Last updated 01.30.2005
SMHA Provides Value-Added TA to Fishers
Southern Mutual Help Association, Inc.'s (SMHA) Organizer and Coalition Builder, Jocelyn Farrington, met with Kim Chauvin, a commercial fisher from Chauvin, Louisiana, on developing value added products for Kim's business, Mariah Jade Shrimp Company. Jocelyn is providing technical assistance to Kim to write a Value Added Producer Grant to help underwrite the cost of developing value added products. Kim said, "getting a Value Added Producer Grant will help me expand my business and keep my family in the work that we love."SMHA's Traditional Fishers in Transition Initiative works with fisher families where they are to expand their businesses, develop niche markets, and identify and pursue alternatives to traditional ways of selling their catch. By focusing on alternatives and innovative solutions, fisher families are able to maintain a living doing what they love.
The Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) is a program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). VAPG is available to all agricultural producers who create value added products.
Kim Chauvin's company, Mariah Jade Shrimp, can ship fresh, Wild Caught, Louisiana seafood to anywhere in the contiguous United States. For more information, log onto www.mariahjadeshrimp.com.