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A $50,000 grant from the governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund has been awarded to Buena Vista for the Virginia Innovation Accelerator’s commercial kitchen.
The VIA, located in the former Hermetite Mundet factory building, is developing a shared-use kitchen facility that will serve as a business incubator focused on agricultural innovation. The grant will fund equipment purchases for the kitchen. The project is in partnership with the VIA’s owner, the Advancement Foundation, and will allow small to mid-sized agricultural producers in the region to create and sustain their value-added product companies.
“Entrepreneurs will be able to rent the kitchen a few hours a week so they can cook in quantities in an inspected and certified kitchen,” said Tom Roberts, Buena Vista’s director of economic and community development.
This grant for the kitchen equipment will augment grants previously received for the renovations to the VIA, which are expected to begin shortly. Among these grants are a $985,000 one from the Industrial Revitalization Fund and $700,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The AFID Infrastructure grant program awards competitive matching grants to fund strategic infrastructure investments for small-scale farmers and food producers to grow and improve their operations.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last week that grants totaling more than $280,000 were awarded to 10 jurisdictions to support and strengthen local food and farming operations. The announcement was made in conjunction with Virginia Agriculture Week to further highlight the industry’s role in stimulating economic development and helping to address food insecurity in the state.
“I’m pleased to support the crucial work in our local farming communities through the AFID program, and Virginia Agriculture Week is the perfect time to celebrate these projects,” said Youngkin. “Partnering with local governments allows us to come together to identify and address critical needs in our local food systems and grow agriculture, the largest private industry in the commonwealth.”
“The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for increasing access to nutritious foods and is a central component for eliminating hunger in Virginia,” said state Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. “In addition to improving local food accessibility, these grant awards strengthen each locality’s ability to attract and support small and mid-scale agricultural operations.”
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services administers the AFID Infrastructure Grant Program and the AFID Planning Grant Program. The next semi-annual infrastructure grant round will be open for applications Oct. 1 through Nov. 15, while planning grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
