Product Development Workshop

📅 Date: Tuesday, April 14th 2026

Where: OSU Food Innovation Center 1207 NW Naito Parkway, Portland, Or

🕤 Time: 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Are you a farmer, food producer, or entrepreneur interested in bringing your food or beverage product to market? Bringing a food or beverage product to market requires more than a good recipe—it takes scientific precision, food safety knowledge, and an understanding of how to scale your process. In this interactive workshop, Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center Product & Process Development Team will guide you step-by-step through the fundamentals of turning a recipe into a commercially viable formulation. You’ll walk away with practical insights and resources to help you scale, package, and sell your products in farmers’ markets, retail outlets, and beyond.

Cost: $10-150*

*Prosper Portland is graciously sponsoring this workshop to lower the cost for Portland-based businesses only. If you are Portland-based then please reach out to Yvonne Smoker from Prosper Portland to verify eligibility: smokery@prosperportland.us

Topics

• Recipe vs. Formulation: Converting home recipes into precise, weight-based formulas for consistency

• Food Safety Considerations: Understanding water activity, pH, pasteurization, and microbial risks

• Scaling Up: Moving from small batches to commercial production, including cost of goods (COGS) analysis

• Low vs. High Moisture Foods: Formulation differences between baked goods, sauces, beverages, and more

• Detailed Processes & Flowcharts: Writing repeatable processes and creating visual workflows for production and audits

• Nutrition Labeling: Requirements for nutrition facts, ingredient statements, and allergens

• Shelf Life Studies: Safety vs. quality considerations, storage conditions, and testing methods

👉 Reserve your spot today—space is limited!