Colorado Farm2Food Program

The Colorado Farm2Food Program supports small-scale farmers and food entrepreneurs as they launch or refine a food and beverage value-added product and explore new markets.

Research shows that value-added production, the act of processing raw agricultural goods into finished products such as food or beverage products, can increase farmers’ profitability, increase the shelf stability of products, expand the market season, increase farm visibility, and allow them to enter new markets.

The Colorado Farm2Food Program centers around three main components:

  • Self-paced modular curriculum as a downloadable workbook. The modules include information on the topic, an activity to help you apply the knowledge to your business, and relevant resources. (Coming soon)

  • A five-part on-demand video series introducing key concepts in product development, pricing, food safety, customer insight, and retail readiness. Each session includes expert presentations.

  • Two in-person events held in Fall 2025, connecting producers, educators, and food system partners across the state.

The Colorado Farm2Food Program provides access to a wealth of information through food systems experts as well as curriculum that has been supplemented by other Farm2Food programs across the nation. Participants work through self-guided modules that eliminate the uncertainty of diversifying your production or enhancing your existing food or beverage products and business.

2025 Colorado PROGRAM

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

Whether you’re exploring how to bring a recipe idea to market, refining a current product, or expanding your product line, Farm2Food Colorado offers tools, insights, and connections to help you grow your value-added business while supporting local agriculture. Farm2Food Colorado is available to anyone interested in using Colorado’s specialty crop* ingredients to create/refine food and beverage products. Colorado producers at any stage are welcome to attend one, some, or all of the program components. There is no cost to the participant, thanks to Colorado’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds to help support Colorado's agriculture and the broader community. In return, participants agree to provide feedback on the program and their progress via impact surveys.

*The USDA defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, culinary herbs, and spices. Visit USDA’s What is a Specialty Crop? webpage to view a list. 


PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

  • Expert insights from speakers across Colorado’s food system

  • Technical know-how to turn specialty crop ingredients into value-added products

  • Practical tools & templates—from pricing workbooks to packaging guides

  • Food safety guidance, including FSMA-aligned practices and scalable compliance tools

“The Farm2Food Accelerator was a space that managed to feel both professional and personal. Each week I felt inspired to innovate and better the products that I have been working on.”

- Crystal Leon, The Radish Hotel



2025 PROGRAM COMPONENTS

On-Demand Video Series

The five-part video series introduced core topics in value-added business development. Each session featured expert presentations that producers can continue to watch on demand:

Aligning Mission and Vision to Drive Innovation with Dustin Finkel
• Brand mission, customer identification, and value proposition

Customer Insight and Iterative Development with CSU Spur
• Identifying market needs, testing with real customers

Knowing Your Product Costs with Kevin Athearn
• Calculating production costs and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)

Building Safe, Compliant, and Scalable Food Products with CSU Spur
• Food safety, sanitation, lab testing, packaging, and scaling

Getting Retail Ready with Dustin Finkel
• Pricing for profitability, understanding margin/markup, and pitch prep

Watch the full series below.

In-Person Events

In Fall 2025, Farm2Food Colorado hosted two in-person networking and training events that brought together producers, educators, and support organizations:

  • Pueblo Event: Highlighted value-added food producers’ experiences and local networking opportunities.

  • Denver Event: Focused on food safety resources and technical assistance available through CSU Spur.

For those who could not attend, we recorded a collection of 25 video shorts on recipe development, testing, and equipment walk-throughs with Mike Gabel of CSU Spur’s Food Innovation Center. Click below to explore the full playlist.

Colorado-Adapted Curriculum – Coming Soon!

The Colorado-tailored Farm2Food curriculum will be available for self-paced learning. The coursework will be structured as a free, downloadable workbook packed with practical tools and templates that support every stage of your product development process. For details on module topics, please visit the curriculum page.

This hands-on resource will also include:

  • A recipe ideation journal

  • Budgeting and pricing templates

  • Food safety factsheets and videos

  • Packaging and labeling guides

  • And much more!

Sign up to be notified when the workbook is released.


COST

Cost: Free




PARTNERS

Click on our partner logos to learn more!  

Funding

Funding for The Farm2Food Accelerator: Energizing Growth for Colorado’s Small-Scale Specialty Crop Producers was made possible by a grant/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.