Kitchen Licensing Workshop - Dec 2026

📅 7 December 2026 | 📍 MOFGA’s Education Center, 294 Crosby Brook Rd, Unity, ME, 04988, United States

*The snow date for this event is December 14. Please make sure to mark both dates on your calendar after booking your spot in the workshop.

Join MOFGA for our annual Kitchen Licensing Workshop!

This in-person workshop is designed for farmers, homesteaders, and aspiring small business owners interested in producing value-added food products (e.g. sauces, cheese, ice cream, baked goods, jams, pickles) to sell for retail in Maine. Participants will learn about the process of licensing a home or other small kitchen; become familiar with food health & safety standards; and learn from the experiences of local small business operators who produce value-added food products.

The day’s schedule:

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Sierra Shaw, Quality Assurance Inspector with the State of Maine Department of Agriculture

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Beth Calder, Extension Food Science Specialist & Professor, School of Food & Agriculture at U-Maine

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Catered lunch!

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm: Mock kitchen inspection, lead by Sierra Shaw

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Panel of Local Small Business Owners & Kitchen Operators | Kate Mahaffey of Slow Rise Farm, Frank Giglio of Farm & Forage Kitchen, Alyssa Adkins of Farthest Field Farm

2:00 – 2:15 pm: Wrap-up

There will be lots of opportunities to ask questions and connect with both experienced and aspiring food business owners.

Register Here

Tickets for this event are priced on a sliding scale, to keep our classes as accessible as possible. The recommended price for MOFGA members is $50; the recommended price for non-members is $60. Please pay what feels appropriate for you and your situation.

Limited scholarship funds are available to community members in order to increase program accessibility, and participants in MOFGA’s Journeyperson program are welcome to register at no-cost. You’re welcome to use the fund by checking “Scholarship/JP” at checkout.

Questions? Email events@mofga.org.