New Program Aimed At Helping Food And Beverage Entrepreneurs Is Now Available In Huron County
by Bob Montgomery
The Huron Business Centre, a service area of the County of Huron’s Economic Development Department, is now offering a free program to food and beverage entrepreneurs in Huron County known as the Foodpreneur Advantage Program.
The Foodpreneur Advantage Program is for individuals looking to start or expand a food or beverage manufacturing business producing consumer packaged goods. The program provides introductory workshops, specifically aimed at food-related businesses, to help them get started or expand new product lines. Huron Business Centre Manager Brittany Wise says this program will give producers everything they need to get their product on grocery store shelves, and there is a real opportunity to get some of the manufacturing done in Huron County.
“Huron County is a provincial leader in primary agriculture production. Foodpreneur Advantage offers the opportunity for producers to explore how to add value to those products,” says Vicki Lass, Director of Economic Development for the County of Huron. “It is also great for any culinary creative to get their unique product perfected, and packaged, and onto store shelves.”
The first series of workshops will begin in November of 2024 and subsequent programs will be offered again in January, April, August, and November of 2025.
The first six-part webinar series includes:
• November 7 – Starting a Food Business and Regulatory Compliance
• November 14 – How to Sell Your Food Product
• November 21 – Costing and Pricing to Make Profits
• November 28 – Marketing and Branding Your Food Product
• December 5 – Labelling and Packaging Your Food Product
• December 12 – Selling to Food Retailers
All sessions will be held virtually for 1-hour on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. Anyone interested must sign up for each session individually.
The Foodpreneur Advantage Program was developed in 2021 and is delivered through a local delivery partnership of 14 Small Business Enterprise Centres, such as the Huron Business Centre, across Ontario. Under the Foodpreneur Advantage umbrella, business support centres can collectively offer food-related programming that can be presented with more frequency and depth.
The Huron Business Centre encourages individuals to explore the Foodpreneur Advantage seminars and programs and to connect for additional support including:
• Complimentary one-on-one business advisory services with experienced local advisors.
• Connection to additional tools and resources needed to start or expand your business.
• The opportunity to participate in other local programs including the Starter Company Plus program.
• Business training workshops and events to inspire, educate, and connect business owners within the local community.
For more information about the Foodpreneur Advantage Program or the Huron Business Centre, please visit www.HuronCounty.ca/economic-development, or contact the Huron Business Centre directly at 519.524.8394 ext 6.
