Taste the Local Difference (TLD) has existed as a service for local food producers for more than 20 years. In 2020, TLD began to offer affordable technical marketing services to further help our partners find eaters and vice versa.
In 2025, we’re proud to announce our Local Food Marketing Academy, specifically made with the small food business owner in mind. This online course covers all of the hurdles we hear daily from entrepreneurs: how to post effectively on social media, how to be found online, and how to tell the story of their passion-turned-business. While we love to set up a curated email sequence for a specialty market or build a user-friendly website that works perfectly for a CSA, this course puts the student confidently in the driver’s seat. Ahead of its March 25th launch date, we asked Director of Communications Emily Row about some of her proudest achievements with this resource.
Why did Taste the Local Difference create the Local Food Marketing Academy?
Emily Row: We wanted to share something with farm and food business folks who are interested in taking the next step with their marketing efforts without dramatically increasing their existing marketing budget. We want entrepreneurs to gain access to the basics but with local food specific examples for application.
Who should consider this course?
ER: The Academy is perfect for local farm and food business owners who’d like to expand or improve their marketing efforts (and ultimately increase sales!) – whether it’s the first step, or they feel stuck and want to test new marketing techniques.
What is one of your favorite takeaways from the Academy?
ER: The SEMrush walkthrough is my favorite. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can sound intimidating but the way the Academy approaches it, it’s something that anyone can learn and it can have a huge impact on small businesses.
Learn more about our Local Food Marketing Academy and all of our services for food business owners at localfoodmarketing.com.