Agribusiness, Food Processing and Technology
Central Virginia’s rural landscape is home to greenhouses, wineries, craft beverage producers, cattle farms, and more. Robotics and other advanced technologies provide opportunities for skilled and unskilled laborers.
Battlefield Farms, Orange County
Fast Facts
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372 Number of Companies |
561 Number of Jobs |
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$35,571 Average Wages |
$1.1 Billion GDP |
Central Virginia Advantages
- Unique mixture of rural aras and vibrant urban communities with access to I-64, connecting to almost half of the US population within a one-day delivery by truck.
Virginia Distillery Co., Nelson County
- Virginia Cooperative Extension of Virginia Teach and Virginia State University provide research and educational opportunities for agribusiness through local offices in every Central Virginia county. Emergent UVA Sustainability lab at Morven Farm where students can work on projects with real-world applications.
- Piedmont Virginia Community College and Germanna Community College offer courses in biotechnology, horticulture, and viticulture, as well as certificates in brewing and winemaking.
- Agriculture & Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID) offers Virginia agribusiness opportunities to expand operations and can cover utility extension, broadband capacity, transportation access, and site improvements.
Demonstrated Record of Success
Albemarle Baking Company, an award-winning bakery has been a local favorite for nearly 30 years. The business began with just three people and grew to over 20, and now offers online and wholesale purchasing.
Bell Nursery, an ornamental flower producer distributing through Home Depot, is a Veriflora Sustainably Grown certified grower using 100% wind generated power.
Bright Farms produced non-GMO, pesticide-free salad greens sold to local markets and grocery stores in greater Washington, DC, Baltimore and Northern Virginia.
Merchant’s Grocery Company (HQ) is a wholesale food distributor serving over 600 convenience and grocery stores.
Devils Backbone Brewing Company began as a local craft brewing company, but was acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2016.
Grelen Nursery, one of the largest retail tree nurseries in virginia, grows trees and shrubs on a 600-acre farm. Buyers can walk the fields and pick their own plants.
Tropical plant provider, Willow Run Greenhouse, supplies interiorscapers, retail garden centers, and florists in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Twin Oaks Tofu, a worker-owned cooperative, incorporates eco-friendly practices into tofu production by using renewable energy for heating and reusing the nitrogen-rich “waste-water” byproduct as fertilizer.
Virginia Distillery Company produces an American Single Malt whisky using fresh spring water fed from the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and hand-hammered copper pot stills crafted in Scotland.