Workshop Helps Entrepreneurs Cook Up a Home Food Business

Midwestern entrepreneurs interested in starting their own food business can learn how to begin and grow their enterprise at a Purdue Extension workshop in Indianapolis.

"An Introduction to Starting a Specialty Food Business in Indiana" will be held April 25 from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Indiana Farm Bureau offices, 225 S. East St. Sessions will cover a variety of topics, including business planning, marketing, entrepreneurship, product development and packaging, as well as issues specific to food businesses, such as food safety, food regulations and organic products.

 

Featured presenters will include Sharon Farrell of the Indiana State Department of Health and Cissy Bowman and Jessica Ervin of Indiana Certified Organic.

 

Other presenters will be Purdue's Katherine Clayton, food science Extension outreach specialist; Maria Marshall, agricultural economics associate professor; and Steve Smith, managing director of the Food Science Pilot Plant and Sensory Laboratories.

 

"This workshop is a great introduction to all of the issues that you're going to have to deal with before you start a food business," Marshall said. "The food industry is very competitive, and this workshop will help you make sure you know what you're getting into."

 

Registration is $100 per person and is due by April 17. For more information or to register, click here or contact Marsha Pritchard at 765-494-0889 or mpritcha@purdue.edu.

Horticulture Congress to Educate, Connect Growers

Farmers, growers and owners of agritourism businesses can gain new information in their fields and connect with other professionals at the Indiana Horticulture Congress and Trade Show in Indianapolis.

The congress, which typically draws more than 800 visitors yearly, will be held Jan. 22-24 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West, 2544 Executive Drive. The conference will feature speakers from around the state on a variety of topics in areas such as agritourism, fresh fruits and vegetables, wine grapes, organics, farmers markets and raw products. There will be luncheons, receptions, banquets, roundtables and lectures.

"Our educational sessions are designed to meet the needs of growers, with information on production practices, pest and disease control, processing, marketing, agritourism, food safety and legislative and regulatory concerns," said Peter Hirst, associate professor of horticulture at Purdue University. "The congress is also a wonderful opportunity to reacquaint with old friends and business contacts, as well as form new connections."

Coinciding with the congress is the trade show with more than 70 exhibitors from equipment, seed, processed food and irrigation companies. During the conference, attendees can participate in a cider contest by submitting two 1-gallon jugs of cider to the registration desk by noon that Wednesday, and can also bid in a silent auction to benefit the tree fruit and vegetable extension and research funds.

Certified private pesticide applicators may attend a recertification session on Wednesday or Thursday. There is a $10 fee to attend the session, and participants must know their private applicator license numbers. Additionally, licensed commercial applicators in category 1 may attend sessions for their continuing certification hours.

Early registration is due by Jan. 14 and must be accompanied by full payment in order to be processed. Fees do not include meals and will vary based on participants' membership in certain horticultural associations. Participants should visit www.inhortcongress.org to register. There will be a late fee of $20 added to the registration price for submissions after Jan. 14. Students and educators are eligible to receive free registration.

For more information, contact Tammy Goodale at 765-494-1296 or tgoodale@purdue.edu.

Upcoming Events - Cooking Up a Food Business in the Home Kitchen

Do you have a great recipe or product you love to make? Do you wish you could turn that into a home-based business? As a result of a recently passed law by the Indiana General Assembly allowing certain foods to be produced in the home kitchen and sold at farmers’ markets and roadside stands, this is now an option. Purdue Extension of Spencer County is hosting a three-part webinar series, “Cooking up a Food Business in the Home Kitchen”, that will address the opportunities and limitations of a home-based food business as well as safe food handling and preparation practices for the home kitchen. 

The sessions will be held on consecutive Tuesday mornings from March 20 to April 3 at the Spencer County 4-H Fairgrounds in Chrisney from 9:00 – 10:30 AM. The cost of the program is $20 per person for the three-session series or $8 per person per individual session. Early bird registration deadline is March 16. After the deadline, registration cost is increased by $10 per person. In addition to live, on-site viewing, participants have the option of viewing live or recorded sessions from home via a high-speed internet connection. The registration cost and deadline remain the same for at-home viewing. 

Registration brochures are available by contacting Purdue Extension-Spencer County at (812) 649-6022 or nheld@purdue.edu. They are also available online.