Lamp value added producer grant – mandatory

Grant Award Summary

Stepladder Farmstead Creamery, LLC received a $250,000 Project Grant awarded on September 2, 2025, by Rural Business Cooperative Services under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP, CFDA 10.175). The two-year project, with an ultimate completion date of September 2, 2027, supports the development of new value-added dairy products and the expansion of direct and indirect producer-to-consumer marketing channels. Through this funding, the creamery will advance locally and regionally produced dairy goods' accessibility while enhancing marketing infrastructure for small and mid-sized dairy producers in California.

The FMLFPP grant funds value-added product development, marketing strategies, and regional food chain coordination initiatives. As a self-certified small disadvantaged business, Stepladder Farmstead Creamery leverages this award to strengthen rural economic development and local food systems in Cambria, California, building on its prior federal grant experience in cooperative development and agricultural marketing activities. The project aligns with FMLFPP's dual focus on supporting both direct farmer-to-consumer markets and local food business enterprises engaged in intermediary functions such as processing and distribution.