The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food in collaboration with Utah State University Extension is pleased to announce the availability of $600,000 in Business Builder Award grants available through the Southwest Regional Food Business Center. Applications are being accepted now through February 14, 2025.
“The Business Builder Award grants are a great opportunity for Utah’s food business entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and we are excited to help facilitate these grants.” said Craig Buttars, UDAF Commissioner.
The purpose of the Business Builder Award grants is to strengthen the resilience, diversity, and competitiveness of local and regional food systems by expanding opportunities for food businesses throughout Utah. This program will award $600,000 in competitive awards and $80,000 in technical-assistance-linked direct support awards between 2025-2027.
“We’re excited to partner with the Southwest Regional Food Business Center to provide this funding opportunity and hope it allows Utah food and farm businesses to experience real growth.” said Dr. Karin Allen, Extension Food Quality and Entrepreneurship Specialist at Utah State University.
Priority areas of focus have been identified to ensure the needs of Utah’s food supply chain are met through these grants. Projects with the following criteria will be given priority:
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Projects related to the production of value-added agricultural products, especially those that diversify current business practices. This includes, but is not limited to, expanding agritourism opportunities, new or expanded processing capacities (e.g. bottling of fruits and acidified foods), and meat processing (e.g. frozen meats and jerky).
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Projects increasing the availability of storage, especially cold storage facilities, for fresh produce and refrigerated processed foods.
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Projects that are located in or directly benefit:
The application deadline for the Business Builder grants is February 14, 2025. For more information contact Kaylan Burns at [email protected]. To access the online application, visit swfoodbiz.org/business-
