What Choose Iowa does

Choose Iowa is a state-administered brand certification and grant program operated under the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), headquartered in Des Moines at the Hoover State Office Building. Launched in 2022, the program certifies Iowa-grown food, beverages, and agricultural products through a registered trademark logo, and connects Iowa producers with consumers via a searchable Find Local directory, a digital Passport program, and statewide agritourism events including the annual Farm Crawl and Fall Crawl.

The program's core offerings are a portfolio of cost-share grant programs rather than a unified software product. These include the Value-Added Grant (up to $25,000), Dairy Innovation Grant (up to $100,000), and Butchery Innovation Grant (up to $100,000), each requiring 1:1 matching funds. Two institutional purchasing programs extend the model downstream: the Farms to Food Banks Program ($200,000 allocated to six Iowa food banks) and the Food Purchasing Pilot Program for Schools ($70,000). The program uses a website platform (chooseiowa.com) with a member directory, grant application portal, and digital passport tools; no proprietary technology stack is described.

Choose Iowa does not generate revenue. It is funded through state appropriations and distributes grants to eligible Iowa agricultural businesses, producers, processors, dairies, meat lockers, restaurants, retailers, and supporting organizations. Since inception, the Value-Added Grants Program has awarded over $2.14 million to 130 recipients, and the Dairy Innovation Grant has funded 46 projects leveraging approximately $7.6 million in total investment. The program is overseen by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and operates statewide across all 99 Iowa counties with no geographic expansion beyond Iowa.

Name

Choose Iowa

Legal name

Choose Iowa (Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship)

Website

https://chooseiowa.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Choose Iowa is a state-administered brand certification and grant program under the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, connecting Iowa producers with consumers through directory listings, agritourism events, and cost-share grants for value-added, dairy, and butchery projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Agricultural Brand and Marketing Program

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty & Functional Packaged Foods (Gluten-Free, Keto, Organic, Medical/Allergen-Friendly) (CRADAAAI)

Keywords

• State agricultural brand
• Agritourism programs
• Cost-share grants
• Farm directory services
• Local food promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. State Funding Administration: Choose Iowa is a state-funded program administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS). The program receives state appropriations to provide cost-share grants to Iowa agricultural businesses. The program does not generate revenue but allocates grant funding to eligible recipients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Choose Iowa is the official state brand program of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, certifying Iowa-grown food, beverages, and agricultural products that meet minimum criteria under a registered trademark. The program administers five cost-share grant programs (Value-Added, Dairy Innovation, Butchery Innovation, Farms to Food Banks, and Food Purchasing Pilot for Schools), maintains a searchable Find Local Directory of member businesses, runs agritourism initiatives including the Choose Iowa Passport and annual Farm Crawl, and connects Iowa producers with consumers, schools, and food banks.

Product overview

Choose Iowa is a state agricultural brand program administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It is not a unified software product but rather a portfolio of grant programs, certification services, and agritourism initiatives. The core offerings include five grant programs (Value-Added Grants up to $25,000, Dairy Innovation Grants up to $100,000, Butchery Innovation Grants up to $100,000, Farms to Food Banks Program with $200,000 allocation, and Food Purchasing Pilot for Schools with $70,000), a producer/farm directory service, a digital agritourism passport, and an annual Farm Crawl event. The program also provides brand certification for Iowa agricultural products that meet minimum criteria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant: Cost-share grant program to increase sales of Iowa agricultural products by increasing production capacity or expanding market access for value-added projects.
• Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant
• Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation Grant
• Choose Iowa Farms to Food Banks Program
• Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program for Schools

Products and services

• Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant Cost-share grant program that increases sales of Iowa agricultural products by increasing production capacity or expanding market access for value-added projects. Maximum award of $25,000 with 1:1 matching requirement. Targeted at Iowa producers, processors, and value-added agricultural businesses.
• Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant Cost-share grant program assisting Iowa dairies with efforts to reduce labor and increase on-farm processing of Iowa dairy products. Supports pasteurization equipment, processing vats, milking robots, and health monitoring technology. Maximum award of $100,000 with 1:1 matching requirement. Targeted at Iowa dairy operations seeking to expand processing capacity.
• Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation Grant Grant program for state-inspected or federally inspected small-scale meat processing businesses, licensed custom lockers, and mobile slaughter units. Supports equipment for expanding processing capacity including refrigeration, freezers, and meat processing equipment. Maximum award of $100,000 with 1:1 matching requirement. Targeted at Iowa meat lockers and small-scale processors.
• Choose Iowa Farms to Food Banks Program Program allocating $200,000 to six Iowa Food Banks to purchase food from Choose Iowa members, addressing food insecurity while supporting local agriculture. Food banks must provide 1:1 matching funds. Targeted at Iowa food banks including Food Bank of Iowa, HACAP, River Bend, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Siouxland Food Bank, and Heartland Food Bank.
• Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program for Schools $70,000 pilot program enabling K-12 schools to purchase local Iowa foods from Choose Iowa members with grant support of up to $1,000 per school building. Schools must provide 1:1 matching funds. Targeted at Iowa K-12 public and private schools seeking to source local food for meal programs.
• Find Local Directory Searchable online directory allowing users to find Iowa farms, producers, restaurants, retailers, farmers markets, food hubs, and supporting organizations by category, county, and product type. Targeted at Iowa consumers seeking local food sources and agritourism experiences.
• Choose Iowa Passport Free digital passport encouraging Iowans to discover farms and local food and beverage experiences across the state. Targeted at Iowa consumers and families interested in agritourism.
• Choose Iowa Farm Crawl Annual statewide event where Choose Iowa members open their doors for a weekend of local food, family fun, and authentic agricultural experiences. The second annual Farm Crawl is scheduled for June 26-27. Targeted at Iowa consumers, families, and visitors.
• Choose Iowa Brand Certification Brand certification program for Iowa agricultural products. Foods, beverages, and ag products displaying the Choose Iowa logo are verified as from Iowa and must meet or exceed minimum criteria. Backed by a registered trademark. Targeted at Iowa producers, processors, and retailers seeking official state brand recognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2.14 million awarded to 130 recipients through Value-Added Grants since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food Bank of IowacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Food Bank of Iowa receives $50,000 through the Farms to Food Banks Program to purchase local Iowa foods from Choose Iowa members, with a required 1:1 match from private sources.
• HACAP Food ReservoircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025HACAP (Human Assumption, Choice, and Action Partnership) receives $40,000 through the Farms to Food Banks Program to purchase local Iowa foods.
• Northeast Iowa Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Northeast Iowa Food Bank receives $34,000 through the Farms to Food Banks Program to purchase local Iowa foods.
• River Bend Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025River Bend Food Bank receives $33,000 through the Farms to Food Banks Program to purchase local Iowa foods.
• Siouxland Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Siouxland Food Bank receives $18,000 through the Farms to Food Banks Program to purchase local Iowa foods.
• Heartland Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Heartland Food Bank receives $15,000 through the Farms to Food Banks Program to purchase local Iowa foods.
• Iowa Brewers GuildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa Brewers Guild is a member organization of Choose Iowa, representing craft brewing professionals across Iowa.
• Iowa Wine Growers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa Wine Growers Association is a member organization of Choose Iowa, promoting Iowa wine and supporting winery members.
• Practical Farmers of IowaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPractical Farmers of Iowa is a member organization supporting farmers with cost-share programs and agricultural education.
• Iowa State University CIRASminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIowa State University Center for Industrial Research and Services (CIRAS) provides free reviews of Butchery Innovation project plans. Applicants who include CIRAS feedback receive 3 bonus points.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jersey Fresh: New Jersey Department of Agriculture branding program promoting New Jersey-grown produce, dairy, and other farm products through a state-certified logo and promotional campaigns. Comparable state-level brand certification.
• Pick Tennessee Products: Tennessee Department of Agriculture program connecting consumers with Tennessee-grown and -produced products through a searchable directory and branding. Comparable state-level brand and directory program.
• Something Special from Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture branding and licensing program for Wisconsin-produced products, including a searchable directory and member-based certification. Comparable state-brand model.
• Pennsylvania Preferred: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture branding program promoting Pennsylvania-grown and -produced agricultural products through a trademarked logo and member directory. Comparable state-administered brand.
• California Grown: California-based agricultural branding initiative promoting California-grown products to consumers. Comparable state-level brand marketing program for agricultural producers.
• Go Texan: Texas Department of Agriculture program promoting Texas-grown and -produced products through branding, grants, and events. Highly comparable state-administered agricultural brand with similar grant and certification model.
• Minnesota Grown: Minnesota Department of Agriculture program connecting consumers with Minnesota-grown products through a directory, branding, and agritourism promotion. Strong analog operating in an adjacent Midwestern state.
• Made in Oklahoma: Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry program promoting Oklahoma-produced food and agricultural products through branding, member directory, and marketing support. Comparable state-administered agricultural brand.
• Virginia's Finest: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services trademark program for Virginia-produced food, beverage, and specialty products, with member directory and certification criteria. Comparable state-brand program.
• New York State Grown & Certified: New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets brand program certifying New York-grown and -produced agricultural products with marketing support and grant programs. Direct functional analog to Choose Iowa.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChooseIowa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt5c65zAL9UvVb_B30oNeRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChooseIowa
• Instagraminstagram.com/chooseiowa/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/choose-iowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments71 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Choose Iowa