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Shore Gourmet’s Roxanne Wolf Brings a Comprehensive View of Value-Added Production to CAIC Advisory Board

by Muphen R. Whitney

 

Shore Gourmet’s Roxanne Wolf readily signed on when she was conscripted by her sister Beth Brewster to leave her pharmaceutical position and take a position providing services to value-added food producers.

“I want to work to create healthy and economically stable families of fishermen and farmers and to provide services to as many value-added producers as possible,” Wolf said recently.

Wolf’s position with Shore Gourmet offers her a broad view of the value-added producer community. Shore Gourmet offers a food take-out service, a market stocked with local products, and a community kitchen available to value-added producers. From this vantage point it did not take Wolf long to discover a very prevalent problem within Maryland’s agricultural sector.

“The industry is rife with silos,” Wolf explained. “I am not a farmer or a fisherman, but it was easy to see the state of agriculture in this area and how the silo reality affects value-added producers.”

Identifying this problem gave Wolf a basis for her interest in the Chesapeake Agricultural Innovation Center where she serves on the Advisory Board. She now has a way to leverage her expertise to provide an overall view of the needs of those involved in agriculture and aquaculture in Maryland and Delaware.

“Everyone’s goal is the same,” Wolf explains. “We need to bring together academia, government agencies, non-governmental agencies, and the private sector to break down the silos.

“The Ag Innovation Center can provide the critical mass for doing this. They can bring together all the resources people need – especially the technology. Currently this industry does not take full advantage of the technology available to it. CAIC can help change that.”

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Shore Gourmet is on the Web at shoregourmetmarket.com. They are located in the Caroline Schoolhouse in Denton, Maryland. Hours, products and services, location, and contact information can be found on the Web site.

 The CAIC Advisory Board Members plan CAIC’s activities that will establish the services that the Center will provide for its constituency. These programs include enhancing innovation and technology use in the agriculture and aquaculture industries in Maryland and Delaware. In addition to Roxanne Wolf, Advisory Board members are Nikko Brady, Delaware Department of Agriculture; Charlotte Davis, Maryland Department of Agriculture; Holly Porter, Delmarva Chicken Association; Andrew Rose, MidAtlantic Farm Credit; Lindsay Thompson, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board; John Torres, Maryland Farm Bureau; Shelby Watson-Hampton, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission; Donald Webster, Maryland Aquaculture Coordinating Council; and Richard Wilkins, Delaware Farm Bureau,

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MINI-GRANTs

Mini-Grants up to $5,000 are available for:
– Market Research and Validation of Target Market
– Customer Acquisition
– Product Development Initiatives
– Food Safety Classes
Eligibility
Value-added producers and companies with traction ($20,000 or more in yearly revenue) in Maryland and Delaware are eligible to apply for Mini-Grants. Participants may apply once for each of the categories. Applicants must demonstrate that they have a unique and differentiated product or service that incorporates an aspect of innovation or technology in its production, processing, distribution, or other element of the food supply system.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Award decisions will be made and funds will be available no later than three weeks following the receipt of a completed application.
Application Process
Applicants must submit Mini-Grant proposals by filling out the form at this link. Copy(ies) of quote(s), proposal(s), estimate(s), or any other supporting documents.

MINI GRANT APPLICATION

ACCESS TO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (SMES)

CAIC offers access to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who can offer authoritative advice based on their deep knowledge and experience in a specific area. See the ADVISORS page of this Web site to learn more about the SMEs who are available to CAIC participants.

Register For The CAIC

Date and Time of Session: Wednesday, October 20th; 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Course Description: This presentation discusses strategies for B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) growth via marketing and sales. The presentation focuses on each company’s plans to diversify its revenue streams by using e-commerce, exporting, and overall customer acquisition tactics to support and enhance brand awareness.
Desired Prerequisite Knowledge and Experience of Attendees: There are no prerequisites for this Virtual Presentation.
Criteria for Acceptance into the Virtual Presentation: Attendees need to have a product-based business; this is not suited for technology and/or app companies.