General 2 — Boston Local Food

A collaboration between the Western MA Food Processing Center & the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts

Program Overview

Are you an early-stage, but established food entrepreneur selling a consumer packaged good (CPG) or value-added product in the northeast? Are you primarily selling direct to consumer and ready to begin selling to stores (or more stores!) in your region? Join the Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC) and the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) between January and March 2026 to learn from industry experts and entrepreneurs like yourself who have grown their CPG brands in the Northeast.

This program will be hosted online via live sessions on Zoom with an optional (in-person) field trip.

This program is open to established CPG companies who:

Utilize at least one locally grown ingredient in their food products.
Can demonstrate at least one year of direct to consumer sales.
Have a baseline understanding of their production and operational costs.
Can commit to at least six program sessions.
Are located in the Northeast (New England & New York)

This program is valued at $1000, but thanks to grant funding from the USDA Local Food Promotion Program, we’re able to offer it for just $200. Our goal is to make this opportunity accessible to more food entrepreneurs while maintaining the same high-quality training and support.

Eligibility & Cost

This program will cover:

Regulatory Compliance & Wholesale Logistics
Branding & Marketing for CPG
Working with Retailers & Distributors
Analyzing Your Cost of Goods & Setting Appropriate Pricing
Cash Flow & Financing Your Business Growth
Production Planning & Scaling

What You Will Learn

This program will be hosted primarily online via live sessions on Zoom between January and May of 2026 with an optional (in-person) final event:

Program format:

Seven 90-minute virtual workshops (Fridays, 9:30–11:00 AM ET)
Four 1-hour virtual office hours (Fridays, 9:00–10:00 AM ET)
One in-person field trip to close out the program
One 2.5 hour virtual Topic Jam - this session will include 10+ topics that participants can opt into!

Sessions include a mix of:

Presentations by industry experts
Panel discussions with industry experts and buyers
Group discussion
Pre-work assessments and suggested homework

Participants who attend all sessions will qualify for:

Specialized marketing & subsidized fees at the 2026 Local Food Trade Show (01/27)
Subsidized prototype trial at the Western MA Food Processing Center (sauces & condiments only)
Counseling sessions throughout the program with program facilitators
Technical assistance offered by a menu of industry experts, including experts in branding, marketing, sales, fundraising, product development, food safety, & more.Q

Questions?