Virginia Food Works, a regional non-profit, is helping local farmers increase their revenue by utilizing the Prince Edward County Cannery to create value-added food products.

Virginia Food Works walks clients through the process of turning their agricultural goods into value-added products such as hot sauce, salsa, tomato sauce and other canned or bottled items. Since the program began, more than 80,000 jars of various products from 47 different clients have been produced in the cannery, which was upgraded to include a commercial kitchen with the help of a $350,000 AgriBusiness grant from the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.

“This project has been incredibly rewarding as we have seen farms and food entrepreneurs create new, delicious products now sold all over Virginia,” Allie Hill, Project Director for Virginia Food Works said. “The cannery’s equipment is ideal for starting and growing new food businesses and folks find it is worth the drive there and back in order to create large batches efficiently. The support of the Agribusiness grant from the Tobacco Commission brought new life to this community cannery. Now this facility is used to process locally-grown foods for commercial markets and enable entrepreneurs to grow their food based businesses at a manageable scale.”

The cannery’s manager, Patty Gulick, said the opportunity to have a shared-use facility between farmers and commercial entrepreneurs is important.

“Residents and producers are able to share their needs through encounters made at the Prince Edward County Cannery with the growers themselves. Through these opportunities, relationships are being formed between farmers, gardeners and the commercial clients looking for fresh Virginia grown products,” Gulick said.

Virginia Food Works offers assistance with product development and production as well as contract packing services that utilize local produce. This can aid farmers in turning excess or blemished crops into a valuable additional revenue stream. Additionally, the cannery can be rented with or without professional staff to assist in the process of creating value-added food products. This project, by supporting local producers and encouraging entrepreneurship as well as the utilization of Virginia produce, presents a unique opportunity to continue developing a diverse economy in Southern and Southwest Virginia.

“I am very pleased that Prince Edward Cannery will be helping local farmers and it’s citizenry find ways to save product in a timely manner with the help of Virginia Food Works,” Delegate Tommy Wright, Chairman of the Southside Economic Development Committee of the Tobacco Commission said. “I am also very pleased that the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $350,000 to help make this project a reality for the region.”

Delegate James Edmunds agreed.

“I am pleased that the Tobacco Commission was able to assist the Virginia Food Works project. Farming, at best, is a risky business and I see this as an additional opportunity for area farmers to increase revenue from their farms. As a member of the Tobacco Commission and a farmer, myself, I am proud to support this project,” Edmunds said.