All food businesses – particularly those making value-added products, like salsas, jams, barbecue sauces, or pickles – must navigate a sea of requirements before they are ready to approach wholesale buyers. In most cases, this includes obtaining a process authority letter for each individual product, certifying that it’s been lab-tested and meets food safety standards; developing labels that contain compliant nutrition and ingredient information, as well as unique branding; securing appropriate packaging, for the product type and retail setting; and ensuring production systems can consistently keep up with increased demand.
For many entrepreneurs, understandably, the greatest barrier is simply figuring out which step to take next, based on their stage of business or product development. Information is rarely found all in one place — many entrepreneurs report scattered resources across agencies, websites, and service providers — making it difficult to know whether they have all the necessary pieces in order.
Businesses must also establish wholesale pricing structures that allow both the producer and retailer to remain profitable. For Lori Trojan, farmer and value-added producer of Wild Ivy Herb Farm in Douglas County, Kansas, entering wholesale markets required careful consideration of both production capacity and profitability.
“Transitioning into selling wholesale to retail stores was a big step for me due to the increase of production required,” Trojan said. “Assuring that you still make a profit when offering reduced pricing [at higher volumes] can be challenging.”
Like many food entrepreneurs, Trojan chose to start small, building relationships with locally owned retailers before pursuing larger opportunities.
“I started small with locally owned boutique businesses who were excited to have my products in their shops,” she said. Her product line includes herbal teas, salves, tinctures, and infused vinegars, as well as a variety of elderberry products.
“The next step into big box stores is often a much larger consideration, requiring bar-coding, providing displays, delayed payment of invoices, communicating with corporate departments and more.”
Her experiences highlight a reality many producers encounter: retail expansion is rarely a single step. Instead, it is often a gradual process of refining products, improving operations, and building confidence through smaller market opportunities before pursuing larger accounts.
Getting in Front of Buyers
Relationships with buyers are key when it comes to accessing those larger accounts, and even once a product is retail-ready, it can be challenging to both establish the connection and maintain it.
This is a challenge that the Kansas Department
Since 2004, The Growing Growers program has provided a pathway for aspiring specialty crop producers through apprenticeships, education resources, networking opportunities, farm tours and workshops Apprentices gain hands-on experience while building the skills and confidence needed to pursue careers in agriculture.
Today, the program’s more than 250 alumni include farmers, farm managers, agricultural educators, extension professionals, and food system leaders working to strengthen local and regional food systems. Approximately 21% of graduates have started their own farming operations, while 66% continue to work or volunteer on farms. Participants consistently cite the apprenticeship experience as one of the program’s most valuable features.
“Reading and studying about business can only prepare a new farmer conceptually, but visiting farms and even working on them is the only way to really know what the work feels like day to day and season to season,” said Jessi Asmussen of Mellowfields Farm. “The apprenticeship is so valuable in this way.”
One of those graduates is Sarah Stafford, who completed the program in 2023 and now serves as K-State Extension Program Expansion Coordinator for Growing Growers. Stafford is helping to expand participation across Kansas, particularly in south-central Kansas and the Wichita area.
“We want to work with people that have an interest in learning to grow,” Stafford said.
“It’s a program that you can participate in even if you just have one day a week, or you can do it as a full-time apprenticeship.”
-Sarah Stafford
At its core, Growing Growers is built on collaboration between experienced producers and aspiring farmers. Host farms play a central role in providing mentorship and real-world learning opportunities.
“The program has always been a partnership program rooted in collaboration,” said Cary Rivard. “Host farms are a huge part of that collaboration.”
As the program expands, one challenge remains: matching interested host farms with enough apprentices. Anyone interested in the program should contact growers@ksu.edu.
Across Kansas and Missouri, experienced growers are eager to share their knowledge with the next generation. By creating those connections, Growing Growers is helping ensure the future of farming and strengthening local food systems for years to come.
To learn more, visit growinggrowers.org
