Food Business Development
from “Field to Fork”:
The VC2
Initiative
Kelly Crane
Meet Ben Walsh, one of the farmers working with the Value
Chain Cluster Initiative (VC2) to grow his WV-based food
business: Ben is the owner-operator of Green Glades Creamery,
a 70 cow dairy and cheese production business in Terra Alta, WV.
Green Glades produces a cornucopia of artisanal cheeses like
Havarti, cheddar, mozzarella, farm cheese spreads and feta, which
he sells at area farmers markets and to small restaurants. Ben
came to VC2 for assistance because he is interested in expanding
his sales into new, larger retail markets. These larger buyers
require food safety certifications he doesn’t yet have in place. “I
love selling directly to customers, but I need to scale up in order
to grow my business,” says Walsh, “In order to move my product
22 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
into those locations, I need a HACCP
(Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Points) plan.” That’s where VC2 comes
in.
Launched early this year, the Value
Chain Cluster Initiative (VC2) provides
hands-on business development
and coaching services to strengthen
local food and farm businesses in
four regions of West Virginia. The
VC2 program can provide businesses
and organizations with free business
planning help, legal assistance, web
technology, consulting services for
marketing and branding, flexible
loans, and more. For farmers and
food business owners like Ben Walsh,
this means that the VC2 staff can help
identify and pay for expert help needed
to grow their operations. In Walsh’s
case, the staff worked with him to select
a consultant who is currently helping
him with the HAACP plan for Green
Glades.
The VC2 program serves 17 West
Virginia counties and is operated by
Natural Capital Investment Fund,
a business lender based out of
Shepherdstown, in partnership with the
West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition
and other partners. The counties covered
are: Doddridge, Tyler, Ritchie, Gilmer,
Barbour, Preston, Randolph, Tucker,
Upshur, Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe,
Pocahontas, Calhoun, Clay, Roane
and Wirt. (More info on eligibility is
available at www.vc2.org)
To date, VC2 has provided free oneon-one help for over 25 businesses. In
addition to Ben Walsh and Green Glades
Creamery, the program has served
grass fed beef operations, vegetable
farmers, farmers markets and coops. “Sometimes the help they need
is already out there,” said Jill Young,
VC2 Technical Assistance Coordinator,