Food Business Start-Up Summit
For all Kansas-based food and farm businesses actively working to launch or take your business to the next level.
About the Summit
The Summit is a hands-on, two-day working retreat designed to help Kansas food and farm entrepreneurs make progress on their businesses. It is built your real business needs with equal parts strategy, support, and community.
The Community Food Systems team was excited to host the 2026 Summit on August 4 and 5 in Lawrence with the support of participants, Key Informants, Facilitators, and Keynotes. Attendees brought openness, curiosity, hard work, and a willingness to share honestly about their businesses — and that’s what made these two days so special. We hope they left with new ideas, useful connections, greater clarity, and real momentum toward what comes next.
We were so grateful to spend two days working alongside them, and we’re excited to see where they take things! Stay tuned for details on the next convening and opportunity to connect, problem-solve, and move your business forward.
The ability to bring start-up entrepreneurs and industry veterans made the Food Business Start-Up Summit a unique event. I enjoyed learning about others at the summit and learning from experienced voices. I found it well worth my time.
Eric Beachy
Helmuth Country Bakery
Day 1 is all about recognizing we are already a room full of experts. It's such fertile ground for collaborative learning, pairing & sharing between businesses because they understand each other's position better than just about anybody. It's what brings them all here.
Quinlan Carttar
Community Food Systems
Check out pictures from the 2026 Summit
2026 Applications are closed. Stay tuned for next year. Review application materials and frequently asked questions
Background
The event welcomes up to 25 businesses and offers expert guidance, peer learning, and dedicated time to focus. There is no cost to apply; selected teams register for $300. Expect highly interactive days that blend structured guidance, expert “speed-consultations,” and dedicated working time on your business. Applicants are encouraged to bring key partners (teams of up to three) and step away from daily operations to gain clarity, build confidence, and leave with a practical action plan tailored to your business.
Why Attend
Running a food or farm business can feel isolating — and hard decisions often get pushed aside in the day-to-day rush. The Food Business Start-Up Summit creates dedicated space to step away from operations and focus on what matters most: clarifying next steps, solving persistent challenges, and building a stronger path forward. Rather than sitting through presentations, participants work alongside trusted advisors and peers to tackle challenges like licensing, financing, production, distribution, and growth. Participants leave with concrete action plans, new tools, and renewed momentum.