Moore said the WV Hive Food Incubation Hub is a signature project of the Rural Partners Network (RPN) Southern West Virginia Community Network. The network includes government and non-profit leaders from 12 southern West Virginia counties.

The Southern West Virginia Community Network was selected in November 2022 as one of 22 rural regions nationwide to take part in the Rural Partners Network initiative. RPN is an all-of-government program that partners with rural communities to help them access resources and funding to create local jobs, build infrastructure, and support long-term economic stability.

“Supporting the growth of food and agriculture-based businesses not only spurs economic diversification across Appalachia, but also provides affordable and nutritious food for our people,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “ARC is proud to be a piece of the puzzle in helping the Fayette County food hub come to fruition. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with USDA’s Rural Partners Network and the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority to further uplift the future economic growth of southern West Virginia.”

Thorn said the $750,000 in federal funding for the Food Incubation Hub comes from the Rural Community Advancement Program (RCAP), a joint program between the Appalachian Regional Commission and USDA Rural Development. “We appreciate our partnership and the continued collaboration with the ARC and WV Hive. This investment is a testament of Rural Development’s commitment to spur new economic opportunities in rural communities by supporting the diversification of services offered to entrepreneurs and small businesses by WV Hive in not just Fayette County but across their service footprint,” added Thorn.

Moore said that an incubation hub location has yet to be determined, but it will be in Fayette County. “The proximity to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and increased visitors to the area added to the attractiveness of the food incubation hub,” she said.

The development of the food incubation hub is a high priority for the local and state economy, said Moore. “U.S. food and agricultural industries are responsible for more than $8.6 trillion (nearly 20%) of our country’s economic activity,” she said. “According to the Agriculture Department, nearly 23 million jobs (15% of U.S. employment) are supported by these industries. Conversely, expenditures on food accounted for 12.8 percent of U.S. households’ spending in 2022, an increase from 12.4 percent in 2021. The share of household expenditures on food ranked third behind housing (33.3 percent) and transportation (16.8 percent).”

Moore said, “The WV Hive continually seeks to identify gaps in support for the entrepreneurs we serve. In southern West Virginia, there is a lack of concentrated business development support for food businesses, including access to commercial kitchen space. There are very few commercial kitchens in West Virginia, and none known within the 13-county service area of the WV Hive. The WV Hive’s food incubation hub will include a commercial kitchen with space for 10 to 12 businesses, small wares, and catering supplies. In addition to the kitchen, the food hub will include full WV Hive business support services, with one-on-one business advising and technical assistance support, including access to specialized food management training from the Food Finance Institute.”

WV Hive is the entrepreneurship program of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority. Its 13-county service area includes Raleigh, Fayette, Summers, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Monroe, Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, Logan, and Mingo counties. More information about the WV Hive can be found at wvhive.com