Branch & Vine Herbs, a local market in Buffalo, is one of 24 businesses in Wyoming that received a Startup Business Builder grant from the USDA in 2024. The Wyoming Regional Food Business Center launched the program that same year. (Carol Stoltenburg Photo)

In 2024, the Wyoming Regional Food Business Center (WYRFBC) team launched the Startup Business Builder grant program. The program gives small- and medium-sized producers and food makers direct monetary awards to increase local and regional food supply chains and capacity. Applicants were not required to provide matching funds to receive the grant.

The grant was funded by the USDA through the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center (RFBC), which provides regional support for local food businesses in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon. Strengthening Wyoming’s food system independence and resilience has recently been found to contribute a net economic impact of more than $36 million annually to Wyoming’s economy. To learn more, go to https://bit.ly/b1402.

The WYRFBC team stipulated that grant applicants must participate in a free six-part educational series titled “Market Course: A Guide to Selling Wyoming Local Foods,” hosted by the WYRFBC team and University of Wyoming Extension. Pairing technical assistance with the monetary awards increases the likelihood of business success and efficient use of the funds.

The market course’s final session took place in March. The Wyoming Startup Business Builder grant application deadline followed shortly thereafter.

Of the grant applications submitted, 24 projects were awarded funding for a total of approximately $313,000 in allocations. Applicants could apply for up to $15,000 in funds intended to assist these Wyoming local foods producers and food businesses in expansion of their post-production operations.

Use of funds through the proposed projects will vary widely, from the purchase of cold storage equipment to hiring marketing consultants for company rebranding.

The Wyoming Startup Business Builder grant awardees met virtually for the first of four follow-up meetings July 9. They asked questions about the reporting process and fund delivery for their grants and shared their project overviews with their fellow producers and food makers. These meetings not only allow the grant recipients to ask questions about the grant process but also act as an informal network for these businesses to share knowledge, collaborate and coordinate — ultimately enhancing business success.

Carol Stoltenburg was among those who volunteered to share her proposed project with the group. Stoltenburg is the owner/operator of Branch & Vine Herbs, a storefront market in Buffalo.

“Buffalo is about 30 minutes away from many local products … and so one of my project areas was to get a merchandising refrigerator and freezer,” she says. “These two pieces of equipment will really help me be able to start selling local beef and pork and lamb, and just a lot more dairy product. I have a lot of people lined up and I want to start selling to them.”

“I’m really excited because I hear from my customers all the time about how they’re so happy that the store is here and they don’t have to drive all the way up to Sheridan or go out to Gillette to get the things that they need,” Stoltenburg continues. “They can get bread, they can get fruit, they can get milk, eggs, all of that stuff at my store. So, I’m just really excited to expand … It’s a small store now, but I want to keep growing.”

Noriko Tenhulzen, with Pure Oats, located in Powell, also shared how she is using her Wyoming Startup Business Builder grant award. Tenhulzen purchased a banner branded with her company name for a farmers market display and also hired a consultant to provide expert guidance around establishing sales channels within the Amazon Marketplace.

Other businesses that shared about their projects at the initial follow-up meeting included: Jon Shumway of Shumway Farms in Afton; Vicki Sherman of Mountain Fresh Produce in Pinedale; and Deidre Fergeson with Meadowlark Market, a local food hub under the Slow Food Wind River chapter in Lander.

Recent federal legislation has eliminated funding for the RFBC. Per the stop work order from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, this program no longer aligns with the priorities and policies of the administration. The changes will go into effect Sept. 15. However, the grantees have been informed they will still receive their awards in accordance with the RFBC’s mission.

Wyoming Startup Business Builder grant awardees are:

— 1890 Farms, LLC: Cold storage and marketing expansion, Riverton.

— Bold Origins, doing business as Quinoa Good: E-commerce launch, Jackson.

— Branch & Vine Herbs, LLC: Local food access expansion, Buffalo.

— Bryan Thoman, doing business as Holy Smokes: Equipment upgrade for smoked-foods business, Riverton.

— ETNSH Inc., doing business as Pure Oats: Retail expansion of Wyoming Oats, Sheridan.

— High Country Fungus LLC: Mushroom extract product line, Riverton.

— Horizon Honey LLC: Rural product delivery expansion, Sundance.

— Jack Miles Proctor: Beef product and market expansion, Dubois.

— Jackson Hole Chip Company LLC: Delivery vehicle purchase, Wilson.

— Mountain Fresh Produce LLC: Refrigerated van acquisition, Pinedale.

— Queens of Goodness, LLC: Creamed honey production expansion, Lander.

— Root to Shoot LLC: Year-round produce production expansion, Sheridan.

— Satchitananda Farm: Local produce marketing expansion, Pinedale.

— Second Street Farm: Farm refrigeration upgrade, Lander.

— Shumway Farms LLC: Ice cream freezing system upgrade, Afton.

— Slow Food in the Tetons: Software integration for food market operator, Jackson.

— Meadowlark Market, a chapter of Slow Food Wind River: A point-of-sale system upgrade for Meadowlark Market, Lander.

— Taste of the Wind: Meat byproduct processing equipment, Laramie.

— The Busy Mother LLC: Commercial kitchen expansion, Riverton.

— The Farmhouse Market: Farm store development, Thermopolis.

— West Cattle Company: Labeling and cold storage upgrades, Wheatland.

— Western Variety Farm LLC: On-farm farmstand construction, Sheridan.

— Yellowstone Spice Company: Spice product marketing expansion, Lander.

— Windy Creek Farm LLC: Increase efficiency for pumpkin patch, Cheyenne.

To hear more about some of these Wyoming Business Builder Grant awardees and other Wyoming and regional local food businesses through interviews featured on the Meaningful Marketplace podcast, another product of the RFBC, go to https://www.youtube.com/@MeaningfulMarketplacePodcast. Some of these producers and food makers also are highlighted in the Northwest and Rocky Mountain RFBC’s Impact Stories.

For inquiries, email Jennifer.faulkner@uwyo.edu .

About the University of Wyoming Extension

The University of Wyoming Extension serves Wyoming communities by helping residents apply university research and resources to practical problems. Since 1914, UW Extension has provided educational programs and tools to the state’s 23 counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation. From 4-H programming and pesticide safety education to food preservation and nutrition courses, UW Extension upholds the university’s land-grant mission by offering learning opportunities for people of all ages. UW Extension staff help Wyoming residents boost agricultural production, care for lawns and gardens, cultivate future leaders, support individual and community well-being, and develop thriving businesses. To learn more, visit www.uwyo.edu/uwe or call (307) 766-5124.