To start a food business there are many Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) food safety regulatory requirements that you will need to meet. Some apply to all food businesses, and some are specific to the particular food product, or where you plan to operate your business.

ACEnet's Food Ventures Center in Athens houses the ODA-licensed & inspected Central Kitchen, Dry Packaging Room, Thermal Processing Room, and Warehouse. The facility, utilized by approximately 65 food entrepreneurs annually, was among the first of its kind in the United States. Our Food & Farm Enterprise Center in Nelsonville is ODA-licensed & inspected facility containing a produce processing facility and a separate local meat processing facility to assist local producers with value-added processing for their meat.

Access to shared-use, licensed, commercial kitchen space reduces barriers for start-ups allowing entrepreneurs to develop products and businesses without the high overhead cost of purchasing facilities, equipment, and most of the necessary licensing.

Since the beginning of 2023, ACEnet's Director of Operations, Adam Kody, has helped 8 small, locally owned businesses pass their inspection and be licensed by the ODA for food production in our facilities:



• Blaney Family Farm
• C-R Dogs Concessions and Catering
• GazpachMeUp
• Go Green - Eat More Plants
• Happy Snacking Athens
• Little Fish Brewing Company
• Pasture Fowler
• Up the Creek Mustard

Blaney Family Farm

ACEnet can also help with your nutrition facts panel and design your label!

GazpachMeUp label (left) by ACEnet Multimedia Designer, Avery Snyder.

For more info on what ACEnet offers to their clients: https://acenetworks.org/services/new-clients/fees-and-service-rates/

From cabinets and furniture to beer tap handles, coasters and awards, woodworkers at the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) create a bit of everything. For a small expense, their big dreams — and those of ACEnet executive director Larry Fisher — can become reality. It’s all made possible by an Enclosed Finishing Paint Booth from Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) that provides a clean, dependable finishing environment for small businesses on the rise.

A representative from Global Finishing Solutions checked in with ACEnet Executive Director, Larry Fisher, last month to see how the paint booth was working out for us and our clients.

Please introduce your organization and tell us your story:

“ACEnet is a private nonprofit that provides community economic development in the Appalachian counties of Ohio. We operate five buildings that have close to a combined 140,000 square feet of space. Our Wood Manufacturing Center (in Nelsonville, Ohio) is about wood manufacturers and metal fabricators using shared-use equipment and space to create products they can sell, either wholesale or retail. Our shared-use wood equipment is available to rent by the hour, and in our GFS paint booth, wood manufacturers can paint or seal wood products, which helps them retain their natural look. The booth is mainly used to finish wood products, however, fabricators can finish metal products inside as well.

“Our GFS paint booth is an important piece of equipment for our small businesses. While they have much of their own equipment, due to the expense, none of them have a paint booth. They have the ability to paint, but without an actual paint booth, they risk dust contaminating all of their products. We are able to provide a paint booth, using a combination of ACEnet funds and grant funds, to all the small businesses that use our Wood Manufacturing Center.”

How has your GFS equipment benefited your organization?

“People used to paint outside our building and deal with all the dust. We invested in the GFS paint booth for the safety of others breathing the air, and for dust control. Having such a reliable booth enables people to grow their business, and then they can reinvest their earnings into some of the smaller things that are more affordable such as a sander or saw. This directly advances our mission of growing the regional economy by supporting entrepreneurs and strengthening economic sectors.

For more info & full interview: https://acenetworks.org/community-updates/paint-booth-clean-space-for-ohio-woodworkers/

Interview by Global Finishing Solutions (GFS)

Photo credit: ACEnet Multimedia Designers, Avery Snyder (present), Delia Palmisano (prior)

This weekend is the annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival and it's a great time to support local, especially our local ACEnet Food Ventures Center tenant food trucks!

Hot Diggity Dog 2.0, Asian Fusion Cuisine, Hawaiian Shave Ice

Hot Diggity Dog and Asian Fusion Cuisine menus will be featuring Pawpaw Smoothie, Pawpaw Funnel Cakes, and Pawpaw Macarons for their 22nd year at the Pawpaw Festival.

Dr. May's Thai Kitchen

Dr. May's Thai Kitchen menu will be featuring Curry Chicken PawBQ, Pawpaw Curry Chicken Ramen Noodles, and PawpawYa Salad.

Rhythm & Food

Rhythm & Food menu will be featuring Pawpaw BBQ Sauce, Pawpaw Coleslaw, and Pawpaw Salsa.

Hot Diggity Dog and Dr. May's Thai Kitchen took home multiple wins in the 2022 Savory (1st place to Hot Diggity Dog for Pawpaw Spring Rolls & 2nd place to Dr. May's Thai Kitchen for Pawpaw Green Curry), Condiments (1st place to Dr. May's Thai Kitchen for Pawpaw Garlic Mint Sauce), and Desserts (2nd place to Hot Diggity Dog for Pawpaw Macarons) categories. Good luck to everyone competing this year!

Be sure to stop by and support our ACEnet Food Ventures tenants, and say hi to Ronnie at Rhythm & Food - he's our new Food Ventures Trainer/Kitchen Manager!

ACEnet and Rural Action hosted partners in August from Appalachian Sustainable Development (Virginia) and Coalfield Development (West Virginia) to share the impact of local partners in developing the area’s workforce. The group toured Passion Works Studio to learn about the opportunities that Passion Works creates for those with developmental differences and the impact that has been made on the Athens community. The group also met with staff from Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program at New Leaf Marketplace in Nelsonville to learn about their support services, including workforce development opportunities, for survivors.

Guests toured ACEnet’s Food Ventures Center in Athens and our Food & Farm Enterprise Center and Business Center in Nelsonville, including the new facilities constructed by Milo’s Whole World Gourmet. Lunch was catered by ACEnet Food Ventures tenant, Chef Katie Mosher of River Willow Culinary Services, who also shared about her involvement at Tri-County Career Center as the culinary arts program instructor.

Rural Action also spoke about their workforce development opportunities in the region, including their high school internship program and farm apprenticeship program. Guests visited the Chesterhill Produce Auction, which includes incubation farm space for beginning farmers, UpCycle Thrift Store, and the Community Makerspace. The trip concluded with a visit to Trouvaille Farm, where Lindsay Klaunig shared about their farm’s experience with hosting high school interns, apprentices, and serving as mentors to beginning farmers through Rural Action’s programs.

This convening was made possible by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER initiative as part of a series of peer learning opportunities surrounding workforce development.

Update & photo credit: ACEnet Value Chain Coordinator, Brianna McGuire

Running from June 19 to September 18, 2023, the 15th annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration(AFMC) showcases the essential markets across the nation making a difference for farmers, ranchers, and communities.

In addition to recognizing the top markets in each region of America, the AFMC will crown an overall “People’s Choice” winner as the top-endorsed market in the country.

Total cash prizes have increased to $15,000 and the top five markets in the United States that finish in the “People’s Choice” category will receive an award. These funds will be awarded to markets to go towards marketing, communications, and other needs that help expand the market’s reach and impact. Be sure to vote for your favorite market!

Auctions are taking place at 4pm on Mondays & Thursdays May through October. Pumpkins and mums are in, it's time for some seasonal decorating!

Chesterhill Harvest Days at the Chesterhill Produce Auction kick off on Saturday, September 30th! $10 entry includes horse drawn hay rides & 2 acre corn maze. More dates are listed on the event page linked above, or you can contact 740.677.4047 or 740.554.7927 (on auction days) for more info.

Photo credit: Chesterhill Produce Auction

Your support helps us provide 1-1 training and assistance to entrepreneurs, in all sectors, on a daily basis on everything from business planning & financial management to brand development and marketing. Your support also helps us provide our Food & Farm entrepreneurs with the space and equipment they need to grow their businesses.

You can support us when you shop at Kroger by participating in the Kroger Community Rewards program! By designating “ACE NET” (the space in the middle is necessary) as the recipient of your Community Rewards points, Kroger will contribute a portion of the proceeds to ACEnet.

More info & sign up here: https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards

Park's on Court has many vegetarian-friendly options, but if burgers are your thing, try the Burrow Burger!

Park's Place in Amesville, Ohio has been a community favorite since they opened in 2019, serving delicious made-from-scratch meals. They source many local ingredients, both food & beverage, and support local artisans.

Park's on Court opened at the end of August, bringing them to Court Street in uptown Athens, Ohio. They're open Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-3am, and Sunday 11am-3pm.

Park's Place flagship restaurant in Amesville is still open Thursday & Friday 5pm-9pm, Saturday 11am-9pm, and Sunday 9am-2pm.

Photo credit: Park's Place