The Arkansas Food Innovation Center (AFIC) is a fully-equipped service center for food product development and processing. AFIC is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Institute of Food Science and Engineering. AFIC’s role is to advance the local food industry in the state of Arkansas and the region by providing a center to encourage agribusiness through the establishment of new food products and processing.

AFIC can assist new food processing businesses and entrepreneurs by providing help from product development through initial sales. AFIC can also assist with food packaging, label development and analytical services. In addition, the Center is housed in the Food Science Department so has access to the knowledge and skills of University of Arkansas faculty and staff.  AFIC staff offers training opportunities and prepares written materials to help clients and entrepreneurs throughout Arkansas.

During the Spring of 2015 AFIC will be offering a series of workshops to aid entrepreneurs wanting to learn how to produce foods for the local food system. Information on the Plan. Produce. Profit. workshop series can be found by visiting our Training Opportunities page.

Workshop participants were provided information on how to produce commercial food products for our local food systems. Those attending explored the process of taking a product from concept to the commercial market as well as the fundamentals of starting a food processing business. Recordings of each of the presentations are provided below (Click on the Presentation title to view a recording).

Workshop 1 Presentations

Workshop Overview
Dr. Renee Threlfall, Research Specialist, Institute of Food Science and Engineering, University of Arkansas

Getting Started: Venturing into Food Processing
Dr. Steve Seideman, Extension Food Processing Specialist, Cooperative Extension Service

Arkansas Food Innovation Center: Fostering Food Entrepreneurships in Arkansas
Dr. Jean Francois Meullenet, Head, Department of Food Science and Director, Institute of Food Science and Engineering, University of Arkansas

Challenges and Success: A Clients Perspective to Food Entrepreneurship
Cat Swenson, Owner, Great Fermentations

Liability Issues with Food Processing
Rusty Rumley, Staff Attorney, National Agricultural Law Center, University of Arkansas

Business Plans to Marketing
Dr. Daniel Rainey, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Arkansas

Find out more at: http://afic.uark.edu