Now serving foodpreneurs: KC conference dishes out 30+ sessions for new, growing food businesses

Launching a food business comes with unique challenges, Xander Winkel shared, and the Mid-Continent Public Library has partnered with several local organizations to help those specialized entrepreneurs find their recipe to success.

The Food Business Conference — free workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for “foodpreneurs” that are offered in partnership with the library, Kansas State University, University of Missouri Extension, KCSourceLink, among others — is set for Thursday and Friday, March 7-8, at the Ennovation Center in Independence.

Click here to reserve a ticket for the Food Business Conference.

A session during a previous Food Business Conference; photo courtesy of Mid-Continent Public Library

“It was just this idea of, ‘We’ve got these resources; let’s bring them together,’” said Winkel, Culinary Center director for the Mid-Continent Public Library. “And other folks are like, ‘I like that. How can I help out?’ Each year has gotten bigger and more exciting with more opportunities.”

Keynote speakers for the third year of the event include Jill Silva — Kansas City’s James Beard Award-winning food editor and writer — and Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant — founder and executive director at The Prospect KC. Topics for the expert-led workshops and panels include developing marketing and business plans, pricing, legal considerations, food trucks, and work-life balance, allowing the entrepreneurs to connect to support organizations, coaches, and fellow business owners.

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“The most immediate goal is to make sure that we are providing that access to that information and connecting people to all the resources that they might not know about,” Winkel said. “We’ve got 30 different programs over the two days, covering all the potential topics folks would need to know to get started or to grow a small food business.”

New this year: Several programs on Thursday will be offered in Spanish with unique experts, in partnership with The Toolbox KC. In the past, the event only offered translations of the programs, Winkel noted.

“We want to provide that access truly and equitably,” he added.

Winkel encouraged both food entrepreneurs already in business and those thinking about starting a food business to attend the free two-conference.

“I would say anybody who has even the slightest idea of, ‘Maybe I want to get into a food business’ — whether that’s next month or some point in the future — should attend just to get ideas and map out what that would look like for your business idea,” he continued. “The truth is, a large portion of the folks that we work with — that come to the conference — will get the information and they may never start that food business and that’s OK. We’ve done our job and folks can make the best decision for themselves.”

“We want to give you all of the information,” Winkel added. “So you’re not discovering things along the way. That becomes really difficult.”

For those already serving their products up to the community, he noted, it’s all about connections.

“A huge benefit is just getting connected to those resources that can help you out with all those other things, all those hats that people need to wear to be successful,” Winkel explained.

Click here to register for the free Food Business Conference.

Mid-Continent Public Library Green Hills Library Center; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Winkel — who has worked to support food startup businesses for the past 12 years, first with the Ennovation Center and now with the MCPL Culinary Center — said the resources available for food entrepreneurs have grown tremendously over the past decade. 

“It has been really rewarding and really exciting to see that evolution,” he continued. “Again, it speaks to: We found a need and a desire. Just keep doubling down on that.”

The long-term vision of the Food Business Conference — and through his work at the Culinary Center — is to make Kansas City the place, nationally, that is known for starting food businesses, Winkel shared.

“There’s a central location; logistics makes sense,” he explained. “There’s a diversified grocery market, so it’s a lot more friendly to small businesses. Just the cost of doing business is lower — across many industries. And we have a really truly world class small business resource network that is the envy of a lot of other cities that are larger than us.”

Additional partners for the conference include the Independence School District, the Ennovation Center, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, Kansas City section of the Institute of Food Technology, Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, and Square One Small Business Services by MCPL.