Kate Minifie
Farm & Food Products Program Director, Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center: Age 34
Kate Minifie
Kate Minifie was candid when she talked about everything it takes to be an entrepreneur and bring an idea for a new food or beverage product from conception to the store shelf — and about how she doesn’t possess all those ingredients herself.
“I’m way too risk-averse,” she said with a laugh, adding quickly that, in her role as Food & Products Program director for the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center at Franklin County Community Development Corp., she works closely with those who are not.
And she finds it quite rewarding to help these individuals navigate a broad array of challenges and issues — from recipe development to regulatory compliance to general business planning — to bring a product to the marketplace.
“I like working with entrepreneurs and being part of their story,” she told BusinessWest. “My favorite thing is that every day is different, and the other thing that’s really cool is seeing someone be successful over time, someone who comes to us with an idea, and three or five years later, you can find their products in stores all over the region.”
She cited several success stories, including a Greenfield woman who created something called ‘fire cider,’ what Minifie described as a “preventive medicine.”
Minifie graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in public health, but soon decided she was more interested in food systems, and has since worked “across the supply chain,” as she put it, meaning farms, restaurants, and a farm-to-school program in Vermont.
She then moved on to the Food Processing Center, where she initially worked in the farm-to-institution realm, running a program called Valley Veggies, whereby local produce was sourced, then frozen and sold to schools across the region.
She progressed to her current role, in which she assists entrepreneurs with products across a wide spectrum — sauces, baked products, condiments, beverages, and more.
“These are early-stage businesses,” she explained. “We counsel on all the things they need to bring a product to market — legally, safely, and in a way that’s going to get them noticed.”
Active in the community, Minifie serves on the Board of Health in Colrain and has also co-chaired the Franklin County Food Council.
When not doing all that, she likes to run with her dog in the woods and enjoys outdoor activities with her husband, Ben, and children Maeve and Miles.
—George O’Brien
