STATE COLLEGE — As part of a concerted push to strengthen Centre County’s food economy, state Rep. Paul Takac, D-Centre, announced nearly $200,000 in grant funding from the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program for Inside Out Cookie Co. and Nittany Meadow Farm.

This critical investment will upgrade commercial kitchen equipment to boost baked-goods production with local ingredients and establish the county’s first goat-specific dairy processing facility, driving long-term growth and resilience.

“Strengthening our local food networks not only supports small farms and businesses but also helps ensure that families in central Pennsylvania have access to fresh, nutritious foods from local producers,” Takac said. “I’m proud to stand with these local businesses as they upgrade facilities and diversify their product lines.

“When we invest in our food supply chain, we invest in healthier communities and a stronger economy for everyone.”

Local awards in Centre County:

— Inside Out Cookie Co. will receive $99,144 to invest in commercial kitchen upgrades that boost baked-goods production using locally sourced ingredients and support at least five regional producers.

— Nittany Meadow Farm will receive $100,000 to establish Centre County’s first goat-specific dairy processing facility, enabling the production and distribution of a wider variety of fresh goat dairy products.

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, established under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and announced by Governor Shapiro at the 2024 Pennsylvania Farm Show, provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants to support equipment upgrades, facility modernization and safety improvements. Qualifying historically underserved, women-owned and veteran-owned small businesses receive a reduced match requirement of just 25%, further leveling the playing field.

“Since starting Inside Out Cookie, we’ve been selling cookies as fast as we can make them, but production capacity was always limited by our smaller equipment,” said Nick Freed, owner of Inside Out Cookie. “With larger and more efficient equipment we can produce and sell more products, which will require a greater consumption of Pennsylvania agricultural products and allow us to expand to more markets.”