2023-2024 Dehydration Pilot
In 2024, CSU, Delta County, Food Bank of the Rockies and local fruit growers tested whether a nonprofit organization could manufacture a product for sale by local farmers without disrupting its mission. If such a program were successful, FBR could financially supplement their hunger relief dehydration program and local farmers could make use of their less-than-perfect fruit and diversify what they can sell to consumers.
While assessing the feasibility of this model, we learned lessons on how to establish a dehydration program. This handbook is meant to help people think through the variables of processing fruits and vegetables into a dehydrated product for commercial sale. Please download and share this document and tell us what you think: nicole.didero@colostate.edu or amanda.mcquade@colostate.edu.