BI grants - rcdg discretionary value-added agricultural prod MKT dvlp

Chicago Wet Storage, LLC, operating as Windy City Mushroom Farms, received a $249,556 Project Grant award on September 3, 2025, from the Rural Business Cooperative Services to support value-added agricultural product market development. The award, issued under the Value-Added Producer Grants program (CFDA 10.352), provides funding through September 3, 2027, to enable the awardee to advance processing and/or marketing activities related to value-added mushroom products. The grant supports the venture's operational needs and market development objectives without funding agricultural production, construction, or fixed equipment purchases.

The Value-Added Producer Grants program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services, competitively distributes funding to agricultural producers and producer-based businesses to validate economic viability and support day-to-day operational costs associated with processing or marketing value-added agricultural products. This award represents a continuation of the program's efforts to help producers generate new products, expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income through value-added ventures, with recent annual award volume ranging from 78 to 87 grants nationally.