24 Oregon women food and beverage entrepreneurs selected for Farm2Food Accelerator program
The 5-month Women's Farm2Food Accelerator program will bring 24 agribusiness ventures to the next level.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of 24 Oregon women for the Farm2Food Accelerator program, kicked off Nov. 3, 2021.
The Farm2Food Accelerator is a business development program designed to help women farmers and entrepreneurs with specialty crop food or beverage products, or product ideas, expand into new markets beyond direct to consumer. The program is unique and exciting for Oregon agriculture and provides women entrepreneurs with the tools and training they need to take their businesses to the next level.
"Congratulations to those selected to participate in this year’s Farm2Food Accelerator program,” said ODA Director, Alexis Taylor. “We are proud to invest in efforts to make Oregon agriculture more diverse and inclusive. This program will help support these women running small businesses to grow their operations, develop new business strategies and increase their competitiveness in new markets."
Selected participants will join women from Nevada and Washington for a 15-week online program, thanks to funds made available through the Oregon Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The program will provide women with the opportunity to:
- Gain knowledge and tools related to food safety, product development, marketing, and more
- Connect with a community of women farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food experts to exchange ideas and meet peers in other states
- Launch a new value-added food or beverage product or enhance an existing product
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The Farm2Food Accelerator program focuses on supporting women farmers who grow specialty crops for a value-added food or beverage product or those who source specialty crop ingredients in the products they make. The USDA defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, honey, tree nuts, dried fruits, culinary herbs, and spices. In addition, the USDA defines a value-added product as a product that has changed in its physical state or form, such as milling wheat for flour or making strawberries into jam.
Applicants accepted into the 2022 program include:
- Alma Gaeta, Peachwood Orchard LLC, Hood River, OR
- Amber Jubilee & Brighten Cameron – Bishop, Dirt Gardeners, Jacksonville, OR
- Amy Fox, SunLife and Ranch LLC, Prineville, OR
- Dora Boyd Cohen, Dora's Garden, Union, OR
- Dorene Stevens, La Grande, OR
- Eleanor Herro Brannon, Albany, OR
- Emily Moore, Emily's Kitchen, Jacksonville, OR
- Erin Lair, Forest Cove Acres, Cove, OR
- Ginger McCabe, Chili Royale, Port Orford, OR
- Gisella Barbaray, Bergerac, Milwaukie, OR
- Holly Flowers, Lavendar Vale Farms LLC, McMinnville, OR
- Janet Marrs, Almosta Farm, Cove, OR
- Karen Bentson, Rocky Point Farm, Dorena, OR
- Kassaundra Lynn, Rooted Remedies LLC, Eugene, OR
- Lisa Brown, Moxie Brew, Medford, OR
- Lisa Kaye Johnson, Moon Dance Bakery, Portland, OR
- Michele Lewis, Portland, OR
- Nancy Walter, Milwaukie, OR
- Ramona White, A Lusty Bit of Nourishment, Portland, OR
- Sara Fischer, Here Now Farm, Portland, OR
- Shelly Bowerman, Moondogs Farm LLC, Eugene, OR
- Sierra Thomas, Pink Cloud Beverages, Lake Oswego, OR
- Stacey Givens, The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, Portland, OR
- Timeri Hansen, Hansen's Garden Goodies, Creswell, OR
Visit https://www.f2faccelerator.org/orwa-program to learn more about the program or to watch for information on future programs.
About the NASDA Foundation
NASDA Foundation is the only educational and research organization that directly serves state departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories. The Foundation focuses on education, outreach, and research that galvanize the agricultural industry. NASDA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The mission of the NASDA Foundation is to advance agriculture to shape a changing world. We carry out this mission by working with state departments of agriculture on regional and national programs that:
- Connect farmers to new markets.
- Inspire change across the supply chain.
- Empowers diverse farmers & agricultural leaders to reach their dreams.
Contact
Amy Gilroy
503-709-5360
amy.gilroy@oda.oregon.gov
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