Starting a new business can be overwhelming at times, but there is support to help you bring your food product to the public. There are a lot of supports for businesses within the East Kootenays to make sure your food business grows and thrives. Some of them are mentioned below, or download this resource sheet to find a more detailed list of supports.
Nyree Marsh (nmarsh@futures.bc.ca) is the Agriculture Business Advisor with Community Futures Central Kootenay and provides free, confidential, one-to-one business advice to food and agriculture businesses in the Columbia Basin region. She is a wealth of information and can offer you tailored advice and support for your food business.
The BC Association of Farmers’ Markets has a great list of resources, including a database of funding opportunities for BC food producers.
If you are based in the Columbia Valley, Columbia Valley Food & Farm is there to support the region’s growers and makers. Be a part of their annual local food guide to promote your business.
Are you a farmer or primary producer?
The Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors help with practical information for producers with regards to science and agriculture. If you need support on the “science of farming” then get in touch.
Young Agrarians are a farmer-to-farmer educational resource network for new and young ecological, organic and regenerative farmers in Canada. They provide a wealth of information and support for new farmers.
Columbia Basin Trust have the Basin Food Producer Wage Subsidy Program that provides support to primary food producers in the Columbia Basin to hire employees as needed throughout the 2022 growing and harvesting season.