared Kitchen Summit—the largest event of its kind to date. Hosted by The Food Corridor, the female-founded software company revolutionizing shared kitchen management, this three-day event celebrated the unsung heroes of the food industry who power culinary innovation and economic development in their communities.

Thanks to sponsorship from the Northwest Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center, 19 regional shared kitchen operators serving underinvested entrepreneurs were able to attend.

Shared kitchens are key to the RFBC’s mission, providing accessible infrastructure that supports diverse food businesses, reduces barriers to entry, and strengthens local economies. Attendees received technical assistance through sessions such as financial management, co-packing and incubation services, and food safety, equipping them with actionable strategies to improve operational sustainability and longevity.

“This Summit is more than an event—it’s an experience,” said Ashley Colpaart, Founder and CEO of The Food Corridor. “Shared kitchens are the engines behind culinary innovation and local economic growth. They are the heartbeat of their local food system. This gathering amplified their stories and equipped them with the tools to thrive.”

The event concluded with a traditional New Orleans second line to the inaugural Golden Whisk Awards, recognizing excellence in the shared kitchen industry. By fostering innovation and resilience, the Summit demonstrated how shared kitchens and the RFBC initiatives are driving progress across the food sector.

Access more event highlights, Golden Whisk Finalists, and behind-the-scenes content.

Wyoming Food Freedom Markets Empower Farmers by Providing Rural Food Access to Their Local Community

Consumer Food Insight Regional Snapshots

As a part of the ongoing Consumer Food Insights (CFIs) series exploring consumer food purchasing changes between 2020 and 2023, the CFI team has just released a series of Consumer Food Insight Regional Snapshots that provide insights into consumer engagement with local markets in several regions of the US that align with the USDA’s new Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs). 

These CFIs intend to provide a snapshot of regional consumer trends at a moment when post-COVID patterns of market engagement are evolving in hopes they can inform marketing strategies, investments and initiatives that hope to leverage the unique market dynamics of different US regions. The Consumer Food Insights survey is part of the Local and Regional Food Systems Response to Covid project, a cooperative agreement between USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Colorado State University, and the University of Kentucky.

You can hear more about these CFIs in the upcoming Local and Regional Foods Division Resources and Research Webinar scheduled for December 19 at 1 PM ET (Register Here).

NMPAN's Comprehensive Online Business and Operations Course for Meat Processors

Back by popular demand! After a very successful first year, we’re excited to offer our 12-Month Meat Processor’s Mastermind course again next year! We’ve built upon our original curriculum, adding more finance and operations-focused content. Designed specifically for meat processing plants with between 10-100 employees, this course with help you reach financial and operational sustainability by covering topics including:

• Basic Bookkeeping: Master the fundamentals of tracking expenses and managing your finances in the plant to control your cost of goods sold and continue growing your net profit year over year.
• Financial Statements: Learn how to analyze profit & loss statements, cash flow and balance sheets for better business decisions.
• Strategic Planning: Develop strategies based on solid financial metrics, analyze your business’s strengths and weaknesses and set your service fee and product pricings for growth and profitability .
• Business Operations: Improve efficiency in your day-to-day operations for higher productivity.
• Opportunities and how to assess them for viability
• Order fulfillment and inventory management
• Labor Strategy: match production to capacity
• Basic Human Resources Framework: Understand hiring, firing, onboarding and employee incentives for compliance and creating a top-notch workplace culture.

Applications are due January 15, 2025.

Eat Local First Trade Meeting

February 4, 2025

Bellingham, WA

The Eat Local First Trade Meeting is Northwest Washington’s premier food and farming business conference. We bring together 180+ farmers, seafood harvesters, chefs, grocery buyers, food artisans, processors, and distributors for one day filled with valuable networking and connection opportunities, a vibrant expo, one-on-one producer/buyer consultations, inspiring panel discussions, and a delicious, locally-sourced lunch.

Building a Marketing Strategy for Your Specialty Food Business: Four-Week Workshop

February 6, 2025

9am-10:30am PST

Live via Zoom

The Building a Marketing Strategy for Your Specialty Food Business workshop series is designed to help small farmers, ranchers, and food business owners develop a personalized marketing strategy, amplify your message, and connect with customers to grow your business. Each week of this workshop series will focus on key digital marketing strategies for messaging, websites, social media, and email communication. By the end of this four-week workshop, you will have a clear understanding of your marketing message, the tools you can use to connect with your customers, and a holistic marketing strategy to grow your business. 

Diverse Markets Business Builder Grants: Office Hours 2

February 13, 2025

4pm-5pm MT

Live via Zoom

Join the Diverse Markets Team for Office Hours to ask your questions about the Diverse Markets Business Builder Grant Program. This session will be recorded and posted to the website. You can find the recording from the past informational session here.

Good Food Connections

February 24, 2025

Seattle, WA

Presented by Seattle Good Business Network, Good Food Connections unites farmers, fishers, artisans, chefs, buyers, and community food stakeholders around a common table for networking, conversation, education, and good food.



Make market connections and strengthen the regional food system serving King County & Puget Sound at this in-person event. We look forward to a day of lively panel discussions and presentations, a catered lunch featuring local producers, a robust trade show and tasting event to introduce buyers to the best of the region, networking opportunities, and more.

Organic Seed Growers Conference

February 28- March 3, 2025

Corvallis, OR

The event, hosted by Organic Seed Alliance, is a chance for seed stewards and advocates from across the U.S. and beyond to gather in celebration of the growing seed movement. Centered around the theme “Weaving Visions of Organic Seed Communities,” the event will offer pre-conference intensives, keynote speakers, panel discussions, farm tours, lightning talks, a seed swap, synergy spaces, and more.

Funding Provided by:

Center Leads: Colorado State University, Oregon State University

Regional/multi-state: Tahoma Peak Solutions, Network of Incubators and Community Kitchens (The Nick), Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Luna Bird, The Food Corridor

Colorado: Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado State University

Oregon: Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University Food Innovation Center, Oregon Community Food Systems Network, Oregon Food Hub Network

Idaho: University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Agriculture, FARE Idaho, Sun Valley Institute, Arrowleaf Consulting Group

Montana: Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana State University

Washington: Washington State University, Washington State Department of Agriculture

Wyoming: University of Wyoming, Central Wyoming College

USDA: Ag Marketing Service Collaborators and NW-Rocky Mountain Regional Coordinator

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. https://www.usda.gov/non-discrimination-statement