The Indiana Food Business Consultants (IFBC) Cohort is a newly launched initiative designed to strengthen Indiana’s regional food economy by equipping a diverse network of consultants to provide tailored, high-quality technical assistance to farm and food businesses across the state.
This group represents organizations across the state doing important work for our food system. This year, representatives completed the Food Finance Institute’s Food Business Consultant Training, housed at the University of Wisconsin. This cohort aims to create a more coordinated, skill-aligned, and accessible support system for food entrepreneurs and producers navigating the complexities of scaling a business in today’s food economy.
What We Do
- Technical Assistance: Offering expertise in financial management, business modeling, market development, value-added production, and more.
- Peer-Led and Regional Support: Our consultants work in Indiana regions as well as statewide and offer various professional backgrounds which will be matched to your needs.
- Office Hours and 1:1 Consultation: We provide accessible drop-in hours where you as a business owner can receive guidance from our experienced advisors, for free.
- Resource Navigation: We help businesses identify relevant grant programs, funding opportunities, and local business development tools including connections with other relevant organizations across the state.
Interested in Learning More?
If you're a farmer or food business seeking guidance in business model optimization (including building a pitch, calculating COGS, etc) or access to capital/financial structures (including cashflow forecasting, quickbooks/accounting, raising appt debt, etc), please review the following:
Our consultants come from diverse professional backgrounds, including agricultural finance, value chain coordination, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit development. Please fill out the following to be matched with a consultant.