158. Using Grants to Grow Your Brand: VAPG and Beyond

How food and farm businesses can fund intentional growth through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) and other aligned grant opportunities.

If you've been thinking about how to fund your next stage of growth, this episode will help you explore one of the most practical and accessible options — grants for food and farm businesses.

Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (StartRight Foods) are joined by Stephen Ussery of Stewards Unlimited to break down the USDA's Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) — along with other grant funding opportunities that can help small food brands, farms, and makers expand production, marketing, or new product lines without drifting from their brand strategy or purpose.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What the VAPG (Value-Added Producer Grant) is and who qualifies
• Why brand alignment and strategy matter when applying for grants
• Real examples of how food producers and makers have used grant funding to scale
• What to expect from the application, funds available, and the reporting process
• How grants can accelerate growth when they align with your long-term goals
• How Stewards Unlimited can help you get started

Whether you're a farmer, maker, or packaged food brand owner, this conversation will help you understand how to use grants as a tool for intentional, sustainable business growth — so you can build your brand and your impact at the same time.

--> Join their email list at StewardsUnlimited.com to get grant alerts that apply to your business based on the criteria you select. I love getting grant alerts myself because I'm always looking for ways to support all of you!

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

1. 📧 Katie's Friday Newsletter includes a Weekly Worksheet to help you apply these ideas directly to your food business. Sign up here.

2. 💬 Join the Conversation! Tune in to the podcast, then join us in the Real Food Brands Marketing Round Table - a free food & farm business owner community - to ask questions and meet other people who love producing real food as much as you do!

3. 📞 If you're ready to talk about building a clear, cohesive brand or integrating your brand + sales strategy, you can Request an Intro Call to discuss the ways we work with food, farm, and natural product brands.

Thanks for listening – let's go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands