The Producers Growth Program will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to assess, plan, and execute a growth and scaling strategy for your business. At the start of the six-month program, you’ll be matched with an industry advisor who has experience in building and leading successful companies, from attracting investors to expansion into new markets. During weekly coaching sessions, you’ll work together to develop a growth plan, using what you learn in your program classes. Your advisor can also connect you to new opportunities and help you avoid common scaling pitfalls, so you can use your resources wisely and sustain your company’s growth. As a participant in the program, you will also have preferred access to our partner’s $3.5 million loan fund.

As defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a value-added producer must grow at least 51% of the raw commodity that they use to create their products, on land that they either lease or own. (Those who contract their production to another producer are not eligible.)

Subject matter experts will guide you through a comprehensive curriculum, covering topics including working with institutional and wholesale buyers, risk assessment and management, supply chain and logistics, and legal considerations, among others. After each class, you’ll work with your industry advisors to continue building your scaling strategy.

Along with their classes and weekly advisor sessions, participants will tour sites including a regional food accelerator, a co-packing facility, and a leading grocer’s warehouse. These are a great opportunity to meet and learn from the company owners, and to connect with fellow producers. Last year, participants visited D.C.’s Union Kitchen Accelerator and Baltimore-based co-packing facility Tulkoff Food Products, and met with representatives from Redner’s Market to discuss distribution. Each cohort member will also get to showcase their products and share their growth plans at our end-of-program celebration and vendor fair, Producers Unveiled.

We’re very proud of our inaugural Producers Growth Program cohort. Among the success stories is Gayle Galbraith, the founder of Federal Brewing Company, who was accepted to the Union Kitchen Accelerator. She also received $100,000 in funding to support her scaling plan. Participant Jeff Smith, the founder of Iron Skillet Coffee, was able to build a new coffee roasting facility in part due to CAIC support.

We’re excited to welcome value-added producers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) entrepreneurs headquartered in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C. Eligible applicants should generate a minimum of $40,000 in annual revenue, be dedicated full time to their business, have a registered company in good standing, and demonstrate a commitment to business growth. 

The application process is easy and straightforward, and it begins with filling out and submitting a brief form to check your eligibility. After that, you’ll receive an automated email with your eligibility status, along with a link to the application form. Here, you’ll be asked to provide basic information on your company, current goals, and motivations for participating in the program. You’ll also be asked to submit a business plan. Within the following two business days, you’ll get a calendar invite for your Zoom interview with the program advisors; during that interview, you’ll discuss your goals, motivations, business history, challenges, and more. The advisors will then determine whether or not you’re currently a good fit for the program, and will notify you of their decision within three business days.

Our goal is for you to have the knowledge and tools you need to assess, plan, and execute a growth and scaling strategy for your business at the end of the program. We also designed the program with the goal of helping you make valuable new connections. The eight-person cohort model allows for conversations with lecturers and other producers who are at similar business stages—people you can learn from and with whom you can build lasting professional relationships. You’ll also have access to our alumni network, including the opportunity to be paired with an alum working to scale their business in a similar field, allowing you to learn more about how they’re applying what they learned in the program.

Through the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CAIC offers a tuition discount of almost 70% to value-added producers, for a reduced rate of $1,000 (including 63 hours of business growth services). Consumer packaged goods companies that don’t meet the value-added producer threshold (i.e., not growing 51% or more of their raw commodity) have the option of paying the full program fee ($4,000), which includes the 63 hours of business growth services; or of paying a reduced rate ($2,500), which doesn’t include these services.

We offer flexible, interest-free payment plans for all participants: you’ll choose the amount of your initial deposit, along with the payment schedule that’s right for you. Finally, CAIC won’t take equity in your company, ensuring you stay in control of it. During your interview with the program advisors, you’ll discuss the pricing and the payment model that fits best.