Blue Ridge Food Ventures

Michael McDonald
General Manager
Email
Phone: 828.348.0130

1461 Sand Hill Road
Candler, NC 28715

Our Mission

 

Blue Ridge Food Venture’s mission is to provide infrastructure and technical assistance to enable small businesses entering the marketplace with safe and wholesome foods and natural products, thereby assisting in the creation of new businesses, new jobs, and new revenues for the region.

OUR SERVICES

Shared Use Kitchen

Shared-use Production: in a shared-use arrangement, the client provides their own production ingredients, packaging and labor, using BRFV’s guidance and equipment to produce their own food or natural product. Staff may provide guidance on sourcing, equipment and sanitation training, recipe scale-up, formulation, shelf-stability, navigating regulatory controls and developing production efficiencies.

 

Labor Assisted Production

 

Labor-assisted Production: A labor-assisted production uses BRFV’s in-house staff to produce a food or natural product using the client’s recipe(s) as a guide. 

The client is still responsible for sourcing ingredients and packaging and having them delivered to the facility in advance of production scheduling. 

In addition, the client is responsible for shipping final products from the facility to their final destination.

It should be noted labor-assisted production is not suitable for every client or product; products must have existing sales and a track record of sales growth. Production minimums often start in the 2,000 units per production range.

See Our Facility & Equipment

BRINGING PRODUCT IDEAS TO MARKET

Since 2005, Blue Ridge Food Ventures has offered farmers, food and natural products entrepreneurs, caterers, bakers, and food truck and mobile cart operators an opportunity to bring their product ideas to market. We provide:

  • A regulatory compliant production environment and regulatory compliance assistance
  • Product development & process development
  • Equipment and sanitation training
  • Branding consultation

Blue Ridge Food Ventures: By the Numbers

  • 250+: Clients who have used the services of BRFV since its opening – food producers, farmers natural product-makers, and mobile food businesses
  • 31: Clients who have ‘graduated’ the program since opening – that is, moved on, many times to open their own manufacturing facility
  • 50: Approximate number of clients actively use the facility during a given quarter
  • $15 million+: Value of products made at the facility since 2005
  • 200+: Businesses to which BRFV provided technical assistance since 2018

© 2019 Blue Ridge Food Ventures - All rights reserved​