Setting up a local food business:- Strathpeffer, Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th October 2026

Setting up a local food business - For small producers

You are a primary producer of livestock, hens, or vegetables and fruit. Now you are wondering if there is a way to sell your produce locally and develop your own local food business. Perhaps you have been selling a wee bit locally and are thinking of scaling up.

But where to start?

With Jo Hunt, of Knockfarrel Produce in Dingwall, and other inspiring small-scale food producers, our training programme will take you step-by-step through the process of setting up a local food business using your own produce. 

Open to crofters, smallholders, farmers and other small-scale producers.

During this two-day programme, you will:-

1. Identify the best food products to make on your croft;
2. Find out what customers want and choose the best local markets;
3. Map out a short supply chain to make and sell your products;
4. Visit an established croft business to see how they do it;
5. Prepare a budget, using tools designed for crofting, helped by a crofter economist;
6. Learn how to set prices and choose the one that works;
7. Get feedback on your croft food business ideas from other crofters in a supportive group;
8. Leave prepared to get your new food business up and running for next season;
9. Know where to find funding, navigate the rules and get more business support;
10. Share the joy of making and selling great food on your croft.

Strathpeffer Community Centre

Tuesday 6th October
9.30 to 5pm day 1 with an evening session 7pm to 9pm

Wednesday 7th October
9.00am to 4.30pm 

With Jo Hunt, Knockfarrel Produce and Beth Rose, Birchwood Croft.

Knockfarrel Produce

Knockfarrel Produce is an organic croft near Dingwall. Through a box scheme, Jo sells seasonal veg and fruit, preserves, eggs, cordials and pestos, all produced on the croft, while offering a selection from other local producers.

Birchwood Croft

Beth and Tim Rose, and their two mini-crofters, have managed a multitude of activity on their croft.

Cattle, sheep, pigs, bees, and hens have all been a part of their croft over the years. Balancing nature and livestock has helped to make the croft what it is today. On croft sales have included beef, lamb, pork, fruit and veg, eggs, chutney, jam, handicrafts and sunflowers.

Our series of online courses runs alongside the in-person programme and provides more detail on certain topics that we cannot cover in full over the two in-person days.

1. Food regulations and how to apply them

2. Food Lochaber - how to set up a food hub

3. An introduction to selling meat boxes

4. VAT and other numbers

5. What funding is available for local food production?

£50 Members/£80 Non-Members.
Ticket price includes lunch on both days.

Some people have found that it is not possible to book tickets on Apple's Safari browser. Please try with a different browser or contact the office on hq@crofting.org or telephone 01599 530005 if you have any difficulties.

NB. If cost is a barrier to you attending this course, please contact us.  Please direct any enquiries to celia@crofting.org

Wondering why we ask you to pay for this workshop?

The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) is a registered charity and relies primarily on membership subscriptions for its income. We need to keep finding other ways to cover our costs.
The SCF (originally the Crofters' Union) has been championing crofters for 40 years and we want to continue to do so for the next 40!

Membership of the SCF gives you multiple benefits including:- a voice at national level, reduced price training, access to advice from a panel of expert crofters, a free 30 minute legal consultation, news and updates that affect crofting with The Crofter magazine twice a year and monthly e-newsletters.

Join Now! https://www.crofting.org/membership/

This workshop is part of our Crofting for the Future series and is 75% subsidised through the SRDP Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF), funded by Scottish Government.

With grateful thanks to the Pebble Trust for additional funding support for our Crofting for the Future project in 2026-2027.

The Pebble Trust has a vision for a more sustainable, fair, and low-carbon society, where constraints on fossil fuels lead to a more localised economy with stronger, more resilient communities.