Business Mentorship and Growing to the Next Level with Michael Funk - Co-Founder, United Natural Foods (UNFI)

Michael Funk co-founded Mountain Peoples Warehouse in 1976 and grew it into the leading natural foods wholesaler in the western U.S., before co-founding United Natural Foods (UNFI) in 1996 — now a $32 billion publicly traded distributor serving food retailers across North America. As President and CEO, he led UNFI's growth from a regional startup into an industry-defining enterprise, stepping down as CEO and Chairman in 2016 while remaining active on its Board of Directors and the UNFI Foundation. A longtime leader in the organic and non-GMO movement, Funk has served as Board President of the Non-GMO Project, co-founded The Organic Center, was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the USDA's Advisory Committee in 2010, and received the Organic Trade Association's Leadership Award in 2011.

In this session on Business Mentorship and Growing to the Next Level, Funk draws on decades of building a company from the ground up to share hard-won lessons on scaling a business responsibly. He discusses what it means to stay accountable — to your team, your business, and yourself — as growth accelerates, and offers candid insight into recognizing when it's time to push forward and grow, versus when it's time to step back and move on.

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Nevada County Environmental Health is offering us a GET YOUR FOOD PERMIT workshop where they will be on-site to assist with the paperwork and answer any questions so participants' food permit applications can be fast tracked through the system.

For those of you whose food business is not yet permitted OR you are not yet doing events in Nevada County and want to participate in the FoodX event on Sept 26, or might need a TFF for the event:  https://www.sierracommons.org/foodx  -- this is for you.

Join us and get the support you need to get questions answered and permits acquired to grow your business.

Charlie Ayers - Former Google and Grateful Dead Chef Joins the Food Foundry Sessions

Celebrity chef Charlie Ayers joins the Food Foundry Sessions in this lively discussion of his career and culinary entrepreneurship throughout the years. Ayers is best known as the founding executive chef at Google, where he won a cook-off judged by the company's original 40 employees and built a culinary operation that grew to serve 4,000 meals daily across 10 campus cafes. Before Silicon Valley, he served as the Grateful Dead's personal chef throughout the 1980s.

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Food Entrepreneur Accelerator Graduation Celebration

Come celebrate the success of our Food Entrepreneur Accelerator graduates with good food, drinks, and great company!

🎉 Foodie Graduation Celebration! 🎓🍓 Join us for an evening of flavor, creativity, and community as we celebrate the graduates of the Sierra Commons Food Entrepreneur Accelerator!

Let’s celebrate Nevada County’s next generation of food entrepreneurs and the vibrant local food culture they’re cultivating.

RSVP Today »»

Journey of Women Entrepreneurs - A Panel Discussion

Join us for a panel discussion with 3 dynamic women food entrepreneurs in our latest food foundry session interview. We are joined by Tara Sanders, Owner and Founder - Dále Vino, Michelle Pusateri, Founder - Nana Joes Granola, and Hannah Perry, Owner and Founder - Floof Cotton Candy.

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST

Watch the Premiere on YouTube >>>

The Food Science R&D Process with Rachel Zemser

Join us as we welcome food scientist Rachel Zemser as she discusses her strategies to make sure artisan foods are packaged safe and stable.

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST

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Non-Traditional Lenders w/ Financial Advisor Miguel Barreras

Miguel Barreras - Financial Advisor

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST

How to navigate small business loans of $5K - $100K. Specializing in micro-loans for start-up and early stage entrepreneurs.

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Food Entrepreneur Accelerator 102 Graduation Party and Student Showcase

Come celebrate the success of our Food Accelerator 102 graduates with good food, drinks, and great company!

🎉 Foodie Graduation Celebration! 🎓🍓 Join us for an evening of flavor, creativity, and community as we celebrate the graduates of the Sierra Commons Food Entrepreneur Accelerator 102 Course!

Let’s celebrate Nevada County’s next generation of food entrepreneurs and the vibrant local food culture they’re cultivating.

Register for the Showcase and Grad Party on Eventbrite >>>

Food Trends 101 - How Food Trends Impact Product Innovation

Kara Nielsen - Trendologist & Sweets Professor

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - 2:00 PM PST

Kara is an expert in food and beverage trends and the consumer values that drive trend growth and adoption. For nearly twenty years, she has translated trends for strategic brand growth and product development for food manufacturers, foodservice operators and other firms. Kara will be joining us for Live Q&A during the interview premiere.

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Numi Tea's Reem Hassani
Chief Branding Officer and Co-Founder
Food Packaging that resonates. From nutrition to aesthetics, allergens and claims, UPC and design. The package is the path to your consumer's mind, heart, and taste buds.

At Numi, Reem oversees brand identity, including all packaging design, brand voice, and experience. An artist by trade (including a Diploma d’Arte from Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute in Florence, Italy and an M.F.A. in Arts & Consciousness Studies from JFK University), Reem’s original artwork has been a source of inspiration for Numi’s brand vision and packaging. In 2019, she was honored as one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Business.

Watch the Premier on YouTube

🔥 Ready to turn your forestry skills into a business?

🧩 Join us for Forestry Entrepreneurship: Building & Scaling your Business—a second workshop from FireUp + Sierra Commons, led by FireUp Coach Robert X Trent M.Ed

👩‍🚒 This workshop is for crew leads, operators, and anyone ready to level-up their impact in fire and forestry work.

What you’ll get in 90 minutes:
🌲 Deep dive into successful business models in fire & forestry work
🌲 Real talk on what it takes to start & sustain a local business
🌲 Advice on next steps and a roadmap for starting your business

Sign-up for this Class

Food Entrepreneur Accelerator Graduation Celebration

Come celebrate the success of our Food Entrepreneur Accelerator graduates with good food, drinks, and great company!

🎉 Foodie Graduation Celebration! 🎓🍓 Join us for an evening of flavor, creativity, and community as we celebrate the graduates of the Sierra Commons Food Entrepreneur Accelerator!

Our graduating food entrepreneurs will showcase samples of their delicious creations—from coffee to artisanal bagels to savory bites. Bring your curious palate—and if you’re inspired, bring a favorite dish or drink to share with fellow local food lovers!

Let’s celebrate Nevada County’s next generation of food entrepreneurs and the vibrant local food culture they’re cultivating. RSVP Today >>>

Food Speaker Series

Ed Troxell
Getting your Business Online and Sales Ready

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LIVESTREAM: Resilience Through Rural Entrepreneurship

A Gathering for Change-Makers and Cross-Pollinators is a working summit where entrepreneurs, community leaders, government agencies, and nonprofits come together to shape the future of rural resilience. Participants will roll up their sleeves in dynamic talks, focused sector discussions, and hands-on collaborative exercises to tackle challenges, share solutions, and design actionable strategies.

Register for this Free Event

Food Speaker Series

Tim Yamauchi
Creative Cost Controls - Bookkeeping for a small food business

Watch on YouTube