 How shall I structure my business and what other licenses and insurance do I need? One of the first things you need to do is decide how to organize your business. You may choose from a sole proprietorship, general partnership, Limited Liability Corporation etc… Each type of business has different advantages, disadvantages, and tax consequences. The Small Business Administration website has a good description of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
www.sba.gov/starting_business/legal/forms.html
You should consult a lawyer, or any of the other small business advising centers. If you are a member of Mountain BizWorks, one of the benefits of membership is free, limited consultation with a lawyer and an accountant. The same is true if you are a client of the Small Business Center at A-B Tech. Take advantage of these free professional services.
The North Carolina Department of State website has the forms you will need to set up your business. This is a good site to learn about North Carolina business licenses in general.
www.nccommerce.com/servicenter/blio/
Register your Business Name with the County Register of Deeds
The form is available in the Business Forms section at www.nccommerce.com/servicenter/blio/ or you might want to call your County Offices.
Patents and Trademarks
If you would like more information about patents and trademarks, please go to the Federal government’s website for the Patents & Trademark Office. www.uspto.gov/
Privelege License
Apply for a Privilege License at the City Hall Building in Asheville.
This license is required if doing business in Asheville. Blue Ridge Food Ventures is located within the city limits. For more information call 259-5595, or visit their site at:
www.ci.asheville.nc.us/finance/license.htm
Apply for your Sales Tax I.D. Number
Register for your Sales Tax # at the:
North Carolina Department of Revenue
2800 Heart Dr.
Asheville, NC 28806
They are located in the business park behind the Biltmore Square Mall. (Copies of the blank forms may also be obtained at BRFV.)
The form is also available in the Business Forms section at
www.nccommerce.com/servicenter/blio/
Obtain Product Liability Insurance
Insurance coverage is an important piece of any business operation, particularly food businesses. General liability is protection, including legal defense, from claims against you and your company alleging bodily injury or property damage to others because of your activities. Product liability insurance, a component of general liability, is particularly important to food producers. Product liability coverage provides protection against claims resulting from food-borne illness or injury. Many retail stores and distributors require this insurance before they will handle your product. Blue Ridge Food Ventures requires proof of $2 million of coverage for each producer using their facility. They also need to be named on the policy as “Additionally Insured” to broaden their protection under your coverage.
The following are just some of the Insurance Agents that you could contact for providing insurance for your products. We highly recommend that you call for several quotes as the prices can vary widely among providers.
Insurance Companies—Call and Compare Prices, there are big differences !!
Insurance People of North Carolina, Steve Griffin 800-825-0442
Rose & Kiernan Insurance Co, Ray Wilson 800-830-0705, ext. 505
Morrow Insurance, Joyce Biddix 828-693-5396
Nationwide Insurance, Brevard Road 828-665-1128
Webb Insurance, Jamie McArthur 828-233-7205
Nationwide Insurance, Rosario Villarreal 828-654-8865 (Spanish-speaking)
Advantage Insurance, Michelle M. Haynes, 828-456-8672 (Waynesville, NC)
Register with the FDA
FDA Registration—everyone producing a packaged food product for sale MUST register with the Food & Drug Administration. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act) requires domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States to register with the FDA. You are encouraged to register online at the website below as soon as you are in business producing food products. Exemptions to this requirement are also found on their website. www.cfsan.fda.gov/~furls/ovffreg.html
Go to this website to register your facility under the Bioterrorism Act
www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html
For clients in food production at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, here is some help in filling in the form: www.cfsan.fda.gov/~furls/ovffreg.html#logon
As a producer at BRFV, you would use your name and contact info, but OUR ADDRESS for Section 2. (1461 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC 28715) Use your phone number. If you need to put a FAX number and don’t have one, you may use ours: 828-665-9471.
YOUR mailing address in Section 3.
Your Parent Company Info (if applicable) in Section 4.
YOUR contact info in Section 5.
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Directions
Driving directions from I-40 west bound or east bound: Take Exit 44. At the traffic light at the end of the exit ramp, turn right (south on 19/23). Go to the fourth traffic light and turn left on Sand Hill Road. Go to the second entrance on the left and turn into the campus. The Haynes Conference Center will be on your right and Blue Ridge Food Ventures in the Incubator Building on your left.
Blue Ridge Food Ventures
Testimonial
AdvantageWest and Blue Ridge Food Ventures enabled me to turn my idea for a business into a reality. You rock!
Leslie Suber
Owner
Sadie’s Caribbean Fish Cakes
Testimonial
Using Blue Ridge Food Ventures, I was able to move quickly to get my award-winning product from testing to full production in just a year.
Ricardo Fernandez
Owner
Chef Ricardo's Authentic Appalachian Tomato Sauces
Mary Lou Surgi
, Executive Director
Blue Ridge Food Ventures
1461 Sand Hill Road
Candler, NC 28715
ph. 828-348-0128
fx. 828-348-0486
Email Mary Lou Surgi
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