A University of Idaho facility in Caldwell has become a quiet engine behind some of Idaho’s most decorated small wineries, giving startup and boutique producers access to professional-grade equipment that would otherwise be out of reach, according to reporting from uidaho.edu.
The U of I Food Technology Center and Agribusiness Incubator, housed at the Caldwell Research and Extension Center, opened in the early 2000s in a former co-packing facility. Today it provides refrigerated bays for fermentation, pressing, aging, and bottling to multiple wine producers, including Famici Wine Co., Hat Ranch Winery, and Veer Wine Project. Huston Vineyards uses the space for temperature-controlled storage of finished products.
A Geoscience Professor Turns Winemaker
C.J. Northrup, a geosciences professor at Boise State University, and his wife Janet purchased six acres in Caldwell’s Sunnyslope area in 2012 and planted grapevines. About a decade later, the couple opened the Famici Wine Co. tasting room at 21067 Hoskins Road. The winery now produces roughly 1,200 cases per year, sourcing about half its grapes from the Northrups’ own vineyard.
The results have been competitive. At the 2026 Pacific Northwest Wine Competition — which drew 644 entries — Famici took home six double-gold medals, five gold medals, and one silver. The winery was also recognized for the top white wine and rosé at the 2026 Idaho Wine Competition.
Veer Wine Project Builds a Track Record
Will Wetmore launched Veer Wine Project in 2016 and has used the U of I incubator as a production base. The operation now turns out roughly 2,500 cases annually. Veer opened a tasting room in 2024 at 4338 W. Chinden Blvd. in Garden City.
The label has accumulated a string of top honors, claiming best in show at the Cascadia Wine Competition in both 2023 and 2024, and best in show at the Idaho Wine Competition in 2024. Wetmore also produces approximately three-quarters of the wine sold under the Kerry Hill Winery label in Wilder, owned by Mindy Mayer, who farms 40 acres of vines. Kerry Hill’s tasting room has been open since 2007.
Built-In Business Training
Access to the U of I facility is not simply a matter of renting space. Clients are required to complete a course covering food safety, product development, and strategies for scaling a business before they can use the equipment — a requirement that adds an educational layer to the incubator’s practical support.
The program reflects a broader mission at the University of Idaho to translate research and extension resources into tangible economic outcomes for Idaho industries. Idaho’s wine sector, centered largely in the Snake River Valley, has grown steadily in recent years, and facilities like the Caldwell incubator offer small producers a path to market without the capital investment that a full production facility would require.
For the Northrups, that access has been foundational. As C.J. Northrup told uidaho.edu, “Our winery wouldn’t exist without” the U of I facility — a sentiment that appears to be shared across the cluster of producers who have built award-winning labels with the incubator’s support.