Vermont Tech’s 2012 Food and Farm Business Plan Competition. The competition for food- and farm-related businesses encourages new business development. Open to residents and students in Washington, Orange, and Windsor Counties, prizes totaling $22,250 will be awarded.
‘We were truly impressed with all of the competitors, and are particularly excited about this group of finalists,’said Steve Paddock, director of the Vermont Tech Enterprise Center, a business incubator designed to support growth companies. ‘It’s great to see so many entrepreneurs and growing businesses with cutting-edge ideas about how to make food and farm production meet the challenges of the 21st century.’
The competition is open to farm and food individuals and businesses engaged in food production, processing, distribution, packaging, or retailing including restaurants. Also eligible are those in the agriculture enterprises of wood products, equine-related businesses, and fiber production. The Vermont Small Business Development Center offered Application Workshops in April to help those interested create high-quality applications.
Finalists have until October 5, 2012, to complete their full business plans, which they will present to a panel of judges on October 12, 2012, at Vermont Tech. Winners in each category will be announced that day, following the presentations.
Finalists, selected in three categories, include:
Student Category:
Douglass Calderwood of Echo Hill Farm will compete for an award of up to $3,000. Calderwood, who will be a senior at Vermont Tech next year, is creating a plan for goat dairy in Craftsbury.
New Business Category:
Katja Evans, Raven Hill Farm Natural Meat, Braintree
Ignacio Villa, Vermont Whey Fed Pig Company, Waitsfield
Existing Business Category:
Catherine Bacon, Freedom Foods, Randolph
Lisa Johnson, Yummy Yammy, Norwich
Zachary Stremlau, Green Mountain Flour, Windsor
Solenne Thompson and Jean Newberry, Tulsi Tea Room, Montpelier
Sjon Welters, Rhapsody Natural Foods, Cabot
About Vermont Technical College ‘Vermont Technical College is the only public institution of higher learning in Vermont whose mission is applied education. One of the five Vermont State Colleges, Vermont Tech serves students from throughout Vermont, New England, and beyond at its two residential campuses in Williston and Randolph Center, regional campuses in Brattleboro and Bennington and at seven nursing campuses located throughout the state. Our academic programs encompass a wide range of engineering technology, agricultural, health, and business fields that are vital to producing the knowledge workers need most by employers in the state and in the region. www.vtc.edu.
Randolph, VT --July 16, 2012