Workshop Series Set to Assist New Commercial Food Producers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The steps from start to finish to make commercial food products for local food systems will be taught in a series of workshops – “Plan. Produce. Profit.” – at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center, a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The first two workshops are open to anyone who signs up. Participants will explore the process of taking a product from concept to the commercial market plus the fundamentals of starting a food-processing business. Participants in the third workshop will be selected on a competitive basis from among people who attend the first two. They will receive assistance from the center’s personnel and use of its facilities in commercializing their product.

The center is a fully equipped service facility for food product development and processing. It provides assistance to small- and mid-size agricultural producers and entrepreneurs.

All workshop sessions will be held at the center’s facilities at the university’s Department of Food Science, 2650 N. Young Ave., in Fayetteville. The workshops are supported by a Southern Extension Risk Management Education grant.

The first workshop will be held at two times from which participants may choose: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, or 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31. Admission to the first workshop is complimentary through registration at afic.uark.edu/workshopreg.html.

The second workshop is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Registration details will be announced later with a cost of $20, which includes lunch. The third workshop for those clients who are selected will hold sessions from April to June while they produce their products.

For additional details, contact Renee Threlfall at 479-575-4677 or rthrelf@uark.edu.