Food Business Resources

The Wild Ramp – A year-round community-supported market that provides a viable economic outlet for local food producers while providing consumers access to locally grown agricultural products in Huntington, WV.

MCTC Cooking and Culinary Institute –  The Culinary Arts and Hotel/Lodging Management majors are offered by the Mountwest Community & Technical College.  Each program offers expert training and a Staff and Faculty that are dedicated to teaching students the skills required for an exciting culinary career.  They will soon have a commercial kitchen Huntington, WV.

Food Innovation Center – The Food Innovation Center is committed to providing top-quality educational products and services to three sectors of the food industry: Start-Up Entrepreneurs, Established Food Companies and Farmers Markets.

USDA Value-added Producer Grant – Grants may be used for planning activities and for working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy. Eligible applicants are independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.

ServSafe Food Safety®– ServSafe® delivers high-quality training options for every manager. From the classroom to online, and in a variety of languages, this is your food safety training and certification solution.

Beginning Farmers –  Beginningfarmers.org is an effort to develop a comprehensive and up to date compilation of information resources for new, experienced, and potential farmers, as well as educators, activists, and policy makers interested in the development of new farm enterprises.

WV Foods and Things guide – WV produced foods and crafts – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is here to serve you. If you have any questions concerning the marketing of your product, you many contact any of the following Marketing and Development Division employees for assistance.

WV Small Farm Center – The Small Farm Center, under the WVU Extension Service, was founded in 2009 and strives to increase the farmer’s bottom line by helping him or her retain more of the dollar spent on food in his or her community.

Ohio Fooshed – Ohio Foodshed is your one-stop source for information about local food in Appalachian Ohio.

ACEnet – Located in Athens, OH ACEnet is best known for training and technical assistance to microenterprises aggregated in the food, agriculture, art, retail, technology and manufacturing sectors.  ACEnet’s Food Manufacturing and Commercial Kitchen Facility operates as a shared-use facility for over 150 businesses every year, and those numbers continue to increase.

Profitable Farms and Woodlands: A Practical Guide to Agroforestry for Landowners, Farmers and Ranchers – A much needed practical guide in Agroforestry has been developed by a team of agroforestry specialists from the 1890 and 1862 Land Grant Universities and the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), led by the 1890 Agroforestry Consortium. The purpose of the guide is to assist underserved and limited resources farmers and woodland owners to adopt best management technologies in agroforestry. The guide depicts step-by-step methods and principles on developing agroforestry practices for farmers and woodland owners for the purpose of enhancing the economic and environmental benefits of their farms and woodlands.

List of Small Business Ideas for Farmers and Gardeners– Small farmers, homesteaders, acreage owners, and even suburban gardeners can make extra money at home with small businesses raising vegetables, fruits, flowers, small livestock, and other specialty products in their own backyards!

WV Food Systems Opportunities and Constraints Report – A look at assets and barriers to moving local food from producers to consumers. A snapshot of what buyers are looking for, what infrastructure already exists, and what needs to happen next.  The report also studies constraints to selling local food in larger quantities, and how these can be addressed.