Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Completed Competitive Grant

Southwest Iowa Entrepreneurial Center: An achievable product-to-market business model for niche ag producers

Project ID: 2005-M13

Abstract

The project takes the first steps to determine if a home-meal replacement enterprise would be a successful venture for small-scale producers in southwest Iowa.

Key Question: Would your ag business/farm operation benefit from the creation of a business whose end-product would source locally grown/produced/processed, in-season ag products, and would you and others you know be willing to participate?

Findings: The project proposed that a business be structured and developed that would supply customers with home meal replacements that were delivered or made available at pick-up locations using menus that were created from locally grown/processed/produced products.

Lead investigator: Alan Ladd, ISU Extension, et al

Year of grant completion: 2006

This competitive grant project was part of the Leopold Center's Marketing Initiative.

Topics: Business management, distribution and marketing, Market research and feasibility studies