WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester Regional Food Hub and Worcester State University are partnering to offer programs for food entrepreneurs. 

The partnership began last semester, offering classes on leveraging digital media and wholesale inspection. Starting this spring, they’ll offer two new classes on starting a food business and how to get your products into grocery stores locally and nationwide.

They designed the programs for those who have already started their food business journey.

“We have our shared use kitchen at the Worcester Regional Food Hub and Worcester State has the center for Food Entrepreneurship, so we are trying to help food entrepreneurs,” Food Hub director Shon Rainford said in an interview on Monday. “We’ve come together to help aspiring food entrepreneurs, people who want to open a restaurant or who have a product like pickles or hot sauce or desserts that they want to grow their business, improve their sales channels. So improving their presence and really getting out there and selling the product.”​

Rainford says they will expand the program even further once they open their new location at Union Station. 

They will go from one kitchen to six and said the added equipment will open up more opportunities for entrepreneurs.