From a beekeeper in Southern Wisconsin who is reviving a refreshment rooted in medieval history to an apple cider entrepreneur in Bayfield, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development is investing in Wisconsin agriculture producers that aim to expand and grow. Funding through the Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) program provides support to eligible entrepreneurs. 

"Value-Added Producer Grants provide capital to enable eligible Wisconsin agriculture entrepreneurs to grow their business through diversification,” said Rural Development State Director Andrew C. Iverson. “This program is especially supportive of beginning agriculture-based businesses and smaller operations."

The Value-Added Producer Grant program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities that:

• Generate new products from raw agricultural commodities.
• Create and expand marketing opportunities.
• Increase producer income through enhanced product value and market reach.

The Hive Taproom

In East Troy, a refreshment that was popular thousands of years ago in the medieval era is now available to many people for the first time ever through the magic of e-commerce, thanks to Value-Added Producer Grant funding.

“We are super grateful for the grant,” said The Hive Taproom Co-Owner and Beekeeper Ayla Guild. “It has allowed us to move our business forward. It’s a great opportunity.”

In the 1500s, you could find mead filled goblets at banquet tables. The Vikings called the drink mjöðr. Today, some people call it honey wine.

Guild’s carbonated tea-based and honey-based mead product is available in pop-top cans with dynamic labeling that includes important product information. The Hive Taproom’s mead marketing project has created two jobs, and one of those positions focused on website development to handle multiple distribution channels.

“It takes a lot of expertise and money to build a really robust website,” Guild said.

The expansion of the team allows Ayla and her husband, Tim, to focus on their products. Tim, a mechanical engineer, started brewing mead in the basement years ago.

“The Value-Added Producer Grant assistance is helping this producer create a higher value product from their honey,” said Wisconsin Rural Development Loan Specialist Judy Clendenning. “These types of projects allow producers to increase the revenue earned from their raw commodity.”

Kidfarm LLC

In Chilton, Kidfarm LLC (operating as Calanna) used a Value-Added Producer Grant to expand its goat meat products and make the products more readily available for consumers. From snack sticks on the ski trail to meat for soft shell tacos on Tuesday night dinners and more, the grant helped fund working capital to update its goat meat packaging, marketing and distribution. The funding covered costs of marketing such as new logo and label designs, photographs and a tent and banner for selling products at venues like the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison. The company’s new marketing images were used on its new website, which includes recipes for everything from burgers to spaghetti and cabbage rolls.

Kidfarm also developed bar codes and nutrition panels for its meat packages and connected with more distributors with the grant funds.

Hedrich said applying for the grant helped them in multiple ways. For one example, the application process inspired the company to get a business plan on paper. 

“You don’t get a grant by accident,” Hedrich said. “Applying for the grant forced us to develop a business plan and spell out the steps to take to follow that plan.”

While the Value-Added Producer Grant program does not cover the cost of equipment, the grant can help cover working capital expenses such as supplies and marketing. This helps make other funds available for equipment. 

Hauser’s Superior View Farm & Apfelhaus Cidery

In Bayfield, the team at Hauser’s Superior View Farm & Apfelhaus Cidery used Value-Added Producer Grant funding for marketing, which enabled them to invest in equipment to expand its product line and open a new tasting room.

Hauser’s Superior View Farm & Apfelhaus Cidery added five more fermentation tanks, a canning line, an apple grinder, a hydraulic bin tipper, and an elevator. They also upgraded their apple press, which helped them triple and quadruple their hourly production. The company also added another bright tank for apple cider storage.

“We already had one tank,” said fifth generation Hauser’s Superior View Farm & Apfelhaus Cidery Owner Dane Hauser. “Now we can work on two different flavors at one time.”

Hauser said the dedication that is required to complete the application process is worth it.

“You definitely have got to be committed to put time into it, but in the long run it is worth every minute and every ounce of effort,” he said.

The Value-Added Producer Grants program supports planning activities, such as feasibility studies, business plans, and marketing strategies, or working capital needs, including processing, packaging, advertising, inventory, and personnel. Producers can find program information and application guidance on the Value-Added Producer Grant web page.

USDA Rural Development is accepting Value-Added Producer Grant applications through April 22, 2026, 12 p.m. Central Time.