Entrepreneurs Carol Fitzgerald and Benita Kasbo-Perez, both Dairy Runway alumnae, have each won $10,000 in WomensNet grants to support their startups.
The Dairy Runway program provides entrepreneurship training for food entrepreneurs with early-stage ideas for value-added dairy products using New York State cow milk. Participants learn the customer discovery process to determine if their product ideas are desirable, viable, and feasible. Graduates like Fitzgerald and Kasbo-Perez are equipped with the skills needed to develop a workable business plan for a scalable product and are positioned to apply to various incubator and accelerator programs.
Carol Fitzgerald, founder of Hazy Fudge, was awarded the WomensNet grant in September of 2024.
Fitzgerald enrolled in Dairy Runway in 2023. After completing the first phase of the program, an online entrepreneurship course, Fitzgerald advanced to the Kitchen Incubator stage. With fully funded access to Cornell’s Food and Processing Development Laboratory (FPDL), she developed her product with support from dairy specialists and food technicians while working one-on-one with a Cornell Entrepreneur in Residence who provided business coaching.
Benita Kasbo-Perez, founder of Kasbo Market won her grant in November, less than two months after Fitzgerald. Kasbo-Perez enrolled in the program to better understand the customer discovery process and raise awareness of her product.
“As a small batch cheese producer with limited production and business experience, I feel uncertain about how to scale my business effectively,” said Benita Kasbo, upon starting the program. “The Dairy Runway program is exactly what I need at this stage of my business journey to help me learn and determine my next steps.”
Benita Kasbo-Perez started locally with her idea, knocking on doors and telling her friends about her vision. The $10,000 WomensNet grant she was awarded will help take Kasbo’s Market one step closer to fulfilling that vision.