USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center

What USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center does

The USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center was a federally funded regional program that operated from 2022 to 2025 as part of a $400 million national USDA initiative establishing 12 Regional Food Business Centers. Co-led by Colorado State University and Oregon State University, the Center coordinated technical assistance, capacity building, and direct grant funding for small and mid-sized food and farm businesses across six states: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Its core offerings included the Business Builder Grant Program (subawards of $3,000 to $50,000), the Getting Your Recipe to Market (GYRM) 12-week commercial food product training program, and four thematic focus areas covering meat supply chain capacity, climate-resilient grains and pulses, food entrepreneur scaling, and right-size investing and infrastructure. Additional resources included state-specific technical assistance, on-demand webinars, a grant writing course, the Shared Kitchen Toolkit, the Western Meat School, and the Mountain Meat Summit.

The Center operated through a community-led, partnership-based model rather than a traditional product or revenue structure. Services were delivered free of charge to eligible beneficiaries via state teams, regional theme teams, and state steering committees anchored in state departments of agriculture and university extension programs. Over its 2022-2025 operating period, the Center provided technical assistance to 2,981 individuals, distributed $2,002,046 across 250 Business Builder Subawards to more than 130 farms and food enterprises, and established 3,373 new partnerships and collaborations. All funding came from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service cooperative agreements; the Center was not a separately incorporated entity and did not generate commercial revenue.

In 2025, USDA issued a modification to the award requiring the Center to cease new activities and begin winding down operations. Technical assistance programs were concluded and Business Builder grants were completed and closed out according to USDA requirements. As of the source data, the Center is classified as closed.

Name

USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center

Legal name

USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center

Website

https://nwrockymountainregionalfoodbusiness.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center was a 2022-2025 USDA-funded program, co-led by Colorado State and Oregon State Universities, that delivered free technical assistance, training, and $3,000-$50,000 Business Builder grants to small food and farm businesses across six Northwest and Rocky Mountain states before ceasing operations in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Technical Assistance and Food Business Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture & Food Production (EDABALAA), Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural technical assistance
• Food business development
• USDA grant programs
• Food supply chain support
• Rural business capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins, CO

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. USDA Federal Funding: The Center was funded through a USDA Regional Food Business Center initiative launched in 2022 as part of a $400 million national investment. Funding supported technical assistance programs, Business Builder grants, and regional coordination activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Center is a USDA-funded technical assistance and capacity-building program that provided free services to small and mid-sized food and farm businesses across six states. Core offerings include Business Builder subawards ranging from $3,000 to $50,000, the Getting Your Recipe to Market training program, thematic programming on meat supply chains, grains/pulses/pseudocereals, food entrepreneur scaling, and right-size investing, plus state-specific technical assistance delivered through university and state agency partnerships.

Product overview

The Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center is a USDA-funded initiative that operates as a platform of interconnected programs and services rather than a single product. The core offerings include: the Business Builder Grant Program (providing $3,000-$50,000 subawards to food and farm businesses); Getting Your Recipe to Market (GYRM), a 12-week commercial food product training program; and four thematic focus areas: Building Meat Supply Chain Capacity, New Markets for Grains/Pulses/Pseudocereals, Connecting and Scaling Food Entrepreneurs, and Supporting Right-Size Investing and Infrastructure. Additional services include Learn As You Go grant writing training, the Shared Kitchen Toolkit, state-specific technical assistance across six states (CO, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY), on-demand webinars, meat-related training scholarships, Western Meat School, and the Mountain Meat Summit. These programs work together to provide comprehensive support from business inception through scaling, combining direct funding, education, technical assistance, and network building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Builder Grant Program Grant program providing subawards between $3,000 and $50,000 to expand the capacity of meat, seafood, and poultry businesses and other food enterprises that provide important services to small or mid-scale producers. Distributed $2,002,046 across 250 subawards to 130+ farms and food enterprises during the Center's operation.
• Getting Your Recipe to Market (GYRM) A comprehensive 12-week training program that helps entrepreneurs transform their recipe into a commercial-ready food product, covering product development, food science, packaging, labeling, marketing, distribution, and regulatory compliance. Program cost is $1,995 with USDA sponsorship available for select entrepreneurs.
• Building Meat Supply Chain Capacity Program focused on empowering resilient meat and animal protein supply chains through targeted investment and support, including workforce development, food safety training, collaborative supply chain models, and educational resources like Western Meat School.
• New Markets for Grains, Pulses and Pseudocereals Technical assistance and capacity building program that helps value chain participants perform market research, expand processing infrastructure, develop new products, and implement effective marketing campaigns for climate-resilient agricultural products.
• Connecting and Scaling Food Entrepreneurs Program serving food entrepreneurs by connecting providers with necessary services, updating existing services to meet regional needs, disseminating resources through networks, and building mentoring content with focus on elevating access for underserved audiences.
• Supporting Right-Size Investing and Infrastructure Program that improves access to capital and strengthens business viability by facilitating scale-appropriate investments for physical and non-built infrastructure, training producers and processors to meet funder needs, and educating funders on investments with system-level benefits.
• Western Meat School Comprehensive education program on direct marketing niche meat covering production, marketing, processing, financing, and pricing through expertise from academics, practitioners, and peer networks.
• Mountain Meat Summit Annual summit bringing together producers, processors, and industry experts to explore new opportunities in value-added meat products and resilient business development.
• State-Specific Technical Assistance (CO, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY) Localized technical assistance provided through state teams in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, each led by state agencies and universities to provide information, business support services, and financial resources for food entrepreneurs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,981 individuals received technical assistance
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Colorado State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-lead institution for the Center, providing leadership and coordination for regional food business development activities. CSU Extension staff serve as key contacts and program administrators.
• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-lead institution partnering with Colorado State University to lead the regional food business center. OSU Food Innovation Center provides technical expertise and programs.
• Colorado Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner co-leading Colorado state team, providing agricultural expertise and connection to state resources and programs.
• University of IdahocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads Idaho State Team in partnership with FARE Idaho, conducting food systems landscape assessments and providing technical assistance across the state.
• Montana Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner leading Montana Food and Agriculture Development Center Network, supporting food and ag business innovation statewide.
• Montana State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing extension services and technical assistance through Montana State University Extension.
• Washington State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSU Food Systems Program integrates multidisciplinary expertise across extension, research, and teaching for strengthening Washington's food and farming systems.
• Washington State Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner through Regional Markets Program, providing resources, training, and technical assistance to farms and food businesses.
• University of WyomingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner leading Wyoming state team, supporting local food system development and technical assistance activities.
• USDA Agricultural Marketing ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal partner providing funding and programmatic oversight for the Regional Food Business Center initiative nationwide.
• Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing technical assistance and resources for meat supply chain capacity building, building on established content and social capital in the niche meat processing sector.
• New Seasons MarketmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail partner for Getting Your Recipe to Market program, providing product review and feedback from category buyers to program participants.
• Western Meat SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive education program on direct marketing niche meat covering production, marketing, processing, financing, and pricing through academic, practitioner, and peer experts.
• Idaho Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner supporting Idaho food systems development and technical assistance delivery.
• Oregon Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner providing agricultural expertise and programs through the Oregon Food & Beverage Roadmap and development services.
• Tahoma Peak SolutionssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRegional/multi-state partner providing technical assistance and consulting services for food system development.
• The Food CorridorsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner providing shared kitchen management software and resources, sponsoring workshops and the Shared Kitchen Summit.
• Rocky Mountain Farmers UnionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional/multi-state partner organization supporting food system development and farmer/rancher advocacy.
• FARE IdahosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdaho partner organization supporting food and agriculture development, co-leading state team activities with University of Idaho.
• Grow MontanasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana coalition partner supporting sustainable food and agriculture development in the state.
• Oregon Community Food Systems NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOregon partner network supporting community food systems development and coordination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center: One of the 11 other USDA Regional Food Business Centers, this Michigan State University-led center provides matching technical assistance, business builder subawards, and coordination for food and farm businesses across the Midwest — the same operating model and federal funding source as the Northwest and Rocky Mountain center.
• Delta Regional Food Business Center: A sister USDA Regional Food Business Center serving the Mississippi Delta region, operating with the same mandate, funding mechanism, and program structure as the Northwest and Rocky Mountain center.
• The Food Corridor: Implementation partner that provided shared-kitchen management software and co-organized the Shared Kitchen Summit. Directly comparable as a niche technical-assistance and infrastructure provider to food entrepreneurs.
• OSU Food Innovation Center: Oregon State University's food-product development and testing facility — a co-lead partner — providing technical assistance in food science, product development, and regulatory guidance to food entrepreneurs in the same regional scope.
• Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN): A key programmatic partner of the Center focused on meat and poultry supply chain capacity-building, workforce training, and processor assistance. Closely comparable in mission around small/mid-scale meat supply chain development and the same beneficiary population.
• Heartland Regional Food Business Center: A peer USDA Regional Food Business Center operating in the Heartland region, delivering the same model of TA, subawards, and state-team coordination for small/mid-sized food entrepreneurs under the shared $400M initiative.
• Western Meat School: An education program co-developed with the Center, delivering direct-marketing niche-meat training to producers and processors. Comparable as a regional, cohort-based agricultural education provider.

Regional players

• Sustainable Connections: Northwest-based nonprofit partner that runs Eat Local First and other food-system programs overlapping with the Center's Washington-state work, serving similar small food business and local-food-system audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Colorado State University Extension: The land-grant extension service co-leading the Center, providing broader agricultural, food-business, and rural development TA across Colorado — comparable in mission (producer/business support) and institutional scale.

Emerging players

• Local Food Strategies: Consulting firm that supports food system development, food business incubation, and regional food economy planning — comparable as a technical-assistance provider to food and farm entrepreneurs, though operating at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nwrmfoodbiz
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61566431322791
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usda-northwest-and-rocky-mountain-regional-food-business-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/nwrm_rfbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center