Wholesale Readiness Program for Food Entrepreneurs
A collaboration between the Western MA Food Processing Center & the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts
What you will learn
- Regulatory Compliance & Wholesale Logistics
- Branding & Marketing for CPG
- Working with Retailers & Distributors
- Analyzing Your Cost of Goods & Setting Appropriate Pricing
- Cash Flow & Financing Your Business Growth
- Production Planning & Scaling
Program Overview
Are you an early-stage, but established food entrepreneur selling a consumer packaged good (CPG) or value-added product in the northeast? Are you primarily selling direct to consumer and ready to begin selling to stores (or more stores!) in your region? Join us between January and March 2026 to learn from industry experts and entrepreneurs like yourself who have grown their CPG brands in the Northeast.
This program will be hosted online via live sessions on Zoom with an optional (in-person) field trip.
Program format:
- Seven 90-minute virtual workshops (Fridays, 9:30–11:00 AM ET)
- Four 1-hour virtual office hours (Fridays, 9:00–10:00 AM ET)
- One in-person field trip to close out the program
- One 2.5 hour virtual Topic Jam - this session will include 10+ topics that participants can opt into!
Sessions include a mix of:
- Presentations by industry experts
- Panel discussions with industry experts and buyers
- Group discussion
- Pre-work assessments and suggested homework
Bonus
Participants who attend all sessions will qualify for:
- Specialized marketing & waived fees at the Boston Local Food Trade Show (Dates TBD) hosted by the Sustainable Business Network of MA.
- Subsidized prototype trial at the Western MA Food Processing Center (sauces & condiments only)
- Counseling sessions throughout program with program facilitators
- Technical assistance offered by a menu of industry experts, including experts in branding, marketing, sales, fundraising, product development, food safety, & more.
Eligibility & Cost
This program is open to established CPG companies who:
- Utilize at least one locally grown ingredient in their food products.
- Can demonstrate at least one year of direct to consumer sales.
- Have a baseline understanding of their production and operational costs.
- Can commit to at least six program sessions.
- Are located in the Northeast (New England & New York)
This program is valued at $1000, but thanks to grant funding from the USDA Local Food Promotion Program, we’re able to offer it for just $200. Our goal is to make this opportunity accessible to more food entrepreneurs while maintaining the same high-quality training and support.
Questions? Contact Kate Minifie at katem@fccdc.org or 413-774-7204 ext. 104
2026 Program Schedule
Friday January 9, 9:30-11:00am - Course Introduction
Friday January 16 - 9:30-11:00am - Wholesale 101: Regulatory Compliance & Wholesale Logistics
Friday January 23, 9:30-11:00am - Branding & Marketing
Dates TBD- Local Food Trade Show hosted by Sustainable Business Network of MA
Friday January 30, 9:30-11:00am - Office Hours
Friday February 6, 9:30-11:00 am - Working with Retailers & Distributors
Friday February 13, 9:30-11:00-am - Office Hours
Friday February 20 - 9:30-11:00 - Analyzing Your Cost of Goods & Setting Appropriate Pricing
Friday February 27, 9:30-11:00am - Managing Cash Flow & Financing Your Business Growth
Friday March 6, 9:30-11:00 - Office Hours
Friday March 13, 9:30-11:00am - Scaling Your Production
Friday March 20, 9:30-11:00am - Office Hours
Friday March 27, 9:30-11:00am - Group Field Trip
Testimonials
The (Wholesale Readiness Program) helped grow our small sauce company through providing resources, connections, and expert knowledge of the food processing business. As a new business breaking into the consumer packaged goods space there was a lot we needed to know. By bringing together many small food businesses, the (program) created a great environment to learn and expand our business knowledge. There was an exchange of information and ideas between the members of the cohort that helped our business expand into new distribution paths. (Program organizers) brought in experts on distribution, retail, and production to share their experience and provide us the time to ask questions and receive feedback. They expertly facilitated these sessions to get at how these spaces actually operate. The Food Program provided excellent support to our small business and know they can support other small businesses as well"
- Matt Dzaugis, Co-owner of Scraps (Portland, ME)
"Running a specialty food business is a new venture for me, and there's so much I need to learn how everything works. The (Wholesale Readiness Program) has been helping me tremendously, and I can't say enough good things about it. I love that they invite guest speakers who also share their extensive knowledge and it's great that we participants get to ask questions to them directly. Also all the participants are fellow small business owners like myself so there's a positive learning environment in the program. I highly recommend this program to anyone who is new to the specialty food business."
- Aya Forster, Owner of Tasty AF Chili Oil (Fairfield, CT)
"My biggest takeaway (from the program) is that having a community of people going through what you are going through is just as important as the business itself."
-Anonymous
"I would like to express my deep gratitude for this program and commend the very high level of professionalism and expertise that it offered. From the presentations to the mentor hours, this has been a truly unique experience of the highest caliber. I have made every Friday meeting and office hours a priority, and as a result I have come away knowing definitively what I can accomplish with my company which is pretty much anything I want to. The tools and resources you have provided cannot be overvalued. Knowing that you are accessible always in the future gives me a sense of confidence that I always have a resource to help me accomplish whatever goals I set forth."
-Paul Farrel, Union Bagel Company (Portland, ME)
"I am more of a creative person and the back end stuff is not something I enjoy doing. This program gave me insight and tools to make those tasks more manageable"
-Fernanda Tapia, Tapi Papi (Watertown, MA)