Specialty food makers can get advice at Modesto-area event

You have arrived as a cook when someone says, “You really ought to bottle that sauce.” Or perhaps the praise is for your jam or tamales or anything else delicious enough to market.

A gathering Wednesday near Modesto will offer advice on how to start a specialty food business. Experts will talk about gauging demand, producing safely, setting prices, building a brand and other topics. Established producers will share their thoughts.

“If you have a specialty food product,” the event flier adds, “you can bring it to the workshop for everyone to taste. Please bring the necessary serving utensils or sample cups.”

The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Harvest Hall at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, off Crows Landing Road. The University of California Small Farm Program, based in Davis, is sponsoring it with the county office of the UC Cooperative Extension.

The $20 fee includes lunch and snacks. Advance registration is required at http://cestanislaus.ucanr.edu/calendar. More information is at 209-525-6800.

The Northern San Joaquin Valley is fertile ground, literally, for specialty food startups. It might be cheese made on a dairy farm, dried peaches from an orchard, or flavored walnuts in snack bags. Most of the region’s bounty is marketed on a large scale through national and global channels, but there’s plenty of room for tasty niches.

ELSEWHERE ON THE FARM BEAT: Speaking of niche products, a spicy new ketchup from the Patterson area is among the 10 finalists for the Buyer’s Choice Award at this year’s Fresno Food Expo.

Traina Foods Inc., which has made ketchup from sun-dried tomatoes for a couple of years, entered a Sriracha-flavored version in the contest. It and the other finalists will go before a panel of celebrity judges at the July 23 event.

The Traina family is the state’s largest producer of sun-dried tomatoes and also owns the Fruit Yard restaurant and market east of Empire.

The expo, to be held at the Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, features food and beverages produced in the Valley. The public can attend for $40. More information is at www.fresnofoodexpo.com.

▪ A July 27 meeting in Merced will help farmers connect with schools and other institutions that might buy their products.

The event will be from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Merced County Farm Bureau, 646 S. Highway 59. Lunch is $10. Call 559-739-8985 to reserve a space.

The California Institute for Rural Studies is putting on the meeting with the East Merced Resource Conservation District. They are asking potential buyers to explain their needs, while farmers will talk about their products, seasons and other details.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Specialty food makers can get advice at Modesto-area event."