Grow Your Business with SUNY Cobleskill
At SUNY Cobleskill, we are committed to helping local businesses thrive in the Mohawk Valley through the many initiatives of the Institute for Rural Vitality. Our shared-use facilities provide users with tools necessary for new product development and small pilot batch processing while other programs provide resources to enter markets successfully. You’ll have the opportunity to grow your business while learning valuable hands-on skills and have access to a suite of professional services. Because many of our shared-use facilities are supported by state and federal funding, there are certain requirements that your business must meet before it is approved to use some of our facilities.
Incubator & Accelerator Clients
SUNY Cobleskill provides professional services through the Mohawk Valley Farm and Food Business Incubator (FFBI), Accelerator (FFBA), and other programs. Participants in these programs are prioritized for scheduling of shared use facilities. However, all businesses are encouraged to apply to use a shared-use facility as any business may be eligible to utilize facilities depending on facility availability and the readiness of the business to develop new products. The IRV is available to assist free professional services such as businesses planning, market access, access to capital and more. Regardless of facility availability, you are encouraged to apply.
What to expect?
Once you apply to use on of the shared-use facilities, our Shared-Use Facility Coordinator will reach out to schedule an initial interview to discuss your application, current capacity of our facilities, and current availability. If we determine there is still work to do and you qualify under one of the programs, you’ll be referred to our team for free professional services. If you are a deemed a qualified user, you will be scheduled for shared use facilities based on current availability. Regardless of availability, you are encouraged to apply.
Dairy Processing Center (DPC)
The SUNY Cobleskill Dairy Processing Center (DPC) is a state-of-the-art facility designed to assist regional dairy producers in developing and piloting novel and traditional value-added products. The DPC offers experiential education opportunities to students and essential business development services to the region’s dairy producers and processors. The facility houses equipment that allows for several variations of dairy products such as fluid milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese curd and soft cheese production. Some things to keep in mind:
Culinary Laboratories
The SUNY Cobleskill Culinary Labs also serve as shared-use Certified Test Kitchens, where producers and processors can conduct product development, new flavor and recipe experiments, and produce products for pilot marketing.
Carriage House Café and General Store
The Carriage House Café and General Store brings community and College members together around locally-made and grown farm-fresh goods. The market features products from area farmers and businesses to such as, meats, dairy, dry goods, and more. As a resource of the Institute for Rural Vitality, the Café enhances SUNY Cobleskill’s ability to provide educational initiatives, field training and experiential learning to students across disciplines while also providing a marketplace that enable businesses to get market and consumer feedback.
Apply for Use – institute@cobleskill.edu
Meat & Fisheries Processing Laboratory
The SUNY Cobleskill Meat & Fisheries Processing Laboratory serves as a hands-on teaching laboratory for students enrolled in courses focusing on slaughtering, cutting, processing, and wrapping various products. And while this facility is an educational lab, it is open to the public, serving regional producers and providing a model for developing additional small processing facilities across the northeast. As an FFBI client, there are additional product development services available.
If you have any question, please contact Bennett Ashley, Shared-Use Facility Coordinator at 518-255-5043.