Scaling a local food or farm business can take many forms, and each business takes a unique path to growth. The Agricultural Business and Policy Extension team helps these businesses navigate growth and scaling through educational resources, programming, and technical assistance. Explore showcases of Missouri businesses that have successfully scaled their operations and markets, along with tools and opportunities to help you develop strategies for growth.
Scaling local food businesses showcase: Bold Spoon Creamery
Watch the showcase video
What does it take to scale a food business? For Bold Spoon Creamery, a Missouri farm-to-bowl ice cream business, growth meant identifying bottlenecks and finding ways to clear them. Rachel Burns, Bold Spoon Creamery founder, shares lessons she has learned while growing the business into a supplier for stadiums, universities, hospitals, hotels, entertainment venues, and the St. Louis airport. Rachel also shares how strategic investments can help a growing food business overcome those bottlenecks. Through the USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program, administered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Bold Spoon invested in equipment to help the business increase storage capacity, strengthen cold-chain management, and efficiently serve larger clients.
Resources
- G648, Break-even Pricing, Revenue, and Units
- MX801, Missouri Farmers Market Reported Prices: 2025 Summary
- G204, Evaluating Direct-to-Consumer Marketing Opportunities for Local Beef in Missouri
- G6231, Tuned In: Mastering Social Listening and Social Proof for Small Businesses
- G479, Missouri Farmers Market Sales Tax Exemption for Farm Products Sold
- G6222, Selling Strategies for Local Food Producers
- G6221, Market Channels for Locally Raised Foods
- G6229, Harnessing Social Media to Drive Sales
- G6225, Post, Engage, Grow
- G647, Refining Market Channel Selections Based on Cost
Testimonials
"As a growing food business, a big, almost trajectory-changing experience was learning of all of the vast resources of Mizzou Extension... and I think having that experience now has been great."
– Rachel Burns, Bold Spoon Creamery
"I just want to say so many good things about them [University of Missouri Extension]. They have really been the leader in helping this... and I think what the university is doing is really helping propel us forward. So we want to say thank you so much for supporting us. We really appreciate it."
– Dave Buehler, Buehler Farms
"I feel like it's a critical piece... this was the first grant I've ever written... having that support helps us put the best version forward so we're able to articulate what we're trying to achieve."
– John Cowan, Mylk and Hummus