This article outlines a theoretical understanding of the prerequisites for the formation of a digital economy in the food and processing industry cluster, and also examines the problems of the formation and development of any small enterprises and the challenges they face on the path to prosperity and success. Difficulties and threats in the modern economic world, whether they relate to the internal organization of processes or to external objective market factors, arise constantly. Composure, the ability to quickly respond and solve emerging problems are the key survival of small businesses, for which symbiosis with new types of institutional modifications in the economy, which are formed under the influence of digital platforms, brings a large number of positive aspects.