Free Studio For Napa Foodie Startups

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Could a food cart experiment or a weekend farmers market favorite turn into Napa’s next standout food business? A new program gives local makers the opportunity to find out with skills they need to turn small-batch dreams into a scalable, brick-and-mortar success.

From home kitchens to food trucks, a new Napa-based program wants to help artisan food makers turn passion projects into viable businesses.

The Napa Food Startup Studio, a free six-week online program, is designed for entrepreneurs who produce food products but do not yet operate from a brick-and-mortar location.

Co-created with the Solano-Napa Small Business Development Center, the program supports food entrepreneurs working from home, commissary kitchens, or mobile operations who are ready to formalize their businesses and scale.

Participants will attend weekly virtual classes on Wednesday evenings from Feb. 4 through March 18, 2026, receive one-on-one mentoring from experienced SBDC advisors, and develop a customized business roadmap and funding plan tailored to Napa’s business environment.

To be eligible, applicants must currently manufacture a food product, live or work within 20 miles of the City of Napa, and hold—or be able to obtain—a City of Napa business license. The program is open to food product entrepreneurs only and does not include winemakers.

Applications are due Jan. 16. Participants selected for the program will be notified by Jan. 23, according to the Solano-Napa Small Business Development Center.

For more information, contact Economic Development Program Coordinator Jennifer Owen at jowen@cityofnapa.org.