These books and guides are resources, curated and vetted by our staff, that our partners and other people in our network have produced to assist food, beverage and value-added agriculture businesses. These are currently all free. Learn more about our Premium Subscription to unlock everything Edible-Alpha® has to offer.
Tags Books or Guide
Books or Guide
A Farmer’s Guide To A Pick-Your-Own Operation
28 pages of Free report content by University of Tennessee Extension
Producers interested in a Pick Your Own (PYO) farming business model should analyze whether or not market potential exists before developing the enterprise. Farmers should conduct a market analysis to determine if a potentially profitable market exists for their PYO.
Books or Guide about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
What is Intellectual Property, Anyway?
5 minute Free read by Pie Shell
Patents, branding, and copyright... If you want to protect something, or to stop someone from doing the same thing that you’re doing in your food business, the only way to do that in the United States (and abroad) is through IP law. An IP attorney will help you ensure that no one has made it before, branded it in a similar way to yours, or created it before you did.
Books or Guide about Legal for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Are You Ready to Start a CSA?
8 pages of Free report content by University of Tennessee Extension
Marketing is vital to the potential success of a direct marketing enterprise, including that of CSAs. Marketing is also inherent to many drivers of profitability including managing costs, production quality and efficiency, pricing for profit, achieving some minimum level of sales volume, building repeat customers, and managing risk.
Books or Guide about Business Models for businesses that are Pre-Venture
VAPG Update: Deadline Extended to May 4th
10 minute read of Free resource by Edible-Alpha®
The 2021 USDA Value Added producer Grant offers a unique opportunity for farmers to compete for planning and working grant funds – both in terms of the amount of funding available and the 10% match requirement for a significant portion of the awardees.
Books or Guide about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Wisconsin Food Processing Guide
120 pages of Free report content by University of Wisconsin-Madison
This guide covers a wide array of topics, such as regulations and licensing, selecting a food processing facility, developing products, buying equipment, labeling and packaging, marketing, insurance and liability issues, and concludes with potential exit strategies when the time comes to close or sell the business.
Books or Guide about Operations for businesses that are Pre-Venture | Startups
Community Supported Agriculture – New Models for Changing Markets
68 pages of Free report content by USDA
The CSA business model has evolved significantly. New products, season extensions, multi-farm collaborations, new shareholder groups, marketing collaborations, innovative aggregation and delivery strategies, new urban production connections, and health and wellness alliances are among the current trends reshaping the CSA business.
Books or Guide about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
#1 – The USDA Value-Added Producer Grant is Out!
10 minute read of Free resource by Jim Gage
The USDA Rural Development office announced Notice of Funding Availability (NOSA) last week. This annual grant program has been used by thousands of rural entrepreneurs over its 15+ year history, and I have had the pleasure (and challenge) of being involved in the application process with many clients.
Books or Guide about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Fearless Farm Finances (The Book And Online Videos)
5+ hours of Free video (Book is Paid) by Edible-Alpha®
The updated Fearless Farm Finances 2nd Edition is a one-of-a-kind resource packed with instructions, tips and tools for setting up and managing a farm's financial system. Fearless Farm Finances covers farm financial management, farm data collection/organization, farm investment analysis, enterprise budgets, annual budgeting, business structure decisions, and more.
Books or Guide about Operations for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
Direct Sales of Farm Food – USDA 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey
44 pages of Free report content + lots of excel data by USDA
From the USDA 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey: In 2015, farmers produced and sold $8.7 billion of edible food commodities directly to consumers, retailers, institutions, and a variety of local food intermediaries such as distributors and wholesalers that market and sell locally branded products.
Books or Guide about Operations for businesses that are Growing and Scaling
#2 – Why a VAPG Toolkit Read Through?
1 hour 45 minute read of Free resource by Edible-Alpha®
As part of the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant application, Rural Development provides applicants with a “toolkit” to guide them through the working capital or planning process. This 40+ page toolkit is an excellent way to organize the proposal, but it can be intimidating for first-time writers of federal grants.
Books or Guide about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling