Bubbling hot corn chowder, zesty Jalapeno pepper relish, a moist whiskey cake, creatively iced cookies and pasta with a rich marinara sauce were some family favorites tried and tested at the recent “Starting a Food Business” workshop hosted by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) of Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc. Over 20 food entrepreneurs attended the workshop and almost all brought samples of their specialty for the taste test. A tour of REI’s commercial kitchen was also part of the workshop.
Featured presenter was Andrea Graves, OSU Food & Agricultural Products Center, who provided information on labeling and UPC codes, processing and co-packing, marketing, health regulations.
“This workshop was a brief overview of what is involved in moving that family recipe into the marketplace,” said Dr. Barbara Rackley, WBC coordinator. “Perfecting a product is only one step in starting a food business. Marketing and regulatory requirements can seem overwhelming and this workshop helped people make quality decisions about how to proceed, or not to proceed.”
According to Dr. Rackley, the high interest in the workshop was enough to consider bringing OSU’s one-day “Basic Training” seminar to the local community. The seminar will address business plans, up-front capital needs, regulations applicable to the food industry, marketing, labeling, liabilities and legalities and many other topics.
“It would take 10 or more paid registrants in order for us to bring the seminar to Durant so if you are interested, please let us know,” Dr. Rackley said. Registration is $150 per person including workshop materials, lunch, refreshments, with time allotted for questions and networking. An additional seminar feature would be a tour of REI’s fully equipped commercial kitchen.
For more information contact Dr. Barbara Rackley or Lori Smith at 800-658-2823. You may also e-mail Dr. Rackley at barbara@ruralenterprises.com. or lori@ruralenterprises.com.