Grow Your Agribusiness Workshop Series

The Grow Your Agribusiness Workshop series is a free, in-person training opportunity for food and farm businesses based in Prince George's County. The sequence of courses are designed to build on and complement one another while pairing industry leaders with entrepreneurs and peers. We encourage participation in all of the workshops for a comprehensive learning experience and clearly defined steps toward developing food safety, marketing, and business plans. All classes will be held in person at Gethsemane United Methodist Church from 6:30pm to 9pm with dinner provided. Please review the workshop descriptions and RSVP for those you are able to attend. Further instructions will be sent prior to the event.

October 7th: Building Sustainable Food Business Operations with Chef Kendra Stephens

This workshop introduces participants to the foundational components of operating a sustainable food business. Participants explore business planning, pricing, budgeting, inventory management, staffing, workflow organization, and day-to-day operational practices that support long-term business stability and growth.

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify key operational components needed to run a sustainable food business;
• Apply basic pricing and budgeting strategies to food products and business operations;
• Organize foundational systems for inventory, workflow, and day-to-day business management; and
• Develop an initial action plan for strengthening or transitioning their food business into commercial production.

October 14th: Branding, Marketing, and Market Access for Direct-to-Consumer, Restaurant, and Institutional Markets with Chef Kendra Stephens

This workshop focuses on strategies for building a strong brand identity and effectively marketing food products across multiple sales channels.

Participants explore customer engagement, storytelling, visual branding, pricing strategies, digital marketing, and approaches for positioning and selling products through direct-to-consumer, restaurant, wholesale, retail, and institutional markets.

Participants are encouraged to consider how their branding, messaging, packaging, pricing, and marketing strategies may need to adapt based on the customers and markets they are seeking to reach.

After completing this session, participants should be able to:

• Develop a clear and compelling brand identity and value proposition for their business or products.
• Identify and understand their target customers and priority sales channels.
• Create an attractive, functional pop-up sales display that effectively showcases their products and brand.
• Establish a simple, consistent customer payment process for accepting and tracking sales.
• Adapt branding, messaging, packaging, pricing, and marketing strategies for direct-to-consumer, restaurant, wholesale, retail, and institutional markets.

October 21st: Food Safety Management Systems and HACCP Principles with Ella Hughes

This workshop provides participants with training in food safety practices, certifications, and regulatory requirements relevant to farmers, food producers, and small food businesses. Participants learn about safe food handling, licensing pathways, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), commercial kitchen expectations, and certifications commonly required for market and institutional sales.

The workshop may include ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Training and Examination or another industry recognized certification training, including instruction in foodborne illness prevention, personal hygiene and employee health, time and temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, cleaning and sanitation, food safety regulations and compliance, active managerial control, inspection readiness, and risk management.

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will

• Be prepared and, where applicable, eligible to sit for and successfully complete relevant food safety certification examinations.
• Understand key food safety practices and regulatory requirements for their business.
• Identify the licenses and certifications needed for their products and operations.
• Apply safe food handling, sanitation, and risk management practices.
• Prepare for inspections, audits, and regulatory compliance.
• Develop a clear pathway toward food safety certification and market readiness.

As food businesses develop products in compliance with state standards, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) are a reliable method of assuring food safety. This course will provide participants with an understanding of food safety management systems and HACCP principles, including:

• Food safety hazards and risk assessment
• Critical control points and monitoring procedures
• Preventive controls and risk mitigation
• Corrective actions and verification procedures
• Recordkeeping and documentation requirements
• Food manufacturing and processing compliance considerations
• Regulatory expectations for food production facilities

October 28th: Food Processing Requirements, Product Testing, Recipe Development, and Compliant Packaging with Ella Hughes

The workshop is intended to help participants better understand the requirements that must be addressed when developing safe, compliant, and market-ready value-added food products. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will

• Understand the steps required to move a packaged food product from recipe to commercial production.
• Develop and standardize a recipe or product formulation for consistent production.
• Identify applicable testing, labeling, packaging, and shelf-life requirements.
• Understand the state and federal regulatory requirements for producing and selling packaged foods.
• Develop a clear commercialization pathway to bring a compliant, market-ready product to market.