Food, Farm Business Expo set for Tuesday

New Capital Region Food and Farms Business Expo at Desmond Hotel

ALBANY, N.Y. – A new Capital Region Food and Farms Business Expo is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Desmond Hotel.

Similar events, designed to link food, beverage, and farm businesses with buyers, are planned for the Hudson Valley and Long Island.

These business-to-business events will give vendors the opportunity to showcase, market and sell their products onsite, while allowing buyers to sample and purchase highquality goods that are grown and made in New York.

The free events, organized and sponsored by local Cornell Cooperative Extensions, area Chambers of Commerce and Taste NY, are open to buyers, retailers, restaurants, markets, schools, institutions and distributors, as well as farmers, food and beverage producers, brewers, cider and wine-makers, and distillers.

Participants will have the opportunity to sample locally-produced foods and beverages while learning about various crops and commodities grown in the area, as well as where and how to purchase those foods.

The networking events are intended to help farmers and agricultural producers grow their businesses and encourage hotels, restaurants, bars, retail locations and institutions to purchase local products.

Participants in the Albany expos must have businesses located in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Greene, Columbia or Schoharie counties.

State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball said in a news release, “These regional business-to-business expos are the latest in a series of networking events connecting New York farms, food and beverage producers to distributors and buyers from institutions, retail locations, restaurants, and bars.”

Cornell Cooperative Extension Statewide Director Chris Watkins said in the release, “Providing technical expertise and education in farm production for New York farmers in today’s rapidly changing marketplace requires a focus on innovation. It’s exciting that Cornell Cooperative Extension, through our partnership with Taste NY, is able to provide a living laboratory to help farmers test their profitability strategies. Not only are we helping farmers grow food, through Taste NY we’re helping food innovators develop local products for local markets.”

The event is sponsored by the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. Registration is required. For more information, call (518) 765-3500 or email sij23@cornell.edu.