Nine California companies and organizations have been awarded USDA grants to spur the processing and promotion of domestic organic products.

• Rumiano Cheese Co. of Willows, Calif., received a $3 million grant (equal match required) to expand market opportunities for organic dairy producers in Northern California through value-added processing and marketing.

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The business seeks to acquire additional equipment to create artisanal specialty cheese wheels and install a new processing line to upcycle organic cheese trim into value-added sauces, dips and spreads.

• Wehah Farm of Richvale, Calif., doing business as Lundberg Family Farms, was awarded $3 million (equal match required) to expand the U.S. organic rice market by investing in production, processing and marketing infrastructure.

The company aims for 3,000 new acres of organic rice production and a $17 million increase in domestic regenerative organic rice sales by the end of the project period.

• California Certified Organic Farmers of Santa Cruz, Calif., was given an award of $3 million ($1.72 million match required) to improve and expand market access for small and underserved organic farmers.

The organization hopes to clarify what organic means and boost consumer confidence in the seal, link producers with buyers actively looking to source organic food and educate farmers on how to talk about organic products.

• Zego of San Francisco won a $3 million grant ($1.01 million match required) to advance the organic gluten-free grain value chain, expanding processing capacity, product access and awareness and building consumer trust in organic food.

• Community Kitchens Collaborative of Cardiff by the Sea, Calif., doing business as Heal the Earth, received $2.47 million ($825,000 match required) to improve the viability of the domestic organic avocado market.

The organization will build relationships between producers and consumers, create alternative market channels for organic avocados and other farm products and increase consumer awareness of the benefits of locally grown avocados.

• Vista Livestock Co. of Denair, Calif., doing business as Burroughs Family Orchards, won an award of $1.17 million ($389,000 match required) project designed to increase consumption of its organic almond and olive products.

The business will invest in developing new and improved organic products, as well as weather-proofing its warehouse space to ensure optimal freshness and shelf life of goods.

• Tidal Foods of San Francisco received $661,000 ($750,000 match required) for a project that paves the way to make regenerative kelp farming a viable industry for rural seafood farming communities.

This project scales up the production of a highly sought-after product line that provides high quality, consistent revenue to kelp farmers.

• California Craft Maltings of Alameda, Calif., doing business as Admiral Maltings, won a $99,000 grant to purchase and install equipment to produce organic milled grains and organic sprouted grain flours.

The project will allow Admiral Maltings to increase the contracted acreage of organically grown grain and increase land under organic certification.

• Rock Front Ranch of Santa Maria, Calif., received $89,000 to purchase two new trailers and expand its organic jujube fruit into the network of Whole Foods in Northern California. The project should result in two to four new jobs.